Program Improvement Requirements for
Local Educational Agency Plan
Addendum to Local Educational Agency Plan
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 Section 1116(c)(7)(A) requires that local educational agencies (LEAs) identified for Program Improvement (PI) shall, no later than three months after being identified, develop or revise an LEA Plan, in consultation with parents, school staff, and others. Rather than completely rewriting the district’s existing LEA Plan, the California Department of Education (CDE) requires writing a Plan Addendum to address the items described below. A template for the LEA Plan Addendum is included with this letter and is available on the CDE Web site, titled Enclosure 2. Please note that the format of the template has been improved to incorporate the required budget information.
In preparing an Addendum to the LEA Plan, PI LEAs will first work with their county superintendent of schools, which may include the Regional System of District and School Support (RSDSS), and then contract with an external entity (e.g., the county office of education, a School Assistance and Intervention Team provider, or another entity) to assist them. The external entity will work with the District and School Liaison Team to identify ways in which the prior LEA Plan failed to bring about increased student academic achievement, and target specific activities to improve the achievement of underperforming students.
LEAs should begin the plan revision with an analysis of the reason(s) for PI identification. Working with the external entity, the LEA should conduct an in-depth analysis of its achievement data patterns and current educational practices to determine whether it obtained PI status because of the achievement or participation rate of a single group, or because of multiple low achievement trends across grade spans and/or subject areas. The state has developed several analytic tools (listed below) to inform the LEA planning process and use of these tools is required to ensure that the needs of all students are addressed.
LEAs should begin implementing the plans outlined in the LEA Plan Addendum immediately upon its completion and local board approval. This implementation must begin no later than the onset of the second semester of the 2007-08 academic school year. The original LEA Plan and the Addendum will be reviewed by CDE staff when conducting a Categorical Program Monitoring visit. For further information regarding LEA Plans, visit the web site.
Identification Under Title I and Title III
In the event the LEA is identified for improvement under both Title I and Title III, the LEA Plan Addendum should include, throughout the plan, very specific information as to how the LEA will meet the needs of their English learner (EL) subgroup for the annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) in Title III that the LEA did not meet. Refer to the Title III Accountability Guide for more information on AMAOs. If the LEA previously submitted the Title III Improvement Plan to the CDE, an updated plan may be inserted into question six of the LEA Plan Addendum Template in response to the needs of the English learner subgroup.
Time-Sensitive Requirements
The LEA must develop the LEA Plan Addendum by November 30, 2007, in order to meet NCLB requirements. The LEA Plan Addendum then must be approved by the local governing board. An electronic copy of the Addendum should be submitted immediately upon local board approval to the School and District Accountability Division Office (e-mail: LEAP@cde.ca.gov) no later than January 2, 2008. The assurance page, with original signatures, and a copy of the parent notification letter may be mailed to the CDE at the address on page 4 of this document.
Content Requirements for LEA Plan Addendum
According to provisions in NCLB, the LEA Plan Addendum is required to:
- Address the fundamental teaching and learning needs in the schools of the LEA and the specific academic problems of low-achieving students, including a determination of why the prior LEA Plan failed to bring about increased student achievement.
- Identify actions that have the greatest likelihood of improving the achievement of students in meeting state standards.
- Incorporate scientifically based research strategies that strengthen the core
academic program in schools served by the LEA.
- Include specific, measurable achievement goals and targets for all students and subgroups, addressing all elements of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
- Address the professional development needs of the instructional staff. Indicate that the LEA will dedicate not less than ten percent of the LEA Title I allocation for high quality professional development.
- Identify how technical assistance will be obtained to support implementation of the LEA Plan revisions (e.g., AB 472 training, AB 430 training, county office support, and work with such organizations as the California School Boards Association, California Teachers Association, Association of California School Administrators, California Federation of Teachers, Parent Teacher Association, institutions of higher education, and public and private organizations).
- Incorporate, as appropriate, learning activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during an extension of the school year.
- Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school.
- Meet all requirements specified in NCLB Section 1116 (c)(7)(A)(i) through (viii).
Tools for Revising the LEA Plan
In amending the Plan, the CDE requires that LEAs use the following state-developed tools to ensure key NCLB requirements identified above are addressed:
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District Assistance Survey (DAS)
The purpose of the DAS is to help a district analyze the nature and coherence of its operations in support of a coherent, school-level instructional program that improves student achievement. Because student achievement in reading/language arts and mathematics is central to student success in other areas, this survey analyzes district support for schools in these primary areas of student literacy. The survey is designed to reveal how a district supports schools in seven categories that directly impact student achievement:
- Standards-based Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
- Professional Development
- Human Resources
- Data Systems/Data Analysis/Ongoing Monitoring
- Parent and Community Involvement
- Fiscal Operations
- Governance and Leadership
- School-level Academic Program Surveys (APS)
This tool measures the presence of the nine Essential Program Components for Instructional Success at the school level. They are available for elementary and high school levels and should be used in any underperforming school or school enrolling students whose achievement contributed to the district’s PI designation.
- English Learner Subgroup Self Assessment (ELSSA)
The ELSSA will help LEAs to analyze and revise their LEA Plan in order to improve outcomes for their English learners.
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Least Restrictive Environment Self Assessment (LRE)
The LRE is a self-assessment tool to help districts examine their practices in supporting educational options for students with disabilities.
The above-mentioned tools are available through the CDE Virtual Library. You can find the DAS, APS, ELSSA, and LRE on CDE’s Web site.
RSDSS staff may provide initial or additional training in LEA Plan revision processes and protocols. For more information, contact your regional RSDSS office.
Please remember, you must submit an electronic copy of your local board approved LEA Plan Addendum to the CDE (e-mail to LEAP@cde.ca.gov), and mail the assurance page (with original signatures), and a copy of your parent notification letter, no later than January 2, 2008, to:
Debbie Rury, Consultant
School and District Accountability Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 6208
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
Questions regarding the development of the LEA Plan Addendum should be directed to Debbie Rury at (916) 319-0651.
