Panel to examine ICCSD Schools in Need of Assistance designation

Updated: January 25, 2010

The Education Committee of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce will host a discussion panel regarding the Schools in Need of Assistance federal designation from 4 to 5 p.m. on Friday, January 22 at Hills Bank and Trust Company, 1401 South Gilbert Street, Iowa City. The event is complimentary and open to the public. Registration is not required.

According to the Iowa Department of Education, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires schools to assess students annually and to meet student achievement goals. If a school does not meet those assessment and achievement goals (termed “adequate yearly progress” or AYP) for two consecutive years, and if the school receives federal Title I funds, then it is placed on a federal Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA) list.

Some schools in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) are designated as SINA’s under these federal guidelines because a portion of the students did not reach proficiency in mathematics and/or reading for two consecutive years. According to ICCSD, the SINA designation refers to federal criteria and does not reflect the overall quality of its schools.

Schools or districts are cited if they a) don’t meet 95% participation rate for assessments, b) don’t meet student achievement goals, or c) don’t meet attendance rate for elementary and middle schools or graduation rate for high school.

Lou Howell, executive director of the Iowa Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development will provide a brief overview of SINA followed by a discussion by Pam Ehly, director of instruction with the ICCSD, Peter Hlebowitsh, professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Iowa and Howell. The panel will conclude with an audience Q&A session.

The event will be taped and broadcasted on local public access channels in the future.