Under NCLB, Program Improvement (PI) local educational agencies (LEAs) are responsible for implementing certain federal and state requirements during each year that they are in PI. The requirements vary based on the PI year.
Visit the Lists of Schools and LEAs in PI or At Risk of Entering PI.
PI Years 1 and 2
Timeline for Requirements for PI LEAs
Three-year chart outlining requirements for PI schools.
Power-Point on PI LEAs: Status Determinations, Requirements and Technical Assistance (PPT; 239KB; 52 Slides)
Additional resource on PI status determinations, requirements and technical assistance.
August 31, 2007 letter to newly designated PI districts
Template letter sent to district and county superintendents outlining requirements for LEAs in PI Years 1 and 2.
Guidance on the LEA Plan Addendum
Content requirements and state assessment tools for developing the LEA Plan Addendum.
LEA Plan Addendum Template and Assurances (DOC; 67.5KB; 5pp.)
Template for LEAs and their external entities to use when writing the LEA Plan Addendum.
Non-Regulatory Guidance on PI (DOC; 882KB; 38pp.; Outside source)
U.S. Department of Education document on school and LEA improvement.
Template of Notice of Intent to Bifurcate Services and related correspondence
County offices of education that are state-approved providers of supplemental educational services (SES) and become identified for PI are required to bifurcate their services by separating the administration of county office direct service functions to schools from the administration of technical assistance services to districts and schools; amend their LEA Plan to reflect these changes; and submit a letter to the California Department of Education (CDE) attesting to these changes.
Parent Notification Template for PI LEAs (English) (DOC; 29KB; 2pp.)
Available Translations for Program Improvement Notification (PI LEA Template)
PI Year 3
Corrective Action for LEAs in PI Year 3
An LEA that advances to PI Year 3 is subject to Corrective Action, and the state is required to select and impose one or more of federal sanctions:
- Replacing district personnel who are relevant to the district’s failure to make AYP
- Removing schools from the district’s jurisdiction and establishing alternative arrangements for governing and supervising those schools
- Appointing, by the State Board of Education (SBE), a receiver or trustee to administer the district’s affairs in place of the county superintendent of schools and the governing board
- Restructuring or abolishing the district
- In conjunction with another sanction, authorizing pupils to transfer from a school operated by the district to a higher performing school operated by another district and providing them with transportation to those schools
- Instituting and fully implementing a new curriculum that is based on state academic content standards
- Deferring programmatic funds or reducing administrative funds
SSPI Proposal for LEAs in PI Year 3 (Dated 27-Feb-08)
At the March 2008 SBE meeting, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) will recommend that all LEAs in corrective action be required to implement sanction F which is instituting and fully implementing a new curriculum that is based on the state academic standards (see corrective actions for LEAs in PI year 3 - number 6 above).
District Assistance and Intervention Teams (DAIT)
In addition to the federal sanctions cited above, the state may require the LEA to contract with a District Assistance and Intervention Team (DAIT). A DAIT is a team of county office of education or other organizational leaders who provide targeted technical assistance and support to Program Improvement (PI) districts in Corrective Action (Year 3 of PI). The team works with the district to examine current practices at both the district and school levels; evaluate the effectiveness of those practices; identify and prioritize the district’s major areas of need; develop and implement actions that target those needs; and, ultimately, help the district exit PI status.
DAIT Standards and Criteria (DOC; 268KB 11pp.)
DAIT standards and criteria adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in March 2006
Blueprint for District Assistance and Intervention (DOC; 605KB; 66pp.)
The Blueprint for District Assistance and Intervention, anchored in the adopted DAIT standards, is designed to guide the work of a district leadership team and the DAIT provider organization with which it contracts. It can also be a useful tool for any district wishing to implement systemic district reform.
Approved DAIT Provider Organizations
List of organizations approved by the CDE to serve as DAIT Providers, along with contact information for each provider.
