West Park School District

 

July 22, 2015

 

 

To the Parents/Guardians of students at West Park Elementary School:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that our school continues to be identified as a Program Improvement (PI), Year 5 School under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended.

 

What is PI? The ESEA requires the state and district to review annually the academic progress of federally funded Title I schools and to identify schools in need of improvement. Last year, these schools were identified as PI schools after two consecutive years of not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). California determined AYP by considering the following three measures:

 

Why was our school originally identified for PI? The reason for our original identification is that our school did not achieve AYP for two consecutive years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014). The AYP area(s) that caused the identification are:

The school’s Accountability Progress Reports may be obtained from the school or on the California Department of Education (CDE) AYP Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/.

 

On March 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education approved California’s testing waiver for certain statutory and regulatory requirements of the Title I, Part A of the ESEA. A one-year waiver was granted that allows flexibility in making AYP determinations for schools and local educational agencies participating in the Smarter Balanced Field Test.

The CDE will not produce a 2014 AYP Report for elementary and middle schools and elementary and unified school districts. Therefore, the PI status for elementary and middle schools and unified school districts will not change. Elementary and middle schools and unified school districts will not enter or exit PI. However, these schools and districts will continue to implement the PI requirements associated with their current PI status.

 

All parents/guardians of students attending a PI school have the right to request a transfer of their children to a non-PI district school with district-paid transportation.

For parents/guardians who select this option, the district will provide transportation to the non-PI school for as long as the home school continues to be identified as a PI school. The number of students who can transfer with paid transportation may be limited by the amount of money available to pay for transportation costs. If there is not enough money available, the lowest-achieving students from low-income families will be given priority. However, you can always request a school transfer to a non-PI school without paid transportation.

If you are interested in transferring your child or children to a non-PI school in the district for the 2015-2016  school year, please select from the following schools. Your preference of a non-PI school will be taken into consideration. The letter must also provide specific school information, including a description of academic achievement of the school. Include at least two indicators, such as percent of students proficient or above in ELA and mathematics, and the school’s API score. Put these indicators in the context of the state targets.

 

 

* 800 on the API = Meeting the state’s percent proficient target for schools on the Academic Performance Index

** Percentage targets vary by grade span

For more information about any of these schools, please contact the district at 559-233-6501 You may also go to the district’s Web site at www.westpark.k12.ca.us.org  to obtain information on the number of students who are eligible for and the number of students who participated in public school.

 

Students from low-income families at continuing PI schools, whose parents/guardians did not select a public school choice option, are eligible for free Supplemental Educational Services (SES). These services are classes or tutoring which occur outside the regular school day with educational providers approved by the State Board of Education. If the number of eligible students who apply for the SES program exceeds the financial resources available, the lowest achieving students from low-income families will receive SES first.

There are many benefits to your child(ren) receiving free tutoring.

If you are interested in SES, please review the listed provider willing to serve the district.

 

Ø  Reading and Beyond, a non-profit organization that has been working with students and parents since 1999 in the Central Valley. Through the years, Reading and beyond has developed a literacy program that has helped thousands of students from Modesto to Bakersfield. These services use Common Core Standards, which are designed to work hand-in-hand with our school to enhance long-term academic and developmental success of the students we serve.

This information can also be found on our Web site at www.westpark.k12.ca.us.org  Please, complete and return the attached SES application form to the district.  If you need assistance in making a selection of an SES provider(s) for your child(ren), please contact Raul Trejo at 559-233-6501 ext.111

 

We are working closely with the district staff to continue to implement, and revise as necessary, our school plan, which includes:

 

Our district is working closely with the CDE to improve curriculum, instruction, and student performance. In addition to choice and SES, the school will continue to implement and refine the Alternative Governance Plan ( consideration to convert to become a Charter School).

Research shows that strong parental involvement leads to student success at school. Parents/guardians interested in partnering with the school are encouraged to contact the school for additional information regarding:

 

We will keep you updated and informed about opportunities to discuss plans for our school. If you have questions, need additional information on how you can get involved in our school improvement efforts, or would like to discuss the school’s instructional program and PI status, please feel free to call me and/or visit the school.

Sincerely,

 

Ralph G. Vigil 

Superintendent 

 

 

Raúl Trejo, Jr. 

 

Learning Director