MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Federal Title I
School
Choice
Option
Frequently Asked Questions About the Federal Title I
School Choice Option 2005–2006 School Year
Introduction
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB Act) is a fed eral law that requires
scho ol districts to offer fa milies in certain fed erally fund ed Title I scho ols the
option to transfer their children to other public scho ols in the sa m e scho ol
district. Your child’s scho ol m ay participate in the Fed eral Title I Scho ol Choice
Option in the upco ming scho ol year. To help you und erstand the School Choice
Option, we are providing you with answers to so m e questions that you m ay
have.
How was my school identified for this program?
There are sp ecific fed eral rules und er the NCLB Act that apply to the annual
p erform a nce of stud ents in Title I scho ols. In Maryland, stud ents in Grad es 3
through 8 and Grad e 10 ta ke the Maryland School Assess m ent (MSA) test each
year. The Maryland State Dep artm ent of Education (MSDE) sets sp ecific MSA
improve m ent go als in reading and m athe m atics for all scho ols. Thes e go als are
known as Ad equate Yearly Progress (AYP ). Title I scho ols offer parents the
Fed eral Title I Scho ol Choice Option if one of the following occurs:
The scho ol do es not m e et the state im prove m ent go al for two or m ore
consecutive years and is id entified for scho ol improvem ent, corrective
action, or restructuring.
Once id entified, the scho ol m e ets the targ et for one year, but not the
next.
Schools m ust continue to offer the Fed eral Title I School Choice Option until
state improve m ent go als are m et for two consecutive years. When the targ ets
are m et for two cons ecutive years, the School Choice Option is no long er
offered.
Will my neighborhood home school always be in this
program?
Not necessarily. Efforts are b eing m a d e to im prove the acad e mic p erform ance of
your ho m e scho ol. If the scho ol d e m o nstrates two consecutive years of
acad e mic progress on MSA, then it will be rem oved fro m the progra m. Also,
scho ols that m e et the state go als for two or m ore consecutive years no long er
are required to offer School Choice Option. Previously approved stud ents can
continue to attend the d esignated scho ol until the end of the elem entary grad e
sp an, but transp ortation will not b e provid ed.
Do I have to transfer my child to another school?
No. The d ecision is entirely up to you and should b e ba sed on what you think is
b est for your child. Many factors should be consid ered, including the fact that
there are sp ecial resources at your ho m e scho ol that are d esigned to im prove
stud ent achieve m ent. Most of these sp ecial resources m ay not be available at
the other scho ol. School staff is available to talk with you if you have any
questions reg arding the ne ed s of your child.
To which schools may my child transfer?
Not all scho ols in the district are able to a ccept transfer stud ents. The scho ols
d esignated a s choices for your child are listed in the enclosed Fact Sheet. Thes e
d esignated scho ols, which are not id entified a s in need of improve m ent, are
selected using a co m bination of factors. Thes e factors includ e cap acity to accept
additional stud ents and distance fro m the ho m e scho ol.
How can I get more information about the designated
schools?
Additional inform ation ab out the d esignated scho ols is available at your ho m e
scho ol, fro m the d esignated scho ols, fro m the Montgo m ery Co unty Public
Schools (MC PS) W eb site at www.montg o m eryscho olsm d.org, or fro m the MSDE
W eb site at www.mdrep ortcard.org.
Will transportation be provided to the designated school?
Yes. However, priority will b e given to low-inco m e, low-achieving stud ents if
there are insufficient fund s to transp ort all stud ents who apply. The length of
the rid e will be affected by the distance to the d esignated scho ol and the
num b er of stud ents participating in the Scho ol Choice Option.
Will transportation always be provided?
Not necessarily. Transp ortation service to the d esignated scho ol is provid ed only
a s long as your current ho m e scho ol receives Title I fund s and is required to
offer the Fed eral Title I Scho ol Choice Option. If your ho m e scho ol were to no
long er receive Title I fund s or the scho ol m e ets the state go als for two
consecutive years, MC PS would allow stud ents already enrolled in a d esignated
scho ol to continue until the end of the elem entary grad e spa n, g enerally Grad e
5. However, transp ortation no long er would b e provid ed.
How will priority for transfer requests be determined?
