Parent Internet Resources

Mrs. Clara Clinton, Principal         Ms. Ann Wood, Assistant Principal

September 12, 2012

Dear Lillington-Shawtown School Parent or Guardian:

In May 2012, North Carolina was granted flexibility waivers from many of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) provisions.  This flexibility, granted by the U.S. Department of Education, makes significant changes to North Carolina’s implementation of The Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s requirements in the areas of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), parent notifications, public school choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES).  These waivers will allow North Carolina’s public school system to move forward with strengthened College-and Career-Ready expectations for all students, new ways to hold Title I schools accountable for students’ academic proficiency, and new initiatives to support effective instruction and leadership.

Many of the former strict federal requirements regarding AYP and sanctions for schools that do not make AYP are now local decisions.  Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, Harnett County Schools is no longer required to identify Title I schools for improvement, corrective action, and restructuring.  In place of the “all or nothing” measure of AYP, the state has established Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) for all student subgroups that more fairly judge schools based on student and school progress.  These targets require subgroups of students that are further behind to improve at a faster rate to close gaps in performance.  Ultimately, the state will be able to provide parents with a more complete picture of where a school or district is in meeting performance expectations and where it is not.

The waivers remove the requirements that districts must use federal Title I funds to offer public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES).  Instead, Harnett County Schools will be able to use Title I funds to improve student learning and increase the quality of instruction in all Title I schools.  Areas of focus for resources and funding during the 2012-13 school year are outlined below.

· Professional development opportunities for K-5 teachers related to core foundational instruction

· Professional development opportunities for K-5 teachers related to research-based literacy instruction for students struggling with literacy learning

· Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) implementation for students in grades K-3 who are not meeting grade-level literacy expectations

· Problem-Solving Team training to promote a problem-solving model for analyzing and improving core foundational instruction and making data-based decisions regarding individual student needs

· Site-based tutoring model utilizing Title I funding (based on a per pupil allocation)

Lillington-Shawtown would like to invite you to attend its annual Title I meeting on September 18, 2012 at 6:00 in order for us to share strategies for increased quality of instruction and improved student learning specific to our school.  Time will be spent discussing our school’s participation in Title I, Part A Programs, the requirements of Title I participation, and your rights to be involved in the programs offered.  We will spend time revising our school level parent involvement policy at this meeting as well. We are looking forward to a year of educational success and improvement for all of our students and hope to see you at the Title I meeting.

Sincerely,

Clara Clinton

Principal

cc: Superintendent, Title I Director