July 27, 2010 Idaho Decision Letter for State Accountability Plans under the Consolidated State Application Process

July 27, 2011

The Honorable Tom Luna
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Idaho State Department of Education
Len B. Jordan Office Building
650 West State Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0027

Dear Superintendent Luna:

I am writing in response to your letters of June 21, 2011 and July 6, 2011 concerning the Annual Measureable Objectives (AMOs) Idaho will use for determining adequate yearly progress for the 2010-2011 school year.

In your June 21, 2011 letter you indicated that Idaho did not intend to increase its AMOs for the 2010- 2011 school year. Following communications between the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and your staff, in your July 6, 2011 letter you informed the Department that Idaho sought to amend its Accountability Workbook to maintain the AMOs used for the 2008- 2009 and 2009-2010 school years for the 2010- 2011 school year. This change would result in Idaho having the same AMOs for three consecutive years. However, Idaho’s AMOs otherwise would continue on the same trajectory as currently approved.

Idaho’s revised AMOs are consistent with the requirements under section 1111(b)(2)(H) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. That is, by retaining the AMOs used in 2008- 2009 and 2009-2010 for one additional year each increase in Idaho’s AMOs would still occur in not more than three years and Idaho’s AMOs would retain their pattern of increasing in equal increments toward a goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2013-2014. Moreover, the change would not invalidate the AMOs used by Idaho in prior years. Therefore, I am pleased to approve Idaho’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. 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, assessments, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact David.Harmon@ed.gov.

Sincerely,

Michael Yudin
Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Policy and Strategic Initiatives

cc: Carissa Miller

Decision Letters on State Accountability Plans