The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Sec. 1116(b)(6) of the No Child Left Behind Act) requires local education agencies (LEAs) to promptly provide to parents an explanation of the identification of the parent’s child’s school that is in School Improvement, that includes (1) how the school compares academically to other schools in the LEA and the state, (2) why the school has been identified, (3) what the school is doing to address the achievement problem, (4) what the LEA and state education agency are doing to help the school to address the achievement problem, (5) how parents can be involved in addressing the achievement problem, and (6) options available to parents to transfer the child to another school, and if applicable, obtain supplemental educational services (SES).
Sec. 200.37(b)(4)(ii) of the ESEA Title I regulations requires that the explanation of the parents’ option to transfer must include, at a minimum, information on the academic achievement of the school or schools to which the child may transfer. Attached to this Commissioner’s Memo are sample letters that districts may use to notify parents of the options to transfer students to other schools within the district.