Thursday, August 23, 2007
SUE HAGAN
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Columbus Public Schools officials feel confident that the district will be able to honor requests from parents who want to transfer their students from schools that failed to meet federal improvement standards.
That despite the fact that there are far more schools (58 elementaries and 23 middle schools) that haven’t made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two years in a row than there are schools that did (19 elementaries and one middle school).
Thousands of CPS families will receive brochures next week explaining transfer and tutoring options, and district officials believe most of them will go for tutoring rather than pull out of their current schools.
For those who do want to transfer, they are likely to get at least their second choice of school, said Jill Dannemiller, CPS director of school improvement and federal programs.
“There are really very small numbers of students that apply (at the start of the school year),” she said, adding that most of them who qualify were able to request schools during the lottery process last winter.
That’s because most of the schools in so-called “school improvement (SI)” status were listed that way in the lottery brochure, and parents could request transfers then.
Only the families in the 10 or so schools that were added to the list this summer are likely to apply now, she said.
Adequate yearly progress in math and reading is measured for groups of students according to race, economic status, special needs and proficiency in English. If a school has any group that doesn’t make AYP for two or more years, the school is assigned to SI status.
With limited seats available for transfers, district officials are encouraging parents to opt for tutoring instead. Students in schools that are in year two or more of SI will be provided with a list of outside tutors that are federally funded and CPS will hold a provider fair in the coming weeks where families can learn about that option.
For families in schools new to the SI list, there are other tutoring options available.
“We have the 21st century (grant) program, which provides after-school tutoring,” Dannemiller said. “We also have extended learning opportunities.”
With both those options, CPS teachers provide the tutoring, she said.