|
Department of Education seeks comment |
|
April 28, 2017 |
The State Department of Education is seeking
public comment on the latest draft of Idaho’s
plan for federal education funds to serve
disadvantaged children. The department released
the fourth draft of Idaho’s Consolidated Plan
for public review on its website today.
In May, department staff will meet with
education stakeholder groups and will offer
three webinars; an in-person feedback session;
and the opportunity to submit comments online.
The information will be used to help finalize
the state's plan for submission to the U.S.
Department of Education in September.
“I am looking forward to continuing the
conversation from this fall with stakeholders
and getting public feedback about how we
leverage our federal support to address the
needs of schools that serve disadvantaged
children in Idaho,” said Superintendent of
Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra.
Idaho receives about $82 million in federal
funds to serve disadvantaged children and
support teachers.
To receive federal funding, states must submit a
detailed consolidated plan describing how
federal requirements are met and how the funds
will be used to support schools serving at risk
children including the poor, migrant, English
learners, homeless and children who are
neglected and delinquent.
Idaho’s Consolidated Plan, when finalized, will
replace plans and waivers that were in place
before Congress updated the federal education
law in 2015. Development of Idaho’s plan paused
briefly this spring while the new federal
administration provided new guidance to states.
Two key areas of the 70-plus page plan are
sections that detail identification schools for
comprehensive and targeted support and describe
the statewide system of support for those
identified schools.
Under the plan, the state would review all
schools at start of the 2017-18 school year
using three years of data on measures identified
from the state’s new accountability framework.
Measures include:
• English/Language Arts and Math proficiency and/or growth on state tests
• Graduation rates, as appropriate
• English language proficiency for English language learners on state
tests
• For 2018-19, an indicator on school climate
A school’s performance on each indicator will be
reviewed for five groups when 25 students are
present: all students; economically
disadvantaged students; children with
disabilities; English learners; and minority
students. An annual report card will detail
school performance on the indicators.
The state review will identify the lowest
performing schools receiving federal Title 1
funds, for comprehensive or targeted state
support. A State Technical Assistance Team will
work closely with district leaders as they
create improvement plans for the identified
schools.
“There is no one-size-fits-all, top-down
approach to school improvement,” Superintendent
Ybarra said. “The state won’t force solutions on
districts. Instead, the department will be a
planning partner and will offer a menu of
choices for districts to pick what best meets
their needs.”
Superintendent Ybarra will update the State
Board of Education in May and will submit the
Consolidated Plan reflecting public feedback to
the State Board of Education in June.
The public can provide feedback on the 4th draft
of the Idaho Consolidated Plan in three ways:
• participate in an online webinar;
• submit comments online;
• or attend an in-person session.
To participate, individuals should go the State
Department of Education’s website
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/topics/consolidated-plan/index.html
and download the draft plan, review it, and
submit comments via email or register for one of
the four opportunities:
• 4 p.m. (MT) May 4 – Online session
• 2 p.m. (MT) May 9 – In-person session, 650 W. State St., Boise, Barbara
Morgan Conference Room
• 10 a.m. (MT) May 19 – Online session
• 1 p.m. (MT) May 22 – Online session |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
