ESEA: School Improvement

School Choice/Supplemental Services

When a school receiving Title 1 funds fails to meet AYP for two consecutive years, (Priority School), the district must identify that school for improvement. A school’s plan for improvement must include ways to strengthen instruction and address the causes of failure. To assist eligible students from Title 1 schools in improvement, new options were created and must be provided by the school district: 1. public school choice (year 1) and 2. supplemental educational services (year 2). Students in schools under improvement will have the option to transfer to another public school in a district not in school improvement. Students in schools identified for their 2nd year of school improvement (Priority School) will be eligible to receive supplemental services.

The state department of education will be responsible for identifying the eligible service provider. The State is also responsible for developing objective criteria to select these providers. The State must consult with parents, educators and the community in developing criteria for identifying providers. Supplemental Service Providers may be:

school entity (public or private)


institution of higher education


nonprofit or for-profit organization


faith based organization

Once chosen, the state education agency must provide a list of supplemental services for school districts that are available in their geographic location. Parents will then be able to select for their child a supplemental service provider from that list.

Again, MAE urges all educators to be proactive with these options as they begin to affect your school. We should be involved in the planning stages while these standards are taking shape in our school districts. Your MAE is working diligently at the state level to be active in dialogue but it will be you with the grassroots efforts in our schools and districts that make the biggest impact to ensure quality.

MAE/NEA is committed to providing you with information as it unfolds from the federal and state governments concerning the regulations around the "No Child Left Behind"/ESEA 2001 legislation. We want you to be equipped to make a difference in your school. The information provided here is the latest in the drafting of the law language as it impacts our schools and our children in MS. As MAE receives information it is posted on our website. Please let us hear from you with any questions, concerns or ideas you may have regarding these new standards.