Public Notices
Notice of Adequate Yearly Progress, Public School Choice
Please Read: Important Information Affecting Your Child
September 24, 2007
Dear West Side Elementary School Parent or Guardian,
I am writing to inform you that West Side Elementary School is in School Improvement I status due to not making AYP in one of the 21 targets for the second year in a row. (Please see the attached graph, which indicates the areas in which the school did not make AYP.)
Last years Economically Disadvantaged subgroup of student did not make AYP in reading, placing the school in "Warning". This year, the Race/Ethnicity – Black subgroup of student did not make AYP in Reading. The State target in Reading is 54% of the students must score Advanced or Proficient. West Side's Race/Ethnicity population of Black students scored 41.6%. In comparison, East Side made AYP in all of its 21 targets based on last years PSSA results.
School Improvement I status requires West Side Elementary to (1) develop a school improvement plan and have the plan approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education by November 16, 2007; (2) notify parents/guardians of West Side students that the school is in School Improvement I; (3) review the Title I requirement for schools in School Improvement I; and (4) offer parents of West Side Elementary students a choice to request a transfer of your child to a school that is not in School Improvement.
Please know that the staff at West Side Elementary School feels confident that your child will be provided a great educational experience and wants to continue servicing your child through 5th grade. However; since West Side Elementary School has been identified for School Improvement I, we are required to offer you a choice to request a transfer to East Side Elementary School.
Transportation will be provided by the school district for as long as West Side Elementary School remains in Title I School Improvement. (West Side Elementary School must make AYP for two consecutive years to no longer be a School Improvement school.)
If you would like to request that your child be transferred to East Side Elementary School, please complete the "Request for School Transfer" form enclosed for each child and return the form to Robert Beatty, principal of West Side Elementary School, located at 196 Westgate Drive by October 10, 2007. The district will prioritize the request and respond by November 9, 2007 in writing. If you do not complete this form and return it by October 10, 2007, we will assume that your child will remain at West Side Elementary School.
Parent support is essential for your child's success at West Side Elementary School. Communicating with your child's teachers, making sure your child attends school regularly, helping your child with homework, monitoring your child's television time, volunteering in the classroom, and participating in school decision-making are important.
The district-wide and building parent involvement policies have been updated for the 2007-08 school year. A copy of the policies can be found in the Parent Handbook – Title I Supplement distributed to you by West Side Elementary School. Additional copies can be obtained from your child's school. The information will soon be available on the district's website. West Side Elementary School will have its annual parent meeting to revise our school parent involvement policies and parent compacts and to review parent rights under Title I in May 2008.
The many successes at West Side Elementary School cannot be measured in one test and we appreciate your continued support. At West Side Elementary School, we have initiated a school improvement plan for student performance that utilizes a data driven decision making model. Through our partnership with John Hopkins University, teachers at West Side in grades three, four, and five will administer the quarterly 4-Sight Assessment test. This test of reading and math skills is aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards and acts as a predictor of student performance on the PSSA. By using this diagnostic tool, our teachers will be able to focus their instruction to meeting the educational needs of all our students at West Side Elementary School. We are also involved in the implementation of an inclusion model that will be used in conjunction with our SFA Reading program. Students will receive on-level reading program instruction with their peers who are performing at similar levels.
If ALL of our students are not doing well, we are not as good as we can be. That is our challenge, our goal and our commitment. Please continue to work with us to make sure that we achieve success for every student.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Beatty
West Side Elementary School Principal
