Program Improvement
See the district's
LEA Plan Addendum for information on how we will use Title I and other funds to improve student achievement.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act/ No Child Left Behind requires all states to create their own academic standards for what a child should know and be able to do for all grades in English-language arts and mathematics. The State of California has the most rigorous academic standards in the nation and according to those accountability measures, Murrieta Valley Unified is an exemplary district.
Every school must improve each year until all students meet these standards. This yearly improvement in school performance is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Each school is reviewed annually by the California State Board of Education, to determine if students at that school are making AYP based upon several factors including:
- California's own accountability measurement of progress, the Academic Performance Index (API)
- The percentage of students scoring at the proficient or advancedlevel on the California Standards Tests for English-language arts and mathematics
- The percentage of students participating in those tests
- For high schools, the graduation rate
If these criteria are not met for two years in a row, NCLB requires schools and districts that receive federal Title I funds to be identified for Program Improvement (PI).
Murrieta Valley Unified has been identified as a PI district this year and Rail Ranch Elementary School has been identified as a P1 school. You can find specific achievement data used to make this decision at the
California Department of Education website.
As a PI district we must:
- Allow parents of students who attend Rail Ranch Elementary to transfer their child, with paid transportation, to a school in the district that is not identified as a Program Improvement school.
- Write an LEA Plan Addendum. Parents and school staff were consulted in the preparation of the LEA Plan Addendum, which includes information on how we plan to use Title I and other funds to improve student achievement.
- Reserve at least ten percent of our annual Title I allocation to provide professional development for teachers and administrators.
- Continue to provide assistance to Rail Ranch Elementary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Rail Ranch Elementary and the district fail to make AYP?
Schools and districts who don’t make AYP may fall short in only one category or sub-group of students or they may miss the mark by failing one of many criteria measured. Although our students have shown excellent growth overall, and our subgroups have also shown progress, five sub-groups did not meet the 67% proficiency bar in English or Math. 60 percent of African American students were proficient in English, a 7 percent improvement from the year before. 61 percent of Hispanic students were proficient in English, 3 percent more than last year. Proficiency among English Learners increased from 37.4 percent last year to 39.2 percent this year. The other subgroup in the district are students with disabilities and their English proficiency grew from 46.4 to 49.3 percent.
What is being done to make sure students are succeeding?
The district has implemented a number of strategies to help students meet the expectations. Our administrators and Professional Learning Communities are analyzing the data for those students who are not proficient and we are providing targeted interventions for those students. We are seeing solid academic growth and improvement, yet under NCLB, the AYP targets are increasing every year, far beyond what is reasonable. By 2013-14, 100 percent of students will be expected to score at the proficient level or above, a goal most educators agree is unrealistic.
What can parents do to help the school district improve?
- Learn more about the ESEA/NCLB requirements and become aware of strategies to improve student academic achievement. Additional information and resources are available at the California Department of Education website and from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Talk with district staff about the LEA Plan and the program changes that must be made to help students meet the state standards in ELA and mathematics.
- Visit your child’s school and participate in voluntary activities to assist your school.
Program Improvement School Choice Transfers
Parents who are interested in transferring their child or children to a non-PI school in the district for the 2011-2012 school year, may submit an intradistrict transfer request. For more information about non-PI schools, please contact the district at 951-696-1600, ext. 1026.
The deadline to submit a
PI School Choice transfer request is December 2, 2011.
Download the Intradistrict Transfer Form
