Our school "report card" for the
current year is posted on our school web site. It contains important information
about teacher qualifications, student achievement on Massachusetts Comprehensive
Assessment System (MCAS) tests, and the progress we are making toward helping
all students become proficient in English language arts and mathematics. The
information in the report card is divided into three parts:
Part I: Teacher
Qualifications
Part II: Student
Achievement
Part III: School
Accountability
Part I provides information about the
qualifications of the teachers in our school and district. Part II summarizes
how our school's students scored in English language arts and mathematics in the
last two years of MCAS examinations. Part III indicates whether or not our
school is on target to meet the goal of all students reaching proficiency in
English language arts and mathematics by 2014, a fundamental goal of the federal
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In accordance with NCLB, schools that do not
make sufficient progress toward this goal are identified for 'improvement',
'corrective action', or 'restructuring'.

Our school's 2007 Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) report shows that the John Ward School has made AYP for
the following all subject areas and subgroups:
As a result of these determinations,
John Ward School is not identified for Improvement/Corrective
Action/Restructuring.

These findings are an important part
of your right to know how well our school is helping all students to reach
proficiency in English language arts and mathematics. Schools receiving federal
Title I funds that do not make AYP for two consecutive years must allow
parents the opportunity to transfer their child to another school in the
district that is performing satisfactorily. Schools that have not made AYP for
three years in a row--in addition to offering parents the right to choose a new
school--must also offer parents a chance to access supplemental educational
services for their children. Supplemental services allow eligible children to be
tutored after school or participate in classes aimed at boosting academic
achievement in English language arts and mathematics.

You can access the report for our
school on our school website http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/ward/.  (Click on adequate yearly progress
report 2007.)  A short Question-and-Answer Pamphlet
about NCLB Report Cards is also included.

We are happy to help you if you have
further questions about what this report card means. Please feel free to call me
directly if I can be of additional assistance to you.