Friday, October 24, 2014

SINA Letter



Date: October 23, 2014

To: Kinsey Elementary Families

Subject:  Notice of Adequate Yearly Progress and School Choice Options

Many of you are aware of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which requires schools to assess students annually and to meet student achievement goals.  If a school does not meet those assessment and achievement goals (termed “adequate yearly progress” or AYP) for two consecutive years, and if the school receives federal Title 1 funds, then it is placed on a federal “Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA)” list and subjected to federal sanctions.  Schools or districts are cited if they a) don’t meet 95% participation rate for assessments, b) don’t meet student achievement goals, or c) don’t meet attendance rate for elementary and middle schools or graduation rate for high school.

I am writing to inform you that Kinsey Elementary has been designated as a “School in Need of Assistance,” or SINA, under these federal guidelines because a portion of our students did not reach proficiency goals on their reading tests for two consecutive years.  As a result, our district is required by law to offer your student the opportunity for school choice to another school within the district that has not been designated as a school in need of assistance, if possible, for the 2015-16 school year.  This is not an issue at Sioux Center due to only having one elementary in the Sioux Center Community School District.

Please know that the SINA designation refers to federal criteria.  We remain a fully accredited school in complete compliance with State of Iowa regulations.

Why Kinsey Elementary Didn’t Make AYP:
Schools don’t make AYP when they don’t achieve one of the measures listed above: a) 95% participation rate for assessments, b) student achievement goals, or c) 95% attendance rate for elementary and middle schools or 90% graduation rate for high school.  Kinsey Elementary is listed because not enough students met their goals in one or more of the following areas:

                *  Grade level, subject area, proficiency percentage, and state target
                *  One or more subgroups did not meet their target


How Kinsey Elementary will Improve:

Although we have many indicators that show Kinsey Elementary is offering a top-quality education, we know that continuous improvement is important to ensure all of our students are reaching their highest potential.  Using data about the students and their achievement, our staff already has begun to identify areas for improvement.  For example:
·         We have implemented a new process to identify students who need assistance
·         We have a professional development focus on differentiated instruction

Some student groups may require additional instructional interventions, pending a review of our current programs and services.  In addition, the Iowa Department of Education and Sioux Center Community School District already have begun providing technical assistance to Kinsey Elementary as required by the NCLB law.

How Parents can Help:
Parent support is essential to help your student reach his or her highest academic success, but parents may need ideas about the best way to be involved.  A few suggestions include:

·         Communicate regularly with your child’s teachers about overall goals for the year and your child’s progress toward those goals
·         Make sure your child attends school regularly.  Attendance is important at every grade level.  When your child must be absent, please talk with the teacher to coordinate make-up work and assignments
·         Help your child with his or her homework.  If you are unable to help, contact the school to request a tutor
·         Volunteer at the school.  Every teacher needs volunteers to help in the classroom, or even with projects that can be done in your home.  Other areas in the school, such as the office or cafeteria, also need volunteers.


As parents, you can be assured your students continue to receive a high quality education at Kinsey Elementary.  The assessment results cited by NCLB are one useful measurement for us, but we also have many other indicators to demonstrate of our students’ achievement.

We are very proud of our students and of the education they receive from the staff at Kinsey Elementary.  We are also committed to continuous improvement, and so will continue to seek new data and make any changes necessary to benefit student learning.  We appreciate and depend on your ongoing support and assistance, and welcome your suggestions.


Sincerely,


Troy Lentell
Kinsey Elementary Principal
Sioux Center Community Schools
712-722-1541
troy.lentell@sioux-center.k12.ia.us

No comments:

Post a Comment