August 8, 2008 Idaho Decision Letter for State Accountability Plans under the Consolidated State Application Process

August 8, 2008

The Honorable Tom Luna
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Idaho Department of Education
Len B. Jordan Office Building
650 West State Street
P. O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720

Dear Superintendent Luna:

I am writing in response to Idaho’s request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Following discussions between the Department and your staff, you made certain changes to Idaho’s accountability plan, which are now included in the amended state accountability plan that Idaho submitted to the Department on July 25, 2008. I am pleased to approve Idaho’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of Idaho’s requested amendment is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend Idaho’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.

Please also be aware that approval of Idaho’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendment approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

I am confident that Idaho will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of NCLB, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren Prehoda (Lauren.Prehoda@ed.gov) or Sharon Hall (Sharon.Hall@ed.gov) of my staff.

Sincerely,

Kerri L. Briggs, Ph.D.

Enclosure

cc: Governor Butch Otter
Mike Rush
Margo Healy

Amendment to Idaho’s Accountability Plan

The following is a summary of Idaho’s amendment request. Please refer to the Department’s website (www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html) for Idaho’s complete accountability plan.

Acceptable amendment

The following amendments is aligned with the statute and regulations:

Definition of AYP (Element 3.1)

Revision: Idaho allows students to be assessed in both the fall and spring of grade 10. Idaho will include the scores of 10th-grade students who take the state assessments in either the fall or spring in AYP calculations.

Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans