DPI update on ESEA Accountability Waiver

Dear District Administrators:

As the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) begins to rollout the new statewide accountability system, there are  few updates and reminders I want to pass along.

Wisconsin Accountability Reports:

• Preliminary school report cards will be electronically available via secure access to districts by June 22. While initially planned for release to districts two weeks earlier, this additional time is necessary for the inclusion of more detailed data and modifications to the accountability index. The school report cards will serve as our 2011-12 accountability reports.
• The preliminary report cards will be calculated using the new WKCE proficiency cut scores, which are based on the national NAEP assessment proficiency level. This will result in changes to percentages of students in each performance category. To aid in understanding this change, reports will include retroactive application of NAEPized cuts to allow schools to view trends of performance over previous years. Information will be provided with the report cards to help interpret this change.
• These preliminary reports can be accessed via the Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE). ...
•  More resources will be forthcoming regarding accessing and interpreting the school report cards.
•  The schedule for seeking input and making adjustments to the report card is as follows:

o   June – secure, preliminary release of draft report cards to districts

o   July/August – DPI will gather feedback on the readability of the report cards, use of the accountability index, and presentation of the data via focus groups, and a survey that will accompany the preliminary report cards.

o   September – incorporation of improvements to the report card and accountability index

o   Fall 2012 – public release of individual school report cards

Title I Accountability:

• Districts with one or more schools identified as Title I Focus or Title I Priority schools will be notified by phone by June 1.
• Notification letters will be mailed the week of June 4. Notification will include data sheets explaining the process of determining status as Focus or Priority schools.
• Districts will be provided with opportunities to schedule phone conferences in the following weeks to answer questions about support, requirements, and identification processes.

Reminders: 

• There will be no AYP determinations for the 2011-12 school year.
• Wisconsin is moving through the process of getting an ESEA waiver, with final approval expected in the summer.
• As always, if you have questions please feel free to contact us (eseawaiver@dpi.wi.gov).
• This update and the accompanying SAFE resources will be posted to the Accountability Reform webpage (http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/acct/accountability.html).

Your ongoing input is important to us.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Thompson, PhD

Deputy State Superintendent