Request to Amend Accountability Plan – Wisconsin – NCLB Policy Letters to States
December 22, 2006
Honorable Elizabeth Burmaster
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
P. O. Box 7841
125 South Webster Street
Madison, WI 53707
Dear Superintendent Burmaster:
I am writing in response to Wisconsin’s request to amend its State accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Following our discussions with your staff, the changes that are aligned with NCLB are now included in an amended State accountability plan that Wisconsin submitted to the Department on September 7, 2006. I am pleased to approve Wisconsin’s amendments. A summary of the approved amendments is attached to this letter. I am pleased to fully approve Wisconsin’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website.
If, over time, Wisconsin makes changes to the accountability plan that has been approved, Wisconsin must submit information about those changes to the Department for review and approval, as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I. Approval of Wisconsin’s accountability plan is not an approval of Wisconsin’s standards and assessment system.
Please also be aware that approval of Wisconsin’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved above, 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 Wisconsin will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. I wish you well in your school improvement efforts. If you need any additional assistance in your efforts to implement the standards, assessments and accountability provisions of NCLB, please do not hesitate to contact Abigail Potts (abigail.potts@ed.gov) or Valeria Ford (valeria.ford@ed.gov) of my staff.
Sincerely,
Henry L. Johnson
Enclosure
cc: Governor Jim Doyle
Amendments to the Wisconsin Accountability Plan
The statement is a summary of the amendment. For complete details, please refer to the Wisconsin Accountability plan on the Department’s website: www.ed.govhttps://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/index.html
Inclusion of LEP Students (Elements 2.1, 5.4, 6.1, 9.1)
Revision: Wisconsin will no longer offer the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) for Limited English Proficient (LEP). Rather, LEP students will be included in the regular assessment with appropriate accommodations.
