AEC-ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORTING TO THE PUBLIC

File: AEC

ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORTING TO THE PUBLIC

The RSU #11 Board is conscious of its responsibility for making informed decisions that will impact student learning and school system operations. As an elected body, the RSU #11Board recognizes that it is accountable to the citizens of the school unit for its decisions and the educational achievement of its students. Basic to accountability is the reporting of data concerning student achievement and, in general, the operations of the schools.

The RSU #11Board directs the Superintendent to prepare appropriate reports that will provide the RSU #11 Board with the information it needs to make appropriate policy and planning decisions and to keep the public informed regarding the academic progress of its students, the effectiveness of school programs, and the needs of the school system. As practicable, the Superintendent may combine such reports into a single document and/or presentation or use multiple reporting processes, depending upon the nature of the information. Such reports shall be made available to the public pursuant to the Freedom of Access Law.

The Superintendent shall also be responsible for gathering and submitting data to the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and other agencies as required by law and/or regulations, and for preparing and disseminating reports to the RSU #11 Board and the public in compliance with applicable laws and/or regulations. Data collated by the State shall be incorporated into reports to the Board and/or public as mandated by law and/or regulations.

Unit Annual Report

Each year the Superintendent shall prepare and present to the RSU #11 Board an annual report addressing the activities of the school unit and his/her recommendations for improving student learning and school system operations. The report shall be made available to the public as a means of informing parents and citizens of the school system’s goals, plans, programs and operations.

Comprehensive Plan Report

Each school unit must develop and implement a comprehensive education plan that is aligned with Maine’s system of Learning Results, focused on the learning of all students and oriented to continuous improvement. The Superintendent shall make an annual report to the RSU #11 Board and public on the school system’s Comprehensive Education Plan and school improvement progress. The RSU #11 Board shall annually review and approve the Comprehensive Education Plan.

Local Assessment System

The Superintendent/designee, with the assistance of appropriate staff, will prepare for the RSU #11 Board’s review and for dissemination to the public on an annual basis the results of the Local Assessment System. The purpose is to enable the RSU #11 Board and public to monitor student progress in achieving the content standards of the system of Learning Results and to make informed decisions concerning the instructional program and allocation of resources.

Unit Report Cards

In compliance with federal law and regulations, and to provide relevant information concerning the academic performance of the school system and of its individual schools, the Superintendent shall be responsible for annually collecting and submitting required data and for preparing and making available to schools, the parents of children in those schools, and the public a “unit report card.”

As required by federal law, unit report cards shall contain the following information:

A. Aggregate data on student achievement at each proficiency level on state academic assessments and disaggregated data reflecting race, ethnicity, gender, disability, migrant status, English proficiency and status as economically disadvantaged;

B. Comparison of these student groups regarding achievement levels on each of the State assessments;

C. Percentage of students not tested, disaggregated by student groups;

D. Most recent two-year trend data in achievement by subject area and grade level in areas where assessments are required;

E. Aggregate data on state indicators to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), such as attendance rates for elementary schools;

F. Graduation rates for secondary schools, disaggregated by student groups;

G. Information on the school unit’s performance relevant to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the number, percentage and names of schools identified for improvement, including how long they have been so identified;

H. Professional qualifications of teachers and percentage of teachers with emergency or provisional qualification;

I. Percentage of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and disaggregated by high poverty and low poverty level schools; and

J. Comparison of the school unit’s student achievements on state
assessments and other indicators of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to students in the state as a whole.

As applied to data for individual schools, the unit report card will include the following information:

A. The same information contained in the unit report card;

B. Whether the school has been identified for school improvement; and

C. Information that shows how the school’s students’ achievement on the statewide academic assessments and other indicators of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) compared to students in the school unit and the state as a whole. (20 U.S.C. § 6311(h)(2)(B)).

Responsibilities Associated with Unit

The Superintendent/designee shall be responsible for:

A. Updating and submitting required information;

B. Providing unit report cards to parents of students in the unit’s schools in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand; and

C. Making unit and school report cards widely available through public means, such as distribution to the media, posting on the Internet, and distribution through public agencies.

Financial Reports

The Superintendent/designee shall provide to the RSU #11 Board and public reports concerning the financial condition of the school system.

Other Reports

The RSU #11 Board may request, and the Superintendent/designee shall provide, to the RSU #11 Board and/or public other reports related to school system goals and objectives, the instructional program, and operations of the schools.

Legal References: 20 U.S.C. § 6311 (No Child Left Behind Act)
20-A M.R.S.A. §§ 4502(1), (6)
Ch. 125, 127 (Me. Dept. of Ed. Rules)

Cross References: KD/Public Information and Communications

Adopted: October 6, 2005; December 3, 2009