Diller-Odell Elementary - In Need of Improvement School

October 12, 2015

Dear Parents/Guardians & Patrons:

The federal education legislation, No Child Left Behind, mandates that all students must be proficient on reading and math academic standards by 2014.  Schools are expected to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward that goal.  The NCLB goal for last year was to have 100% of all students in grades 3-6 proficient on the reading and math standards.  Additional information about how our school compared to other schools in the state will be available on the State of the Schools Report on the Nebraska Department of Education website (http://www.education.ne.gov).

If a school does not meet the state goal two years in a row, in the same subject, they are identified as “In Need of Improvement.”  A school can be removed from School Improvement Status after all subgroups meet the AYP goals for two consecutive years.  Diller-Odell Elementary School made great gains in reading and math over the past two years, but fell short of all 3-6 grade students meeting 100% proficient on the reading and on the math standards.

Diller-Odell Elementary School is in Year 1 of Title I School Improvement Status. The following table illustrates our students’ overall performance over the past two years.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires each school identified for Title I School Improvement to offer Public School Choice to all students who attend Diller-Odell Elementary School.  Our students do not have another choice of schools within our district and as a result, our students do not qualify for Public School Choice.

Because of the status, our school is developing and implementing a two-year plan to help all subgroups meet federal goals and raise student achievement at the elementary school.  The school improvement team, with support of the district, has developed a plan that includes such strategies as engaging students through the integration of technology, promoting parent involvement through family nights and conferences, implementing decision rules for our elementary reading program, analyzing data at monthly data meetings, focusing on collaborative planning, ongoing professional development over researched-based instructional strategies, and implementing a new math curriculum for all students in grades K-5 this year.

All students benefit greatly from parents being involved in many ways.  Asking questions, having students read at home, setting aside a time and place for homework, volunteering, and attending parent teacher conferences are only a few of the things that you can do.  Your child’s teacher can give you additional strategies to work on at home.  Student achievement is a partnership between school and home, and a strong partnership has been proven to be effective in helping student achievement. 

Thank you for all that you do to support your child’s education.  Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions about our AYP status or our school improvement plan to improve academic achievement of all subgroups at the elementary school.

Sincerely,

Christopher Prososki, Ed.D.

PK-12 Principal