Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services

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Public School Choice and Supplemental
Educational Services

• Federal Programs
• Committee of Practitioners
• December 17, 2008

2
Agenda

• School Improvement Timeline for Title I Schools
• Overview of Public School Choice (PSC) and
  Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
• SES Evaluation
• Monitoring of SES Providers
• New Title I Regulations for PSC and SES

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School Improvement Timelinefor Title I Schools
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Improving Status

• Improving - The school has made AYP for one
  year after being identified for improvement,
  corrective action, or restructuring.
• PSC and SES are still required.
• Two years to get into improvement, two years to
  get out.

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Public School Choice

• High Priority Title I schools identified for
  improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
• Eligible students All enrolled students

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Supplemental Educational Services (SES)

• Supplemental Educational Services tutoring in
  reading/language arts and math to students
  outside the regular school day.
• Eligible students low-income students attending
  Title I schools identified in school improvement
  2 or beyond.

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Who can be an SES provider?

• For-profit agencies
• Non-profits (including community and faith-based
  organizations)
• Public, charter, and private schools

• School districts (not identified as High
  Priority)
• Institutions of higher education

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Update Approval Process for SES Applications

• Application window
• Opens February 16, 2009
• Closes March 27, 2009
• Technical Assistance Web Ex presentations
  tentatively scheduled January 2009.

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Update Evaluation of Providers

• Center for Research in Educational Policy,
  University of Memphis
• Measures of effectiveness (data analyses)
• Quality of services (perception surveys)
• http//state.tn.us/education/fedprog/doc/SES0607E
  valRpt.doc

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(No Transcript)
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State Level Results2006-07

• Student Achievement
• One provider yielded statistically significant
  positive effects on students tutored in
  mathematics.
• One provider showed significantly negative
  effects on reading test scores.

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SES Monitoring Process

• Desk Top Monitoring
• NCLB Compliance
• SES Application Compliance
• On-Site Monitoring
• Site specific compliance requirements
• On-Site Observation
• Observation of actual tutoring session

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SES PROVIDERSCODE OF ETHICS

• General guidelines for ethical behavior
• Marketing
• Incentives

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Regulations Regarding Public School Choice and
Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
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Public School Choice and SES

• New regulatory requirements related to
• Timely and Clear Notification to Parents
• Parent outreach for public school choice and SES,
• States responsibilities for SES, and
• Funding for choice-related transportation and
  SES.

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Public School Choice Notification

• LEAs must notify parents of eligible students
  about public school choice options sufficiently
  in advance of, but no later than 14 calendar days
  before, the start of the school year
  200.37(b)(4)(iv) 200.44(a)(2).
• Requirement applies beginning with the 2009-10
  school year.

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Table Talk

• How can a school district plan in the spring to
  notify parents about the public school choice
  option14 days prior to the start of school?

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SES Notification

• The notice of the availability of SES must
• Explain how parents can obtain SES for their
  child 200.37(b)(5)(i),
• Identify each approved SES provider available
  within the LEA or in its general geographic
  location, including providers that are accessible
  through technology, such as distance learning
  200.37(b)(5)(ii)(A),
• Describe briefly the services, qualifications,
  and evidence of effectiveness for each provider
  200.37(b)(5)(ii)(B),

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SES Notification (Continued)

• The notice of the availability of SES must
• Include an explanation of the benefits of
  receiving SES 200.37(b)(5)(ii)(C)
• Be clear, concise, and clearly distinguishable
  from other information sent to parents on school
  improvement 200.37(b)(5)(iii) and
• Include an indication of those providers who are
  able to serve students with disabilities or LEP
  students 200.37(b)(5)(ii)(B).
• Requirement applies beginning with the 2009-10
  school year.

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SES Notification (Continued)

• An LEAs notice should describe the procedures
  and timelines that parents must follow in
  selecting a provider to serve their child. For
  example
• Where and when to return a completed application,
  
• When and how the district will notify parents
  about enrollment dates and start dates, and
• LEA contact information
• If an LEA anticipates that it will not have
  sufficient funds to serve all eligible students,
  it should also include information on how it will
  set priorities in order to determine which
  eligible students receive services.

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SES Notification (Continued)

• What does it mean for the SES notice to be
  clearly distinguishable?
• If the SES notice is included in the same mailing
  with other information about school improvement,
  information about SES must be easily
  recognizable.
• An LEA is not required to send an SES notice that
  is separate from its school improvement notice.

