<insert School District Header>

TO PARENTS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING <insert campus name>:

Under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is required to identify Title I, Part A campuses in need of improvement if the campus does not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the same indicator for two consecutive years. TEA has notified the school district administration on August 10, 2006, that <insert campus name> will be subject to Stage <insert SIP Stage> school improvement requirements for not meeting AYP in <insert indicator> for two or more years.

The No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110) requires the district to notify you of this status and to provide you with the following information. Please be advised that the campus will have the opportunity to appeal this school improvement designation later this fall. However, the requirements described in this letter must be implemented for the entire school year, regardless of the outcome of the appeal.

You may read about the AYP definition on TEA’s website at www.tea.state.tx.us/ayp/. In addition the website also describes the school improvement requirements at www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/titleia/sip/sip.html. If you do not have access to the internet, please call the contact person listed at the end of this letter and this information will be provided to you.

As the parent or guardian of a student attending a campus identified for school improvement status, you have the option to request a transfer of your child to another public school within the district that is not identified for school improvement status. You have the option to request a transfer beginning immediately or at the beginning of the second semester. As stated above, even if the campus is granted an appeal of this designation, the school transfer requests will be honored through the end of the school year. The following campuses are available to you to request a transfer.
<insert list of campuses available to receive transfers>

To request a transfer, for academic information on campuses available for transfer, or for more information on this school choice option, please contact <insert contact person information> by <insert date, note that you should allow a minimum of 30 days for parents to request a transfer>. Attached is a short question and answer document regarding this school choice option.

Additional information related to the following areas is available on the TEA website:
• an explanation of what the school improvement status means (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/titleia/sip/sip.html);
• how the campus compares in performance to other elementary campuses or secondary campuses in the district and the state (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/reporting/); and
• more detailed information on the reason(s) for the status (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ayp).

The campus will be implementing the following to address the reasons the campus has been identified for school improvement: <example: scientifically based researched reading activities; intensive and sustained staff professional development>.

In addition, the district will provide the following assistance to the campus to address the reasons for identification under AYP: <examples: assist campus staff in analyzing test data; assist the campus in increasing meaningful parental involvement activities>.

You may become involved in addressing the reasons the campus is identified for improvement by assisting in the following ways: <examples: participate in parent involvement activities that assist you in learning how to increase your child’s achievement level; attend parent-teacher conferences>.

<If the campus is in Stage 2, 3, or 4, insert the following SES information>

All students from low-income families are eligible to request Supplemental Educational Services (SES) if they attend a Title I, Part A campus that has failed to make AYP for three consecutive years. Supplemental Educational Services are defined as tutoring and other supplemental academic enrichment services that are in addition to instruction provided during the school day and are of high quality, research-based, and specifically designed to increase the academic achievement of eligible children on the state assessment and to assist them in attaining proficiency in meeting the state's academic achievement standards. Parents of eligible students will have the option to choose an approved SES provider from the state’s approved list. If your student is eligible for Supplemental Educational Services, you will receive additional detailed information about these services by <insert date no later than September 21, 2006>. Additional information on Supplemental Educational Services is available at http://www.esc13.net/statewide/ses/.

If you have questions concerning this letter or need us to provide you with paper copies of the material referenced in the web sites, please contact <insert contact information>.

Sincerely,