October 31, 2012
Dear Parent or Guardian:
On February 10, 2012, Massachusetts received a waiver of certain No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. The purpose of this letter is to describe the educational opportunities made possible by the waiver, and to help you understand what the waiver will mean for you and your child.
NCLB required Massachusetts to measure the progress schools are making toward the goal of 100 percent proficiency in reading and math by the year 2014. Schools that did not make sufficient progress for two or more consecutive years were “identified for improvement.” Under NCLB, schools receiving federal Title I funds that did not make sufficient progress had to offer parents the opportunity to transfer their child to another school in the district that was not identified for improvement and/or offer tutoring, called supplemental educational services (SES) to children from low income families.
When NCLB was passed in 2002, it provided families useful information about the performance of their children’s schools. However, NCLB’s rising targets have led to an increasing number of schools deemed failing under the law: this year, approximately 80 percent of all Massachusetts schools were identified as needing improvement. As a result, NCLB made it impossible for parents to distinguish mostly successful schools from schools that were struggling.
Massachusetts’ approved NCLB waiver corrects many of the problems under NCLB. Instead of expecting all schools to reach 100 percent proficiency by the year 2014, the state will measure progress toward the goal of reducing proficiency gaps by half by 2017, a goal that is ambitious but more achievable than the NCLB goal. Districts and schools will be placed in one of five “accountability and assistance levels” designed to support schools where students are struggling the most. Finally, districts will have greater flexibility in using federal Title I funds to meet identified needs and will not be restricted to offering NCLB school choice and SES.
In Abington we will use federal funds to improve teaching and learning for all students and focus additional support efforts on our neediest students. Parents are made aware of these additional supports through the Abington Public School Department’s District Improvement Plan. If your child is enrolled in SES, he or she is entitled to continue receiving these services until the end of the school year.
The waiver does not affect our continuing obligation to share with you information on the performance of your child’s school; nor does it affect our commitment to involving all parents as full partners in the education of their children.
For more information on the Massachusetts NCLB waiver or a copy of the NCLB Report Card for your child’s school, or to learn how you can get more involved in the improvement effort, please contact the school’s main office or visit their website.
Sincerely,
Peter G. Schafer
Superintendent of Schools
Click here to review our "Report Card"