Title I
School districts receiving federal Title 1 program funds are required by the ESSA (20 U.S.C. §6312(e)2A) to notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving such funds that the parents may request information regarding state or local school district policies regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by law and by the district. When parents request this information, the district will provide it in a timely manner. The information provided must include a policy, procedure or parental right to opt their child out of the mandated assessments, where applicable. State law (section 118.30(2)(b) of the state statutes) establishes a parental right to excuse their child from taking the state-mandated examinations in grades 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11. According to the DPI, our district will also honor parent requests to excuse their child from state-mandated testing at grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 at their discretion and on an individual basis. A parent must submit a written request for student opt-out of the state assessment to the principal.
For further information regarding assessment, please see the Department of Public Instruction website section Assessment Information for Families FAQ.
Each school district receiving federal Title I program funds is required by the ESSA (IQ U.S.C. § 6312(e)2B) to make widely available through public means information on each state and district-required assessment for each grade served by the district. The yearly District Assessment Calendar for PK-12 state and district assessments can be found on the district website under Assessment Calendar 24-25.
Student Achievement Level and Academic Growth on State Academic Assessments: Each school receiving Title I funds is required by the ESSA [20 U.S.C. § 6312(e) 1 B(i)] to provide each individual parent of a child who is a student in such school, information on the achievement level and academic growth of their child on each of the state academic assessments. Individual profile/score sheets will be sent home with a letter from the principal in a timely manner when the state assessment results have been released from the Department of Public Instruction/test vendor.
District Report Card: Districts receiving federal Title I program funds are required by the ESSA [20 U.S.C. § 6311(h)(2)] to prepare and disseminate an annual school district report card that includes designated information on the district as a whole and each school served by the district. Further information regarding the district’s and school performance can be found on the district website. Parents and community can also find more academic data for school and student performance on the WISEdash Public Portal. The District and school specific report cards can be found on the district website under About BSD-District Report Card.
Due to the widespread school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education has waived federal reporting requirements regarding student assessment and accountability data from the 2019-20 school year (e.g., assessment results and related comparisons, percentage of students assessed and not assessed, number and percentage of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities taking an alternative assessment). According to DPI’s federal waiver information for local educational agencies posted on its website, most of the information normally required to be reported will not be reported due to the assessment waiver. “Some information, however, will still be available (for reporting), including the accountability system description, English language proficiency results, and possibly data related to the indicator of school quality and student success (absenteeism).”
The state secured a waiver for various federal accountability requirements in 2020-21. Schools will not be held, for accountability purposes to a 95% test participation rate, as well as other academic indicators, school quality or student success indicators.