| 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 |