Federal Programs

Ms. Anissa Ball
Administrator of Student Services

205-367-2086

205-367-8195

Title I School Improvement

(Accountability and Compliance)

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

       The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was designed to level the playing field so that all students may have access to high-performing schools. Its cornerstone accountability provisions encourage states to strengthen academic content, clearly and logically define student achievement standards, and develop rigorous state assessments based on those standards. Although states are responsible for monitoring progress, schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) play the major roles in working toward proficiency for all students in core academic subjects by the end of the 2013-2014 school year. To that end, Alabama has developed a single system of accountability for all schools and LEAs throughout the State. (See 2003 Rewards and Sanctions Document).

       The Accountability and Compliance team in Federal Programs serves as a guide to LEAs as they leverage resources to review annually the status of every school in order to ensure that the school is making adequate progress toward achieving the long-term proficiency goal.

         In addition to translating NCLB school accountability measures and consequences for LEAs, the Accountability and Compliance team acts as points of contacts for LEAs that have been identified for LEA Improvement Along with the State Support Team, this team guides LEAs as they formulate their plans for improving LEA support of school improvement efforts. Reaching or surpassing annual targets for two or more consecutive years brings LEAs and schools out of the school improvement process and may even merit them recognition or rewards.

      NCLB, while prescribing levels of restructuring in LEAs and schools that do not make adequate yearly progress in multiple years, also mandates that the SDE ensures that struggling schools and school districts are provided with increasing amounts of assistance. Detailed provisions for addressing these issues to comply with NCLB mandates are the focus of the Title I Accountability and Compliance program. For additional information on the work of accountability and compliance as it relates to Title I, please call 334-242-8199 or e-mail ctownley@alsde.edu.