The federal government will allow schools in Utah and 10 other states to change the order of the steps they must take when they fail to meet the goals of NCLB, an education law that requires certain percentages of students in different ethnic, ability and income groups test on grade level in reading and math each year.
The pilot program in Utah will allow schools that fail to meet NCLB goals for two years in a row to offer free tutoring to students right away. Now, such schools must first offer to bus students to better-performing schools and don't offer the free tutoring until the school has failed to meet goals for another year.
Utah educators have long sought such a change, saying it makes more sense to offer tutoring before allowing students to change schools. The state has, until now, unsuccessfully applied for such flexibility each year, said Judy Park, associate state schools superintendent.
"As soon as you recognize a student is in need of additional help, that should be the very first thing that's provided," she said.
Though all schools are expected to meet NCLB testing goals, only schools that receive federal dollars for serving low-income areas must offer the tutoring and busing when they fail to meet those goals.
Utah now has 13 schools that must offer those options.
Park said it will be up to individual school districts whether they want to participate in the pilot.
Melanie Olsen, principal of Heritage Elementary School in St. George's Washington School District, which is one of the 13 schools, said it probably would make more sense to offer tutoring before busing.
She said only one student chose to be bused to another school since Heritage first had to offer that service several years ago. Only about 2 percent of students who were eligible nationwide chose to be bused to another school this year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Only 14.5 of eligible students nationwide took advantage of free tutoring.
Still, Olsen said the problem is much more complex than offering tutoring or school choice. She said offering tutoring earlier is a start, but it's harder to offer in her district than along the Wasatch Front. "We don't have the same services," Olsen said. "We have to look at it a whole different way."
Utah districts will have until the end of August to decide whether they want to participate in the pilot and inform parents.
Also, Utah must make sure it conducts a "rigorous analysis" of how the tutoring affects student achievement as a condition of participating in the pilot, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Schools that accept federal money for serving low-income areas but fail to meet No Child Left Behind testing goals face sanctions. These are some of the sanctions they face depending on how many years they've failed to meet goals:
ONE YEAR: None
TWO YEARS: Schools have to offer to bus students to better-performing public schools.
THREE YEARS: Schools have to offer students free tutoring and continue to offer public school choice.
FOUR YEARS: Schools must continue tutoring, public school choice and must implement corrective action, which can include replacing school staff, implementing a new curriculum or extending the school year or school day, among other options.
FIVE YEARS: Continue public school choice and tutoring and create a plan for restructuring the school.
SIX YEARS: Restructure the school, which could mean reopening the school as a charter school, replacing all or most of the school staff including the principal or entering into a contract with a management company, among other options.
