FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
For New Personnel
Table of Contents
- What is the School Improvement Plan ?
- What is the School Crisis Plan ?
- No Child Left Behind. Exactly what does that mean ?
- More information on No Child Left Behind.
- What are the ABCs ?
- What is SACS?
- What is Title I ?
- What do the Achievement Levels mean on the End-of-Grade Tests?
- What is a 504 student?
- I've heard about the ABCs. Are there other education initiatives that North Carolina is currently pursuing?
- What about testing in North Carolina?
- Who are ESL students?
What is the School Improvement Plan ?
Actually, at the present time, we have two School Improvement Plans. The ABC's Improvement Plan lays out strategies for reaching the objectives set out in the North Carolina ABCs of Public Education. Check out question four to learn more about the ABCs. The SACs School Improvement Plan lays out strategies for reaching the objectives established under SACs. See question six to learn all about SACs.
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What is the School Crisis Plan ?
A crisis is an event that is extraordinary and cannot be predicted. The School Crisis Plan is a handbook that outlines and suggests procedures for school personnel to follow in the event of a crisis. Ask your principal for a copy of the Plan if you do not have one. If you would like to know the guidelines for establishing a Crisis Plan, then check out this link.
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No Child Left Behind. Exactly what does that mean ?
The No Child Left Behind Act is federal law effecting all schools within the nation. The Act reauthorizes the ESEA, and incorporates the principles and strategies proposed by President Bush at the beginning of his administration.. These include increased accountability for States, school districts, and schools; greater choice for parents and students, particularly those attending low performing schools; more flexibility for States and local educational agencies (LEAs) in the use of Federal education dollars; and a stronger emphasis on reading, especially for our youngest children.
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More information on No Child Left Behind.
The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as
NCLB,
empowers the United States Department of Education (USED) to allocate Title I
funds to State Education Agencies (SEAs) like the North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction (NCDPI).
NCDPI then distributes funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs). LEAs apportion
Title I funds for Targeted Assistance Programs (TAPs) in schools that have a
high percentage of students eligible for a Free and Reduced Lunch (F&R).
Although Title I is the largest NCLB grant, NCLB also subsidizes Advanced
Placement (AP) fees, English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and school
reform efforts. NCLB does not include Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) funds for Students with Disabilities (SWD).
NCLB mandates that all schools, Title I or otherwise, must report and make
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). In order for a school to make AYP, subgroups
(F&R, LEP, SWD, etc., all enrolled for a full academic year (FAY)) must meet
three types of targets. They include participation rates, predetermined Annual
Measurable Objectives (AMOs) on EOG and EOC tests, and Other Academic Indicators
(OAIs) like attendance or cohort graduation rate.
LEP students have additional Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs)
for determining AYP. NCLB also requires all states to participate in National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing administered by the National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Assessment Governing
Board (NAGB).
Title I schools that do not make AYP in reading or math in consecutive years
must offer school choice and implement a School Improvement Plan (SIP). After
three or more consecutive years, schools must add Supplemental Education
Services (SES), and after four years, Corrective Action (CA) is included. Of
course, Local Education Agency Assistance Program (LEAAP) personnel assist LEAs
in this process.
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What are the ABCs ?
The ABC's of Public Education is North Carolina's comprehensive school improvement effort. The result of a 1995 state law requiring sweeping education reforms and reorganization, the ABC's has focused public schools in three areas: strong accountability with an emphasis on high educational standards, teaching the basics, and maximum local control. To learn more about the ABC's and to view a comparison between the ABC's and federal legislation, check out this link.
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What is SACS ?
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a private organization that accredits more than 12,000 public and private educational institutions in 11 states of the Southeastern U.S. and in Latin America. The SACS School Improvement Process is a five-year continuous cycle that provides the school with the tools to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, analyze the data associated with student performance, establish specific goals for student learning, and create meaningful action plans focused on improving student performance.
