Definition of Terms Used in the Survey

LEA: a local education agency or other local entity that represents a unit for monitoring purposes, including autonomous charter schools.

Monitoring: the SEA's investigation, reporting, and correction of an individual LEA that has been selected according to a regular cycle or because the entity fails to meet some compliance or performance criteria; usually but not necessarily includes a monitoring site visit.

Monitoring site visit: visit to LEAs organized by the SEA to monitor compliance with state and federal requirements or examine child outcomes.

Self-assessment: some level of self-review conducted by an LEA or other local entity that may include record reviews, data collection, or analysis and that would be in conjunction with the overall monitoring and local improvement activities required by the SEA.

Noncompliance: failure to be in compliance with the processes and procedures required by law or with requirements to provide appropriate services.

Systemic noncompliance: a pattern of noncompliance within an LEA (i.e., local systemic noncompliance) or across the state (i.e., statewide systemic noncompliance), related to the processes and procedures required by law or the provision of appropriate services, that points to a need for systemic remedies.

Compliance indicator: a statement that quantifies a goal or priority related to compliance with the processes and procedures required by law or with requirements to provide appropriate services and that signals whether the goal is being achieved.

Child/family outcome indicator: a statement that quantifies a goal or priority related to improvements in child (or family) outcomes and that signals whether the goal is being achieved.

Corrective action: required steps for remedying findings of noncompliance with the processes and procedures required by law or with the requirements to provide appropriate services.

Local improvement plan: a strategy or set of strategies for an LEA that address local performance goals or priorities and that may or may not be related to noncompliance.

State improvement plan: a strategy or set of strategies for an SEA that addresses state-level or statewide performance goals or priorities and that may or may not be related to noncompliance.

NOTE: Please respond to all items with a focus on the monitoring cycle that corresponds to the 2004-2005 school year, even if your practices or procedures have changed since that time.

NOTE: In responding to this questionnaire, please adhere to the definitions above, even if the terms or their definitions differ from your normal usage. For example, consider the term LEA to include local education agencies or any other entity that is a unit for monitoring purposes.

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