Stud ents id entified as low-performing and low-inco m e will b e given priority for
their first choice of a d esignated scho ol. Local scho ol staff, using existing
inform ation and data available at each school, will d etermine which stud ents
m atch this priority. A rand o m lottery selection process will be used for this group
if requests exceed sp aces at the first-choice scho ol. All other stud ents will be
consid ered for their first choice on a space- available ba sis. A rand o m lottery
selection process also will be used for this group if requests exce ed sp ace
availability. Siblings will be given preference to b e placed in the sa m e scho ol;
however, there is no guarantee that MC P S will b e able to acco m m o d ate all
sibling requests. MC PS will id entify additional d esignated scho ols if requests
e xceed sp aces available at d esignated scho ols.
What if my child is receiving special education services?
Designated scho ols for sp ecial ed ucation stud ents who receive m ore than 15
hours p er week of services or who are enrolled in sp ecial progra m s were
selected ba sed on a co m bination of factors. Thes e factors includ ed the
availability of an equivalent sp ecial ed ucation progra m that m atches the
stud ent’s Individualiz ed Educational Plan (IEP) and transp ortation tim e fro m the
ho m e scho ol to the d esignated scho ol. The d esignated scho ols are not
id entified a s in ne ed of improve m ent, or for corrective action or restructuring.
Fa milies with sp ecial need s stud ents are encourag ed to contact the Division of
School-ba sed Sp ecial Education Services at 301-517-5070 for additional
inform ation.
How do I apply for the Federal Title I School Choice Option
for my child?
If you d ecid e to apply, you must co m plete the enclosed application and return it
to your child’s ho m e scho ol by June 17, 2005. An alternate d ea dline is offered
only for fa milies who m ove into the attenda nce area of an id entified Title I
scho ol after July 15, 2005; the alternate d ea dline for fa milies new to the
attend ance area of the neighb orho o d area is July 16, 2005.
How will I be informed that my child’s application is
approved?
A letter will be m ailed to your ho m e by June 24, 2005, if you apply by June 17,
2005. Fa milies new to the scho ol who apply by July 16, 2005 will be notified
within two weeks, and the letter will includ e the na m e of the d esignated scho ol
and directions for co m pleting the enrollm en t process at the d esignated scho ol.
If my application is approved, how do I enroll my child in
the designated school?
Fa milies must go to the d esignated scho o l to enroll their child and to provid e
the inform ation necessary to arrang e transp ortation. Fa milies are strongly
encourag ed to enroll their child at the d esignated scho ol no later than July 5,
2005, in ord er to ensure that transp ortation is in place prior to the start of the
scho ol year.
How are decisions appealed?
You m ay app eal a Scho ol Choice Option d ecision by writing to the Chief
Op erating Officer, 850 Hung erford Drive, R ockville, Maryland 20850. The chief
op erating officer, serving a s the sup erintend ent’s d esignee, must receive the
app eal no later than 15 days following the date of the d enial. The app eal
should state the rea son(s) for asking for a review of the d ecision. Additional
inform ation that you wish to have consid ered should b e includ ed. If the
sup erintend ent or his d esigne e d enies your app eal, you m ay app eal to th e
Board of Education by writing to the Board Presid ent, 850 Hung erford Drive,
R ockville, Maryland 20850, within 30 days of the date of the sup erintend ent’s
d enial letter, but a s so on a s p o ssible.
How can I learn more about the Federal Title I School
Choice Option?
To learn m ore ab out the F ed eral Title I School Choice Option, fa milies can
attend the scheduled m e eting at their ho m e scho ol, and/or contact their ho m e
scho ol principal or the Division of Acad e mic Support, Fed eral and State
Progra m s Office at 301-230-0660.
This document is available in an alternate format, upon request, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, by contacting the
Department of Communications, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 301-279-3391 or 1-800-735-2258 (Maryland
Relay).
Individuals who need sign language interpretation or cued speech transliteration in communicating with the Montgomery
County Public Schools may contact Interpreting Services in Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 301-517-5539 or 5582
(Voice/TTY).
The Montgomery County Public Schools prohibits illegal discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion,
gender, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, physical characteristics, or disability. Inquiries or
complaints regarding discrimination should be directed to the Office of Human Resources, 7361 Calhoun Place, Suite 401,
Rockville, MD 20855, at 301-279-3361 (for employment) and the Office of School Performance, 850 Hungerford Drive,
Rockville, MD 20850, at 301-279-8715 (for educational programs and activities). Inquiries or complaints regarding Title IX
issues such as gender equity and sexual harassment should be directed to the Title IX coordinator, Office of Strategic
Technologies and Accountability, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, at 301-279-3581.
Rockville, Maryland
Published by the Department of Communications for the Division of Academic Support
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