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Aug. 8 start hinders choice 6/30/05 When classes begin Aug. 8 in Autauga and Elmore counties, the public school systems will not be able to offer parents school choice based on current accountability reports because the state Department of Education will not release 2004-2005 report cards until Aug. 11. State report cards contain accountability information on schools and school systems using indicators such as student test scores, participation on the test, attendance and, in some cases, student dropout rates. School officials in both counties have drawn up tentative plans in the event a school is placed on an improvement list. Low-performing schools are placed on the improvement list if they to fail to meet adequate yearly progress -- a group of goals determined by the school's racial and economic makeup as well as attendance -- for two consecutive years. Once on the list, it takes a school two years to move off the list. The school choice mandate of No Child Left Behind requires school systems to notify parents of their child's school status before class starts, and give them an opportunity to transfer to a school that is not considered low performing. Alabama released NCLB report cards for the first time last year. The state Department of Education did not get the data out to schools before they opened, placing the state in violation of federal law. However, to prevent the state from missing deadlines this school term, State Superintendent Joe Morton asked schools to set later start dates -- especially if they have a school of choice issue or if they anticipated they would have one come on the list. BACK TO CLASS School start dates for public school systems across central Alabama: "I wanted to give them plenty of time to plan a school calendar for the '05-'06 year that would not have a start date before we could get the data to them, and most have complied," Morton said. "I think there are a few that still want to insist on starting earlier than we can get the data, but their belief is they won't have any schools of choice so they think they're safe in pushing the envelop a little bit I guess." In his letter to superintendents, Morton asked school systems to start no earlier than Aug. 8 and to consider starting Aug. 11 or Aug. 15 if they had a school of choice or thought they might have a school placed on an improvement list. "We kept Aug. 8 in order to get our days in and the community is used to it," he said. "And we want to finish the first semester before Christmas. It's something parents asked of me and we've done it for a long time." When asked why Elmore County Schools did not set a later date for the first day of school, Jeff Langham, superintendent of Elmore County Schools, gave a similar response. "We set Aug. 8 just to keep some semblance of our normal schedule," he said. "We found out trying to change from Aug. 8 was going to throw things out of kilter. It's not a decision we made lightly." Morton warned superintendents against throwing caution to the wind. "I have told them previously if they insist on doing that then if they get in trouble it's going to be between them and the United States Department of Education," he said. "I cannot defend them when I have advised them not to do it. So, they're walking a tight rope, but I've advised them they're walking a tight rope." With NCLB guidelines hanging over their heads, but no experience -- in recent histor y-- with any of its schools in academic trouble, Langham said Elmore County made the decision it thought was best at the time. "We realize (parents must be notified before school starts), but the full challenge of that is now sinking in," he said. Elmore County set aside $85,000 for school choice, if any school falls into the school improvement designation. Langham said the county has a plan. "Immediately," said Langham about when the plan would go into effect. "(Information will) be out there the first day of school. We would have to act immediately." Under the block schedule, the class schedule all public high schools in Autauga and Elmore counties are on, students cannot complete courses before Christmas with a later start date, Butler said. He added that many systems are in a similar predicament. "None of the school systems out there know what's going to happen with this (school choice)," Butler said. "This is the first time this has come about, except for school systems that had a problem with academics." Morton commended Montgomery Public Schools for starting Aug. 15. "(Morton) recommend schools wait to... Aug. 11 or Aug. 15 to allow the state department to get test data to us so we can notify parents of schools that did not make adequate yearly progress and thus would need to offer school choice." Butler said he expected Autauga County's scores on the Alabama Reading and Math Test and Stanford Achievement Test to be up across the county. He said should a school be identified as needing improvement, then they will make the necessary arrangements. He also said state officials may release information to school systems on the first day to help parents prepare. "We're going to get notices out there as quick as possible," Butler said. "We should have data prepared on the first day. We have letters prepared and ready to go out." You want to keep things the way the community likes them," Butler said. "This year will let us know. You learn what you have to do. We're hoping everything turns out well." |
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