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LEA Web Site

• An LEA must prominently display on its Web site,
  in a timely manner
• The number of students who were eligible for and
  the number of students who participated in public
  school choice and SES, beginning with data from
  the 2007-08 school year and each subsequent
  school year.
• For the current school year, a list of SES
  providers approved by the state to serve the LEA
  and the locations where services are provided.
• For the current school year, a list of available
  schools to which students eligible to participate
  in public school choice may transfer
  200.39(c)(1).

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LEA Web Site (Continued)

• If an LEA does not have its own Web site, the
  state must include the information for the LEA on
  its Web site 200.39(c)(2).

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Allowance for Parent Outreach and Assistance Costs

• An LEA may count in the amount the LEA is
  required to spend for choice-related
  transportation and SES (20 percent obligation,
  i.e., an amount equal to 20 percent of its Title
  I, Part A allocation) its costs for parent
  outreach and assistance.
• An LEA may count up to an amount equal to one
  percent of the 20-percent obligation
  200.48(a)(2)(iii)(C).

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Allowance for Parent Outreach and Assistance
Costs (Continued)

• What costs for parent outreach and assistance may
  an LEA count toward meeting the 20-percent
  obligation?
• An LEA has discretion in determining the most
  effective means of providing outreach and
  assistance to parents of eligible students.
• Examples of allowable costs
• Parent notices,
• Communication through the media, Internet, and
  community partners,
• Displaying information on the LEAs Web site, and
• Parent fairs.

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Table Talk

• How can a school district use the 1 of the
  required 20 reservation to improve parent
  outreach and assistance in enrolling their
  students in SES?

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State Responsibilities Regarding SES

• Transparency for Parents and the Public
• SES Provider Approval Process
• SES Provider Monitoring
• Monitoring LEAs
• Implementation Timeline

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Transparency for Parents and the Public

• For each LEA, states must post on their Web sites
  200.47(a)(1)(ii)(B)
• The amount of funds available for choice-related
  transportation and SES as required in
  200.48(a)(2) (the 20 percent obligation i.e.,
  an amount equal to 20 percent of the LEAs Title
  I, Part A allocation).
• The per-child amount for SES as calculated under
  200.48(c)(1).
• States must indicate on the list of approved
  providers those SES providers that are able to
  serve students with disabilities or who are
  limited English proficient 200.47(a)(3)(ii).
• Before the start of the 2009-10 school year.

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SES Provider Approval Process

• A state must ensure that each provider it
  approves
• Has a demonstrated record of effectiveness in
  increasing student academic achievement.
• Is capable of providing instructional services
  that are
• Consistent with the instruction provided and the
  content used by the LEA and the state,
• Aligned with state academic content and student
  academic achievement standards,
• Of high quality, research-based, and designed to
  increase student academic achievement, and
• Secular, neutral, and non-ideological
  200.47(b).

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SES Provider Approval Process (Continued)

• A state must ensure that each provider it
  approves
• Is financially sound 200.47(b)(1)(iii), and
• Will provide SES consistent with applicable
  federal, state, and local health, safety, and
  civil rights laws 200.47(b)(2)(iii).

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SES Provider Approval Process (Continued)

• Additionally, a state must consider, at a
  minimum
• Information from the provider on whether it has
  been removed from any states approved provider
  list 200.47(b)(3)(i),
• Parent recommendations, or results from parent
  surveys, if any exist, regarding the success of
  the providers instructional program in
  increasing student achievement 200.47(b)(3)(ii)
  , and
• Evaluation results, if any exist, demonstrating
  that the providers instructional program has
  improved student achievement 200.47(b)(3)(iii).
  
• Beginning with the states next approval cycle.

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SES Provider Monitoring

• To monitor the quality and effectiveness of
  services offered by an approved provider in order
  to inform the renewal or the withdrawal of
  provider approval, a state must examine, at a
  minimum, evidence that the providers
  instructional program
• Is consistent with the instruction provided and
  content used by the LEA and state
  200.47(c)(1)(i),
• Addresses students individual needs, as
  described in students SES plans
  200.47(c)(1)(ii),
• Has contributed to increasing students academic
  proficiency 200.47(c)(1)(iii), and
• Is aligned with the states academic content and
  student academic achievement standards
  200.47(c)(1).

