Decision Letter on Request to Amend Dictrict of Columbia Accountability Plan
July 21, 2009
The Honorable Kerri L. Briggs
State Superintendent for Education
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Government of the District of Columbia, One Judiciary Square
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 350 North
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Superintendent Briggs:
I am writing in response to the District of Columbia’s recent request to amend its state accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). This request followed three original amendment requests, which I approved in a letter dated June 22, 2009. Following discussions between the Department and your staff, you made a change to the District of Columbia’s accountability plan, which is now included in the amended plan that the District of Columbia submitted to the Department on June 24, 2009. I am pleased to approve the District of Columbia’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. A summary of the District of Columbia’s recently requested amendment is enclosed with this letter. As you know, any further requests to amend the District of Columbia’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 the District of Columbia’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 the District of Columbia 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 the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact Victoria.Hammer@ed.gov or Sue.Rigney@ed.gov of my staff.
Sincerely,
Joseph C. Conaty
Enclosure
cc: Mayor Adrian Fenty
Alexander Harris
Amendments to the District of Columbia’s Accountability Plan
The following is a summary of the District of Columbia’s amendment request. Please refer to the Department’s website http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.htmlfor the District of Columbia’s complete accountability plan.
Acceptable amendments
The following amendments are aligned with the statute and regulations.
Including all schools in the state accountability system (Element 1.1)
Revision: Beginning in the 2010–11 school year, the District of Columbia will allow a district to petition to assign a consolidated school the sending school’s status regarding its identification for improvement rather than the receiving school’s status “where a clear educational purpose exists” should the sending school be further advanced in the improvement timeline than the receiving school.
