DVHS Reports

School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

The School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is a comprehensive document providing details about the school’s planned actions and expenditures to support student outcomes and overall performance, and how these actions connect to the District’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which addresses goals for the entire District. 

 

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS/WASC) is one of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. The Accrediting Commission for Schools, WASC, extends its services to over 4,500 public, independent, church-related, and proprietary pre-K–12 and adult schools, works with 16 associations in joint accreditation processes, and collaborates with other educational organizations. Every public high school must conduct a self-study in order to be an accredited educational institution. The organization that determines the accreditation term is called the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

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.

 

¿Qué es la Cartilla de Responsabilidad Escolar (SARC)?

Desde Noviembre 1988, la ley estatal ha requerido que todas las escuelas públicas que reciben fondos estatales preparen y distribuyan una SARC. La ley Ningún Niño Dejado Atrás (NCLB) contiene un requisito similar. El propósito de esta cartilla es proveer a los padres y a miembros de la comunidad información importante acerca de cada escuela pública. La SARC puede ser una manera efectiva para que la escuela informe su progreso en lograr metas. La escuela pública también puede usar una SARC para evaluar y comparar escuelas en una variedad de indicadores. 

¿Qué información contiene la SARC?

Aunque hay una gran variación en el diseño de cartillas escolares, generalmente comienzan con un perfil que provee información básica acerca de la escuela y sus estudiantes. El perfil resume la misión, metas y logros de la escuela. La ley Estatal requiere que la SARC contenga todo lo siguiente:

  • Datos demográficos

  • Seguridad escolar y ambiente de aprendizaje

  • Datos académicos

  • Porcentajes de graduación escolar

  • Tamaños de clases

  • Información de maestros y personal

  • Descripciones del plan de estudios e instrucción

  • Información de preparación pos-secundaria

  • Datos fiscales y gastos

Además, NCLB requiere que las SARCs contengan reportes acerca del “progreso anual adecuado” de estudiantes que estén logrando las metas estatales de logro académico; Programa de Mejoramiento del Título I; porcentajes de graduación al nivel secundario; y, comenzando con las SARCs que serán publicadas en 2004-05, el grado que están enseñando los maestros “altamente calificados” las materias académicas básicas.