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Table Talk Student Learning Plan

• How can a school district develop an individual
  student learning plan in consultation with the
  parent and the provider chosen by the parent?

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SES Provider Monitoring (Continued)

• A state also must consider information, if any
  exists, regarding
• Parent recommendations or results from parent
  surveys regarding the success of the providers
  instructional program in increasing student
  achievement 200.47, and
• Evaluation results demonstrating that the
  instructional program has improved student
  achievement 200.47(c)(2).
• Beginning with the states next approval cycle.

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Monitoring LEAs

• A state is required to develop, implement, and
  publicly report on the standards and techniques
  it will use to monitor LEAs implementation of
  SES 200.47(a)(4)(iii).
• Before the start of the 2009-10 school year.

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Funding for Choice-Related Transportation and SES

• Criteria that an LEA Must Meet to Spend Less than
  its 20-Percent Obligation
• LEA Responsibilities to Document and Notify the
  State
• State Responsibilities
• Consequences for Non-Compliance
• Availability of Funds

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Criteria that an LEA Must Meet to Spend Less Than
its 20-Percent Obligation

• 1. To spend less than the amount needed to meet
  its 20-percent obligation, an LEA must meet, at a
  minimum, the following criteria
• Partner, to the extent practicable, with outside
  groups, such as faith-based organizations, other
  community-based organizations, and business
  groups, to help inform eligible students and
  their families of opportunities to transfer or to
  receive SES 200.48(d)(2)(i)(A).

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Criteria that an LEA Must Meet to Spend Less Than
its 20-Percent Obligation (Continued)

• Ensure that eligible students and their parents
  have a genuine opportunity to sign up to transfer
  or to obtain SES, including by
• Providing timely, accurate notice to parents.
• Ensuring that sign-up forms for SES are
  distributed directly to all eligible students and
  their parents, and are made widely available and
  accessible through broad means of dissemination,
  such as the Internet, other media, and
  communications through public agencies serving
  eligible students and their families.

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Criteria that an LEA Must Meet to Spend Less Than
its 20-Percent Obligation (Continued)

• 3. Ensure that eligible students and their
  parents have a genuine opportunity to sign up to
  transfer or to obtain SES, including by
• Providing a minimum of two enrollment windows,
  at separate points in the school year, that are
  of sufficient length to enable parents of
  eligible students to make informed decisions
  about requesting SES and selecting a provider
  200.48(d)(2)(i)(B).

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Criteria that an LEA Must Meet to Spend Less Than
its 20-Percent Obligation (Continued)

• Ensure that eligible SES providers are given
  equal access to school facilities, using a fair,
  open, and objective process, on the same basis
  and terms as are available to other groups that
  seek access to school facilities
  200.48(d)(2)(i)(C).

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LEAs Responsibilities to Document and Notify
the State

• To spend less than the amount needed to meet its
  20-percent obligation, an LEA must
• Maintain records demonstrating that it has met
  the criteria in 200.48(d)(2)(ii), and
• Notify the state that it
• Has met the criteria in 200.48(d)(2)(i) and
• Intends to spend the remainder of its 20-percent
  obligation on other allowable activities,
  specifying the amount of that remainder
  200.48(d)(2)(iii).

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States Responsibilities

• Each state must, through its regular monitoring
  process, ensure that an LEA that spent less than
  its 20-percent obligation on choice-related
  transportation and SES met the criteria in
  200.48(d)(2)(i).
• In addition to its regular monitoring process, a
  state must, by the beginning of the next school
  year, review any LEA that
• The state determines has spent a significant
  portion of its 20-percent obligation for other
  allowable activities and
• Has been the subject of multiple complaints,
  supported by credible evidence, regarding
  implementation of public school choice or SES
  200.48(d)(3).

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Consequences for Non-Compliance

• If a state determines that an LEA has failed to
  meet any of the criteria in 200.48(d)(2)(i), the
  LEA must
• Spend an amount equal to the remainder of its
  20-percent obligation in the subsequent year, in
  addition to its 20-percent obligation for that
  year, on choice-related transportation costs,
  SES, or parent outreach and assistance, or
• Meet the criteria and obtain permission from the
  state before spending less than the required
  amount in that subsequent school year. The state
  must confirm the LEAs compliance with the
  criteria before granting such permission
  200.48(d)(4).

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On the Bright Side

• Vision for SES
• Proactive rather than Reactive approach to the
  provision of SES