The number of California schools facing restructuring—a sanction under the federal No Child Left Behind Act—has increased significantly since last year, jumping to 701 in the current school year from 401 during 2005-06, according to a report from the Washington-based Center on Education Policy.
Schools are put in the restructuring process—which can include replacing staff members and other major changes—when they have missed their “adequate yearly progress” targets for five or more consecutive years.
More than 200 of the California schools have fallen short of meeting achievement targets for seven years, and 10 have failed for eight years, the report says. The authors note that those that have replaced staff members haven’t improved on state tests more than other schools.
Schools having success, the report says, are those that have used “multiple improvement strategies.”
The authors also note that California has more schools facing restructuring than most states, not only because it is the biggest state, but also because it implemented a test-based accountability system before most others.
“Beyond the Mountains: An Early Look at Restructuring Results in California” is available from the Center on Education Policy.
