Assessment/Accountability
No Child Left Behind

NCLB Report Cards

Distribution Requirements

It is each district's responsibility to annually disseminate the information in district and school report cards to all schools in the district and to all parents of students attending those schools. The information must be understandable, and to the extent practical, provided in languages parents/guardians can understand.

NEW: In prior years, report cards were made available to districts for dissemination via the NCLB Report Card Assistant on the Security Portal. Beginning in March 2009, report cards will be posted in the Accountability Tab for each school and district on the Department's public School and District Profiles.

Where must report cards be distributed?

The information must be publicly distributed through the media, on the Internet, and to other public agencies. District may also place hardcopies on record at the library, town hall, community centers, and/or other public places where parents have access to them.

Do I have to mail copies of school and district report cards home to every parent?

Districts do not need to mail report cards home to parents, so long as the information is provided to all parents by other means, such as sending home copies of the report cards with students.

What data are displayed on 2008-09 report cards?

2008-09 report cards display teacher quality data as of October 1, 2008 and AYP/MCAS data from 2008. 2008-09 report cards will also display Massachusetts' statewide academic achievement results in grades four and eight on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics assessment, as well as the participation rates for students with disabilities and limited English proficient students on the exam.

Now that ESE makes report cards available on its website, can my district provide a link to the report cards from its website? Must report cards still be distributed to parents via other means?

While this change makes it easier for districts to comply with their responsibility to disseminate report cards, linking to these report cards or posting them to the district's website alone is not sufficient-the must also provide this information to parents by other means, such as mailing report cards home to parents or sending copies home with students.

As part of their regular method of communicating with parents, some districts survey parents to ascertain whether they have Internet access, and notify parents with access to the Web when school and district report cards are available. However, districts should keep in mind that not all parents have access to the Internet; therefore, districts should use multiple means to provide the information to all parents.

My district has an existing method of communicating with parents. May I use that method to comply with the dissemination requirement?

If the district has an existing method of communicating this information to parents/guardians, you do not need to use the Department's report card; however, it must contain all of the required elements, including NAEP data.

My district has a report for communicating information and data contained on report cards that existed prior to NCLB. May I continue to use it?

Districts that were providing public report cards on the performance of students or schools prior to the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) may use those report cards so long as they are modified, as needed, to contain the required information, including NAEP data.

The NCLB Report Cards available through the NCLB Report Card Assistant on the Security Portal gave districts the option to add an organization description and/or mission statement. Can I add these elements to the new report cards?

The report cards available in Profiles will display the organization description that you provide for your school or district using the Directory Administration tool in the Security Portal.

When will 2008-09 report cards be made available? What is the timeline for disseminating them to all parents?

Beginning in mid-March 2009, report cards will be posted to the Department's public School and District Profiles website for all districts that have had their 2008-09 EPIMS data certified by the Department. We will post report cards for remaining districts on a rolling basis. Report cards must be disseminated to all parents prior to the end of the 2008-09 school year.