School Improvement Ratings, Funding, and LASO Grant Cycle 3

School Improvement Ratings, Funding, and LASO Grant Cycle 3

September 12, 2024 | Grants Management

We are in year two of the A-F accountability ratings being held up in court challenges; however, federal ratings continue. The federal list of schools in need of improvement was released on August 26, 2024. New this year, funding for schools identified for improvement will become part of the LASO Cycle 3 grant (more to come on that grant in a later edition). As usual, intervention activities and written corrective action plans will be required. If you find your LEA on the list, your Education Service Center will guide you through improvement/required intervention steps. CSS follows accountability in terms of grants, and we can guide Charters through the important grant information.

How do I find my federal ratings?

To see if your school was rated Comprehensive, Targeted, or Additional Targeted, click here:

2024 Accountability System Webpage

Scroll down to the “2024 Federal Reports: Campuses Identified for Support Under ESSA.”  You will need to check all three links for Comprehensive Support, Targeted Support, and Additional Targeted Support.

What if my LEA has a campus that is rated Comprehensive?

If any campus is rated under any federal category, you are eligible to apply for the LASO Cycle 3 grant. This is a competitive grant, so funding is not guaranteed. In all three categories (Comprehensive, Targeted, or Additional Targeted), you should contact your assigned ESC right away to be directed through the required training and school improvement requirements. The LASO Cycle 3 grant will open on Oct 14 and be due on Dec 13, but you do not get to wait on the money to start intervention activities!

The current interventions calendar has an important due date coming soon for LEAs with ANY Comprehensive type campuses. The LEA must name a District Coordinator of School Improvement (DCSI) and record the name in ISAM (in eGrants) by 12/6/24.

Click here for the website with Intervention requirements, but also get with your ESC right away! Accountability Interventions Webpage

What about the Targeted ratings? Will we get funding for that?

Any campus with any federal label will be able to apply for the LASO Cycle 3 grant.

CSS assists our partner schools to complete the LASO Cycle 3 grant and answers questions to guide them through the process.

How do I know what Federal Targets we missed?

To know the specific federal targets missed, follow these steps for the report:

Log into TEAL and look for the Accountability Application:

  • Click on your LEA Name
  • Under New Items click “2024 Accountability Reports and Data Tables”
  • Click “Reports for One Campus” (you will have to check each campus)
  • Click “Identification of Schools for Improvement” and click View
  • The report will show you where you are relative to the cut off for being in the bottom 5%, your graduation rate, and then the math and reading targets missed at the bottom.
  • The “Closing the Gaps – Accountability Groups and Targets” report will also be useful.

Strategies to improve student performance in an identified group of graduation rate, reading and/or math must be included in your Targeted Improvement Plan (and should align with the CIP). LASO Cycle 3 grant funds must be directed to these campuses and to their missed targets in reading, math, or graduation rate.

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