The information provided below was obtained from the California Department of Education Website at
California
public schools annually provide information about themselves to the
community allowing the public to evaluate and compare schools for
student achievement, environment, resources and demographics.
A Parent's Guide to the SARC
Description of the requirements and information contained the School Accountability Report Card (SARC).
What is a School Accountability Report Card (SARC)?
Since
November 1988, state law has required all public schools receiving
state funding to prepare and distribute a SARC. A similar requirement is
also contained in the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The
purpose of the report card is to provide parents and the community with
important information about each public school. A SARC can be an
effective way for a school to report on its progress in achieving goals.
The public may also use a SARC to evaluate and compare schools on a
variety of indicators.
What information does the SARC contain?
Although
there is great variation in the design of school report cards, they
generally begin with a profile that provides background information
about the school and its students. The profile usually summarizes the
school's mission, goals, and accomplishments. State law requires that
the SARC contain all of the following:
- Demographic data
- School safety and climate for learning information
- Academic data
- School completion rates
- Class sizes
- Teacher and staff information
- Curriculum and instruction descriptions
- Postsecondary preparation information
- Fiscal and expenditure data
In
addition, NCLB requires that SARCs contain reports concerning the
"adequate yearly progress" of students in achieving state academic
achievement standards; Title 1 Program Improvement; graduation rates at
the secondary level; and, starting with the SARCs to be published in
2004-05, the extent to which "highly qualified" teachers are teaching
core academic subjects.
How often must a SARC be updated?
School report cards must be updated annually.
How are schools required to distribute the SARC?
State
law generally encourages schools to make a concerted effort to notify
parents of the purpose of the report cards and to ensure that all
parents receive a copy of the report card for the school their child
attends. Specifically, schools are required to notify all parents about
the availability of the SARC and to provide parents with instructions
about how the SARC can be obtained both through the Internet (if
feasible) and on paper (by request). If a sufficient number of a
school's enrolled students speak a single primary language other than
English, state law requires that the SARC be made available to parents
in the appropriate primary language.
How can a parent obtain a SARC?
[http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/parentguide.asp]
on the California Department of Education's Web site. In addition, as a
parent of a child attending a public school in California, you should
receive a notice from the school or district about how to find the
school's report card on the Internet and how to request a paper copy of
the report card. You can also contact the school or the district office
to determine the availability of a translated report card.
How can a parent find out more about California's public schools?
If
you have questions or need information about a specific school, you can
call or write to the school or the district office. You can also
schedule an appointment to visit the school and meet with the school's
administrators and staff.