The SACS School Improvement Process (SIP) consists of eight components which collectively form the school improvement plan for the school. The components of the SACS SIP are an Executive Summary, a Performance and Progress Report, School Profile, Beliefs and Mission, Priorities for Improving Student Learning, Priorities for Improving School Performance, An Action Plan, and Standards for Accreditation. Each school is expected to review each component on an annual basis and update, when appropriate. A school’s success in achieving its goals requires a continuous process of sustained commitment and effort. Therefore, it is critical that each of the components of the SACS SIP reflect current knowledge and evidence about the school and its students.
Check out this link
to visit the SACS website.
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What is Title I ?
Title
I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 addresses the
education challenges facing high-poverty communities by targeting extra
resources to schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of
poverty. These are areas in which academic performance tends to be low and the
obstacles to raising performance are the greatest. Title I, which was first
enacted as part of the War on Poverty, today provides in excess of $12 billion
each year to more than 90 percent of school districts nationwide for improving
the education of millions of children at risk of education failure.
Title
I provides federal funding for schools to help students who are behind
academically or at risk of falling behind. Funding is based on the number of
low-income children in a school, generally those eligible for the free lunch
program. Title I is intended to supplement, not replace, state and district
funds. Schools receiving Title I monies are supposed to involve parents in
deciding how these funds are spent and in reviewing progress. Title I used to be
called Chapter One.
Only
schools which accept the federal funds are affected by the law’s provisions.
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What do the Achievement Levels mean on the End-of-Grade Test
Level I — Students performing at this level do not have sufficient mastery of knowledge and skills in this subject or course area to be successful at the next grade level or at a more advanced course level.
Level II — Students performing at this level demonstrate inconsistent mastery of knowledge and skills in this subject or course area and are minimally prepared to be successful at the next grade or course level.
Level III — Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of grade level subject matter/course subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade or course level work.
Level IV — Students performing at this level consistently perform in a superior manner clearly beyond that required to be proficient at grade or course level work.
For more detailed information on achievement levels follow this link.
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What is a 504 student?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights statute which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. A few years after the passage of the Rehabilitation Act, Congress passed the Education of the Handicapped Act (also known as Public Law 94-142). Later legislation amended and renamed the law the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students identified as '504' must have a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. 504 students and EC students (exceptional children) students are sometimes mistakenly thought to belong to the same group. This is not correct. EC students fall under the guidelines of IDEA; 504 students do not fall under these guidelines.
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I've heard about the ABCs. Are there other education initiatives that North Carolina is pursuing?
Yes. Check out this link for updates on current education initiatives in North Carolina.
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What about testing in North
Carolina?
Under the ABC Accountability Model, NCDPI administers a number of tests designed to measure student performance. The most common are End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests. Follow this link for a breakdown of required tests by grade. Students with disabilities and students identified as limited English proficient who do not participate in the standard administration of the grade 3 pretest, the end-of-grade tests, the high school comprehensive test, or the writing assessment (at grades 4, 7, and 10). These students are administered a state-designated alternate assessment (NCCLAS, NCEXTEND2, or NCEXTEND1). The alternate assessments are implemented in response to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
The North Carolina Checklist of Academic Standards (NCCLAS) is an alternate assessment designed to measure grade-level competencies of students identified as limited English proficient and some students with disabilities.
NCEXTEND2 is an alternate assessment designed to measure grade-level competencies of students with disabilities using modified achievement standards in a simplified multiple-choice format.
NCEXTEND1 is an alternate assessment designed to measure the performance of students with significant cognitive disabilities using alternate achievement standards.
For additional information relating to testing in North Carolina, follow these links: Link 1 Link 2
Who are ESL students?
If the Home Language Survey (HLS) determines that a
student is a National Origin Minority (NOM), he or she must take the IPT
(Individual Developmental English Activities Proficiency Test) exam as required
by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Students who do not earn a Superior score on all four subsets of the IPT are
identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), also known as English Language
Learners (ELL). These students typically enroll in English as a Second Language
(ESL) or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.
“LEP identification is determined solely by the IPT score, but ESL services are
determined by many other factors. Because of that, some LEP students may not
receive ESL services, but they must still get IPT tested each spring until
scoring Superior in all domains.”
The goal of ESL instruction is to use the English Language Development Standard
Course of Study (ELD SCS) to develop Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).
Follow this link
for additional information on ESL students.