INFORMATIONAL LETTER #  38

POLICY CODE:  CGD

 

TO:            Superintendents and School Principals

 

FROM:      Susan A. Gendron, Commissioner

 

DATE:       September 21, 2004

 

RE:             Timeline for Adequate Yearly Progress Information:

 

      The following information is being provided to local school officials to keep you informed about upcoming Department activities related to State requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).  Department staff members, working in conjunction with staff from Measured Progress, have made every effort to ensure that the data contained in this year’s AYP status reports are accurate.  By making better use of the student questionnaire, the Department was able to streamline the process, eliminating the need to send preliminary reports to local districts for verification.  This process will become even more efficient when student data will be collected through the Maine Educational Data Management System (MEDMS). 

 

      You should also know that the Department will emphasize a number of positive aspects of this year’s AYP reports:  an anticipated sharp decline in the number of schools not making AYP due to participation; case studies of Continuous Improvement Priority Schools whose scores have improved dramatically; data on Title I and non-Title I schools; and data about the positive achievements of Maine schools.  We will also be announcing in our press packet plans to refocus our efforts on identifying the characteristics of Maine schools that have demonstrated the ability to consistently improve student performance on the MEA.  Here then are the critical upcoming dates for AYP related information dissemination:

 

Wednesday, September 22, 2004:

2003-2004 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports from Measured Progress mailed to Superintendents and Principals

 

2004-2005 AYP school status identification letters from Maine Department of Education mailed to Superintendents and Principals

 

Monday, 8:00 AM, September 27, 2004

2004-2005 NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress list Maine Schools e-mailed to Superintendents

 

Monday Afternoon, September 27, 2004

2004-2005 NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress list Maine Schools posted to web and released to media

 

Due to significant modifications by USDE regarding district AYP regulations, letters detailing district identification status will be mailed to Superintendents at a later date. 

 

For further information:  contact Rachelle Tome, Tel: 624-6705, email:  rachelle.tome@maine.gov, or George Tucker, Tel: 624-6720, email: george.tucker@maine.gov