A Parents’ Guide
Public School Choice
What is public school choice and
how do I know if my child is eligible?
Public school choice is a provision of the No Child Left Behind Act that allows parents to transfer their children out of schools that are identified as in need of improvement into schools that are not identified. School districts are required to provide you with notification that your child’s school either has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years and is identified for school improvement prior to the beginning of the year following identification. OSPI is also required to publish a list of schools that have not made adequate yearly progress.
If my child is in a school that is
identified for school improvement, how can I get help?
If your child’s school is identified for school improvement, your school district must provide the option to transfer your child to a school, within the district if possible, that is not identified for school improvement. Transportation is provided or paid by the school district.
If I transfer my child to a school
that is not identified for school improvement, how long does the transfer
remain in effect?
Once a child has transferred to another school as a result
of school choice, the school district must permit the child to remain in that
school until the child has completed the highest grade in that school. However, the obligation to provide or pay for transportation for the
child ends at the end of the school year when it is determined that the school
from which the child transferred is no longer identified for school
improvement.
What if my child’s school does not
make AYP for two consecutive years and is identified as in need of improvement
but my district has not contacted me with a list of options?
If your district has not contacted you, then you should contact your district officials as well as our office. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website provides a listing of district officials and contacts for schools across the state.
What is adequate yearly progress and how is it determined?
Adequate yearly progress (AYP) is the level of proficiency
that schools must achieve each year.
School progress is monitored in reading and math across the following
subgroups: All Students, Asian, Black,
Hispanic, Native American,
On
Child Left Behind, into law. The law united both political parties behind the principle that schools must be held accountable for their results and that every child must learn. As part of that law, when a disadvantaged child is attending a low-performing school, federal funds can be used, at the request of the parents, to transport that child to a school that is not low-performing.
What does the term in need of improvement mean?
Under No Child Left Behind, every state must set the goals that each school must meet. If a school does not make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years that school becomes identified for school improvement.
Title I/LAP
Director
360.725.6100
Program
Supervisors
Ann Cuoio . . . . . . . . . . . .360.725.6171
Dr. Wally Hunt. . . . . . . .
.360.725.6168
Nancy Leinius.
. . . . . . . . .360.725.6172
Dr. Reginald Reid . . . . . .
.360.725.6045
Petrea Stoddard, CPA. . . . .360.725.6169
Dr. Nicolas Zavala. . . . . .
360.725.6189
Support Staff
Brenda Merritt. . . . . . . . . . .360.725.6100
Julie Chace. . . . . . . . . . . . .360.725.6167
1-800-USA-LEARN
Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction,
Title I/LAP Department