News
Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Schools
No Child Left Behind offers help
Students at schools not making adequate yearly progress have options: a new school or tutoring.
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE, Times Correspondent
Published November 1, 2007
BROOKSVILLE - The federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act requires that students must make adequate yearly progress.
That's not so easy to determine, said Beth Varn, the Hernando County School District's No Child Left Behind choice specialist.
"The intent of the law is that everyone is receiving fair and equal, quality education," she said.
Children need to meet state standards - in Florida, they are the Sunshine State Standards - or have options available to help them improve, including school choice and tutoring, financed by Title I federal funds.
Hernando County has 10 Title I schools, which are identified by the numbers of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches. Parents of a child attending a Title I school that has not made adequate yearly progress for two years have the option of choosing a school that is not a Title I school or one that has made adequate yearly progress. Limited transportation is available.
If a school has not made adequate yearly progress for three years, then Supplemental Educational Services, or private tutoring, is available.
"This provides the option of supplemental services to families that might not have that option," Varn said.
Most of the district's Title I schools that did not make adequate yearly progress are A or B schools, according to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores.
Adequate yearly progress is assessed by academic improvement among school subgroups, including ethnic groups, special education children, students learning English and economically disadvantaged children.
Some schools have all of these groups. Some of the children are in one or more subgroups. Some schools have more of these subgroups than others. FCAT looks at each school as a whole.
Once it's determined that a school must offer Supplemental Education Services, parents may apply for the program using Parent Selection Forms. Each Title I school has a parent center and parent educator available to help parents with the process.
The state approves private service providers, or tutors, from whom parents can choose. In Hernando, there are 12 such providers. Each eligible child in Hernando County is allotted $1,139, and parents applying for the services must choose from the 12 providers. Because they charge different amounts, the providers offer different numbers of hours for the cost.
There are criteria that can help parents make a decision. Some providers meet at the child's school or a community center, while others provide services online. Some may also go to a child's home. Also, providers differ in their subject areas. A child who is struggling in math would not necessarily benefit from a provider who specializes in language arts.
Some providers meet children in small groups, while others may meet with each child individually. There are many factors for parents to consider, but the parent educators are there to help.
"We're very involved in hopefully making it successful," Varn said.
[Last modified October 31, 2007, 19:12:37]
Share your thoughts on this story
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Letter to the editor
