Friday, August 15, 2003
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Friday, August 15, 2003 |
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Info on school transfers coming soon
The Coweta County School System is notifying parents at four county elementary schools that decisions about school transfers under the No Child Left Behind Act will be announced no later than Sept. 8, following the receipt of further information from the Georgia Department of Education. Parents of children at Newnan Crossing and Jefferson Parkway Elementary schools are being notified by letter that the school system has appealed both schools' designation on the "needs improvement" list issued by the state last week. If the appeal is granted, neither school will be considered a "needs improvement" school for 2003-04. Parents of children at Atkinson and Arnco-Sargent Elementary Schools are being notified by letter that their schools will offer the option of transferring to other schools in the county, but will await the receipt of test scores at all Coweta County schools before designating school transfer sites. All Coweta County Schools receiving Title I funds met the requirements of Adequate Yearly Progress, based on Criterion Reference Competency Test scores released last week by the state Department of Education. "We are pleased that our fourth grade students did an outstanding job on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test this year, and pleased with the great jobs our teachers and principals have done at those schools," said Superintendent Peggy Connell. Jefferson Parkway and Newnan Crossing Elementary were placed on the "needs improvement" list not because of test scores, but because state data found that the schools did not meet the 95 percent participation rate for the CRCT. "Both schools' records, however, indicate all students enrolled at testing time took the test," said the letter going to parents this week. "We have appealed to the state, submitting documentation to verify that 100 percent of the students took the test. A favorable ruling by the state would remove (both schools) from the 'needs improvement' list. The State Department of Education pledges a full review of our documentation no later than Sept. 8. We are hopeful that a response will be received before the end of this month and, if appropriate, a change in status will be made for Jefferson Parkway." Atkinson and Arnco-Sargent appeared on the "needs improvement" list last year, and both made adequate yearly progress this year. However, schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive years before being removed from this list. The school system should report the scores of the receiving schools, enabling parents to make the best decisions for their students, said the letter sent to parents this week. "At this time we have not received the test scores for the eight non-Title I elementary schools in our system, and we are waiting for a ruling on the appeals made to the State Department as to the eligibility of Newnan Crossing and Jefferson Parkway to be receiving schools." "The Georgia Department of Education has indicated that all reviews and all scoring will be completed no later that Sept. 8, 2003. As soon as all scores are in and all rulings on the appeals received, parents at Arnco-Sargent will receive a letter indicating the two options for school choice." Two middle schools - Smokey Road Middle and Evans Middle - which appeared on the "needs improvement" list have not been required under the Act to offer school transfers. Both schools also met Adequate Yearly Progress requirements in terms of the schools' test scores.
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