NCLB Update

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NCLB Update

• No Child Left Behind Updates
• August, 2003

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Topics

• District Improvement Plans
• NCLB Reports
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Title I Paraprofessionals
• English Language Learners

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Improvement Plans and Consolidated Applications

• Assurances, Lobbying and Debarment Assurance,
  Planning Page and Private School Participation
  Form was due July 1
• Hope to open the website before October 1 but
  will definitely close the website on October 31

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Improvement Plans

• Two components
• 1) District Improvement Plans move to the new
  concept of integrated planning introduced at
  Administrators Days
• 2) Consolidated application for formula NCLB
  programs for districts and consortia

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High Performance Learning

• Improvement Plan component of the High
  Performance Learning model
• Uses data to inform decisions
• Focuses on Learning, Organizational Development
  and Management
• Uses data to evaluate performance in a continuous
  improvement process

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New Concept for Plans

• Online submission will use the new concept to
  frame the process
• Learning Learning Goals/Targets
• Organizational Development Building Capacity
  for Change
• Management Integrating and Aligning Resources

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Questions for Improvement Plans

• Learning
• Focus on learning goals and targets.
• Learning goals from last year will be presented
  for review with an option to revise.
• Responses are connected to the State of the
  Schools Report

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• Organizational Development
• New question on professional development
• Staff participation in specific professional
  development activities that meet NCLB high
  quality criteria

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• Management Focus on integrating and aligning
  resources and activities
• Same question about integrating and aligning
  improvement activities opportunity to revise
  last years response
• New question on uses of NCLB funds in support of
  student learning

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NCLB Programs Application

• Titles II-A, II-D, IV and V plus REAP-Flex and
  Transferability Option (Section 6123)
• Budgets and narratives combined in an EXCEL
  spreadsheet
• Application for districts and consortia
• Guidance/instructions in late August examples
  will be posted on program homepages

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Other New NCLB Reports

• UMIRS (Uniform Management Information Reporting
  System)
• Suspensions, expulsions and truancy
• Forms will be sent this Fall so districts can set
  up systems to collect data
• Reports due after 2003-04 school year

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NCLB End-of-Year Reports

• All NCLB programs will have an end-of-year report
  to determine if funds are available as carryover
  for the following year
• New for Titles II-A, II-D, III, IV, V, REAP-Flex
  and Section 6123
• Consistent process needed for the online grants
  management system

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NCLB End-of Year Reports

• Forms sent in late August or early September
• Title I same as previous years
• Other Titles will be a status report
• If all funds have been spent, no additional
  paperwork
• If not, funds will not be lost will be added
  to budgets for the coming year as carryover funds

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REAP-Flex and Section 6123

• NEW guidance for REAP-Flex expands uses of funds
  and removes requirements
• REAP-Flex can use funds for purposes of any of
  seven (7) programs
• REAP-Flex - any district eligible for a REAP
  grant
• Section 6123 (Transferability Option) any
  district

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REAP-Flex

• Funds from
• Title II, Part A
• Title II, Part D
• Title IV, Part A
• Title V

• Use For
• Title I, Part A
• Title III
• Title IV, Part B
• Or, any of the four original programs

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NEW REAP-Flex

• Districts using the REAP-Flex option do NOT need
  to follow the requirements for the transferred
  funds
• Example If funds from some other program are
  being used for Title II, Part D (technology), the
  requirement of 25 for professional development
  does not apply

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Section 6123

• Transferability Option any district can use up
  to 50 of the funds from one of the four programs
  for the purposes of any other of these programs
  or Title I
• Requirements of new program apply like carryover
  and other limitations
• Limit is 30 if district is Title I identified
  for school improvement

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Flexibility and Private Schools

• If a district has a private school located within
  the district boundaries
• Consultation must occur before applying for
  REAP-Flex or Section 6123
• Private school also has flexibility in the use of
  the amount of funds that would be available

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Highly Qualified Teachers

• NCLB State Plan Goal (required) All teachers in
  core academic areas will be highly qualified
• All Schools and districts must annually measure
  progress toward measurable objective
• Title I projects can hire only highly qualified
  teachers

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Nebraskas Definition

• A highly qualified teacher is appropriately
  endorsed, according to the Departments
  guidelines, for the area s/he is teaching
• NO new label as highly qualified data
  collected through existing Personnel and
  Curriculum reports (middle grades reporting will
  be expanded)

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Nebraskas Objective

• Measurable Objective is based on percentages
  currently in Rule 10 for accreditation
• Higher standard since percentages will be applied
  to only the core academic areas
• All except vocational and physical education

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Measurable Objective

• 100 of the schools and districts will meet the
  following percentages in the NCLB core academic
  areas
• 80 of the instructional units at grades 9-12
• 90 of the middle grades and 95 of the
  elementary grades teachers hold the appropriate
  endorsement

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Measuring Progress

• Department will annually provide the data for the
  districts from the reports submitted
• Districts and schools must demonstrate progress
  (unless already meeting the goal)
• If a district does not show progress for two
  years develop a plan for three years
  district and State jointly determine how Title
  II-A funds will be used

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Notification to Parents

• Parents Right to Know (Section 1119) for Title
  I schools in Nebraska
• ONLY Notify parents of students if they are being
  taught for at least 4 weeks by a substitute
  (including local substitutes)
• Announce that parents have the right to request
  the qualifications of all teachers (Example
  newsletter or handbook)

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Title I Paraprofessionals

• All instructional paraprofessionals in Title I
  schoolwide schools and those funded by Title I in
  Targeted Assistance Projects must meet NCLB
  requirements
• If none available, document efforts
• Existing paraprofessionals have until January,
  2006 to meet requirements

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Paraprofessional Requirements

• Instructional Title I Paraprofessionals
• 48 semester hours of college
• An associate degree (in any area)
• Pass an approved paraprofessional assessment
• Districts make the determination
• Website to provide information available soon

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Paraprofessional Assessments

• PASSING SCORES
• Workkeys by ACT
• Writing 4
• Reading 4
• Math 3
• Instructional Skills Inventory 150

• ParaEducator by Master Teacher
• 70 on the comprehensive examination
• Parapro by ETS
• Passing Score 456

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Reporting Paraprofessionals

• Title I Schools ONLY
• Fall Personnel report adapted to collect
  information on all instructional
  paraprofessionals that need to meet NCLB
  requirements
• Education level, hiring data, whether one of the
  approved assessments was passed

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English Language Learners

• Three assessments
• Initial identification as ELL
• Language acquisition in reading, writing,
  speaking, listening and comprehension
• Participation in the State Assessment system
  (STARS)

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Initial Identification

• Language Assessment Scales (LAS)
• IDEA Proficiency Test (IPT)
• Woodcock-Munoz
• Language Proficiency Test Series (LPTS)
• Bilingual Verbal Abilities Test (BVAT)

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Language Acquisition

• NCLB requires each State to
• Establish guidelines for language acquisition in
  the five domains (draft guidelines will be mailed
  in August)
• Annually assess in the five domains (multi-state
  effort to develop an assessment that will be
  field-tested next Spring districts can develop
  their own using STARS process)
• Measure progress on performance targets

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STARS Assessments

• ELL students must also participate in the
  districts STARS Assessments
• STARS Update 12 includes updated information
• Title III requires reporting progress of meeting
  standards for each of the 2 years after receiving
  services

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English Language Learners

• NCLB definition of English Language Learner
  includes students until they achieve at a
  proficient level on State standards
• This definition is used for Census but does not
  necessarily mean that districts must serve
  students until they meet this level districts
  define the exit criteria for services