Functional Statements > Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

C. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY

Student Achievement and School Accountability (SASA) administers programs of financial assistance to State and local education agencies and to colleges and universities. Under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, SASA administers several Title I programs of supplementary instruction and other services. This includes programs such as the Improving Basic Programs Operated by LEAs and the Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children Who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk. Under Title III of the ESEA, SASA administers the State Formula Grant Program for English Language Acquisition and Language Enhancement. SASA also administers the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program authorized by the Stewart B. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77).

These programs provide financial assistance to local and State education agencies and other organizations and institutions to support supplemental services for children in high poverty schools, limited English proficient children, institutionalized neglected and delinquent children, homeless children, as well as children enrolled in schools managed by the Bureau of Indian Education and tribal grant schools. The programs are designed to meet the special education needs of such children and to aid in their teachers' continued professional development to enable these children to achieve the State's high, challenging academic content and performance standards expected of all children when they become school-aged.

SASA conducts an annual survey of local and State-supported institutions for neglected and delinquent children to determine their eligibility to participate in neglected and delinquent children's programs; determines allocations for State agencies; and collects data for use in computing LEA allocations.

SASA is headed by a Director and Deputy Director, who report to the Assistant Secretary and/or Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education and advises the Assistant Secretary and/or Deputy Assistant Secretary on matters related to the programs administered by SASA. The Director promotes cooperative efforts among various governmental and community officials and groups on matters involving the effective administration of programs administered by SASA and establishes cooperative working relationships with OELA, OSEP, and IES to facilitate dissemination of effective practices.

The Immediate Office of the Director for SASA is directly responsible for the oversight of all programs administered by SASA and for the administrative and management functions that support all units in SASA. Staff members, who have the primary responsibility for such administrative and management functions, including audit resolution and closure, coordinate with and receive input from staff, as appropriate, in SASA's program groups. The Director's Office is ultimately responsible for the development and clearance of all letters and reports issued by SASA. It is also responsible for instituting special projects to ensure the law is implemented in a manner that results in success in school for every child.

SASA participates in legislation development, prepares information for budget appropriations, prepares and tracks program performance indicators, coordinates programmatic activities with other agencies, and responds to inquiries from the Congress, the press, and organizations, regarding the programs SASA administers.

SASA is divided into six Program Groups:

Policy Coordination Group

is responsible for policy coordination and develops policy guidance that clarifies for implementation purposes the principal themes of the President's education blueprint. Title I formula grant allocations are also managed by this group as is the programmatic focus on services to non-public schools. The group influences the educational community and others who need to understand the parameters for implementing Title I requirements.

Standards and Assessments Group

is responsible for ensuring that States develop the standards and assessment systems required by the new Title I. The group provides direct technical assistance to States and also provides specialized TA through external experts for longer term interventions for States with significant assessment issues. They also work with the States to help them comply in a manner that results in systems of standards and assessments that drive instructional change.

Instructional Change Group

is responsible for changing the face of teaching and learning in Title I schools in a manner that focuses on what works to generate improved results for children. This unit helps technical assistance providers work with schools to implement Title I programs in ways that focus on improving classroom instruction, including the involvement of parents in their child's education. In addition, this unit works with States to design, implement, and evaluate State systems of support for making Title I targeted assistance and schoolwide programs more effective vehicles for instructional change and for turning around low-performing schools. This group also has responsibility for working with content and regional comprehensive centers funded by the Department to develop strategies and materials to aid schools in corrective action and restructuring.

Monitoring Group

is responsible for instituting a process of achievement-focused monitoring for compliance with the implementation of Title I, Parts A, B and D and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education programs. States not fully compliant are presented with the opportunity to take corrective actions to address identified concerns. It is through the monitoring process that this group influences the extent to which States, school districts, and schools consider how they are using federal education resources to improve student chievement.

Accountability Group

is responsible for ensuring that States develop and update the accountability systems used to hold school districts and schools responsible for student achievement under Title I, Part A as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This group reviews and recommends approval or disapproval of annual State amendments to their Title I required accountability plans and orchestrates the peer review process for the growth model accountability pilot program authorized by the Secretary. The group will also be involved with managing the development/refinement of data definitions associated with NCLB accountability and the annual Consolidated State Performance Report. The group will provide direct technical assistance to States and also provides specialized TA through external experts for longer term interventions for States with significant assessment and accountability issues. They also will work with the States to help them comply in a manner that results in systems of standards and assessments that drive instructional change.

Title III State Formula Grants Group

is responsible for the administration of the Title III State formula grant program. The group works collaboratively with the Office of English Language Acquisition and the other SASA groups to develop policy guidance, monitor program compliance, ensure program accountability, and provide State and local educational agencies with technical assistance to develop and enhance their capacity for developing standards and assessment systems and providing high quality language instruction educational programs for English language learners.