OUSD Supplemental Educational Services (SES)

2013-14 School Year

Important Information for Parents

Why am I receiving this notice?                                                                                                                        

The Oakland Unified School District has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education to implement a new approach to school improvement and accountability, called the School Quality Improvement System.

The School Quality Improvement System will:

·         Focus our entire district on the goal of preparing every student for college and career; 

·         Measure school performance in a variety of ways that collectively indicate if students are being prepared for college and career; 

·         Foster a culture of professional collaboration and continual improvement among teachers, school staff, parents, and students; 

·         Support students so they can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially; and 

·         Accelerate our district’s transition to the Common Core State Standards, which will improve the way we teach and learn in ways that significantly better prepare students for college, career, and participatory democracy in the 21^st Century. 

The School Quality Improvement System will replace No Child Left Behind (NCLB) rules used by our district to meet federal school accountability requirements. Schools will no longer be categorized in Program Improvement. 

Unlike NCLB, which only counts student proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics, the School Quality Improvement System will measure student and school progress on a range of academic subjects and other quality indicators. Schools that are not preparing all students for college and career will get intensive help from teachers and school leaders that have led successful efforts to improve achievement with similar student populations at other schools. 

In light of this new system, a result of the CORE (California Office to Reform Education) waiver granted to 8 districts in California by the US Department of Education, Oakland Unified School District will discontinue the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Program in the 2013-2014 academic school year.  OUSD will redirect efforts and resources to the development and implementation of a plan that will focus on the alignment needed to fulfill new and heightened accountability standards associated with the CORE waiver.  

Possible Questions You May Have:                                                                                                             

Following are a few questions you may have about the CORE waiver process and how it will affect the Oakland Unified School District and services that may have been available in the past. 

Q. What benefits can participating LEAs expect as a result of signing on the Waiver?

A. The most immediate benefit of signing on the waiver is the ability to transition from the

NCLB system of accountability (based largely on external mandates and punitive sanctions) to a

new system that leverages intrinsic motivation, collaboration, and supportive intervention to

achieve improved student outcomes. The CORE Waiver accountability system accounts for a

more robust and multi-faceted set of measures that combined, provides a better reflection of

students’ college and career readiness and paints a clearer, more accurate picture of the schools

and district progress. . Another significant benefit to participating LEAs is the opportunity to

engage in a cross-district community of practice that supports improvement through

collaboration and builds districts’ collective capacity to improve outcomes for students.

Q. Will there be a difference in accountability sanctions if the CORE Waiver is approved?

A. The CORE Waiver plan is a different approach to oversight and intervention. Rather than a

compliance-based sanction system, we are using the expertise that exists in successful schools

throughout California to provide true assistance in order to improve outcomes. When a school

struggles they will receive support and assistance, not punitive sanctions. The proposed

interventions and supports are outlined under Principle 2, on page 65 of the Waiver.

Q. Is there money available for implementation?

A. While no supplemental funding is available for implementation of the Waiver, participating

districts that were in Program Improvement under the existing NCLB rules will no longer be

required to set aside 20 percent of federal funding for SES and transportation.

Q. If the CORE waiver is granted, how does this affect district’s Title 1 funding?

A. Millions of dollars in Title I set asides (over a $100 million with the CORE districts alone)

will be returned to districts and allowed to be spent in better and more effective ways to improve

student achievement.

We encourage you to visit the California Office to Reform Education website (http://coredistricts.org/) to learn more about the waiver process.