US Department of Education Guidance Materials

Resources

• July 21, 2004 -- Charter School Programs Non-regulatory Guidance [DOC 832,512kb]
  This document makes updates to the Department of Educations's August 2003 draft guidance with respect to how charter schools may use lotteries to select students.
  
• July 21, 2004 -- Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program as Amended by the No Child Left Behind Act [PDF 226,817kb]
  This non-regulatory guidance from the U.S. Department of Education describes the changes thet NCLB makes to the Title VIIB McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  
• Innovations in Education: Successful Charter Schools [PDF 3,614,116kb]
  The third in the U.S. Department of Education's Innovations in Education series. The focus is on identifying and exploring successful charter schools and their practices.
  
• May 24, 2004 -- Unsafe School Choice Option Non-regulatory Guidance [DOC 730,112kb]
  U.S. Department of Education document providing guidance on some provisions that may be useful in administering the Unsafe School Choice Option (USCO) of NCLB.
  
• Innovations in Education: Creating Strong District School Choice Programs [PDF 4,737,465kb]
• Updated: February 6, 2004 -- Public School Choice Draft Guidance [PDF 181,400kb]
  US Department of Education draft guidance on the public school choice requirements of No Child Left Behind.
  
• Innovations in Education: Creating Strong Supplemental Educational Services Programs [PDF 5,870,675kb]
  The second publication in the U.S. Department of Education's Innovations in Education series. This one focuses on providing guidance on and real-world applications of the Supplemental Services provisions of NCLB.
  
• August 20, 2003 -- Charter School Program Guidance [PDF 53,349kb]
  Non-regulatory guidance addressing questions the Department of Education has received regarding various provisions of the Charter Schools Program statute, including those related to student admissions to charter schools, the use of lotteries, private school conversions, and the involvement of for-profit organizations in charter schools.
  
• April 23, 2004 -- Parental Involvement Guidance [PDF 237,415kb]
  Non-regulatory guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on the parental involvement provisions of NCLB.
  
• March 29, 2004 -- New Policy for Calculating Participation Rates Under No Child Left Behind [DOC 27,648kb]
  This new rule from the Department of Education changes the way the Average Participation Rate is calculated.
  
• March 15, 2004 -- Highly Qualified Teacher Flexibility [PDF 61,937kb]
  US Department of Education fact sheet on the flexibility allowed in determining highly qualified teachers.
  
• Updated: March 1, 2004 -- Paraprofessionals Draft Guidance [PDF 75,975kb]
  US Department of Education draft guidance on the paraprofessionals provisions of No Child Left Behind.
  
• January 20, 2004 -- Guidance Concerning State and Local Responsibilities Under Gun-Free Schools Act [DOC 53,760kb]
  Guidance from the Department of Education clarifying the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA), which was reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
  
• January 7, 2004 -- LEA and School Improvement Non-Regulatory Guidance [PDF 218,196kb]
  This Department of Education guidance explains the school and LEA improvement provisions embedded in the NCLB legislation and Title I regulations.
  
• December 9, 2003 -- Final Regulations on Assessment of Students with Disabilities [PDF 137,600kb]
  ED allows states and districts in determining AYP to count "proficient" scores on alternate assessments taken by students with significant cognitive disabilities. The number of scores included cannot exceed 1% of all students in the grades tested.
  
• October 23, 2003 -- Non-regulatory Guidance for Migrant Education Program [DOC 1,597,440kb]
  Manual from the U.S. Department of Education with guidance on how to administer the Migrant Education Program.
  
• Octover 17, 2003 - Guidance for Title I Services to Eligible Private School Children [DOC 347,136kb]
  This guidance relates to Title I, Part A services for private school children. It is intended to be used by both public and private school officials.
  
• September 29, 2003 -- Guidance for Even Start Family Literacy Programs [DOC 227,840kb]
  Department of Education guidance for understanding, administering, and implementing Even Start family literacy programs.
  
• September 22, 2003 -- Report Cards Guidance [PDF 651,985kb]
  This Department of Education non-regulatory guidance answers questions about annual report cards, which states and school districts receiving Title I funds must prepare and disseminate.
  
• September 12, 2003 -- Improving Teacher Quality Guidance [PDF 682,746kb]
  US Department of Education guidance on meeting the highly qualified teacher requirements of No Child Left Behind.
  
• August 22, 2003 -- Supplemental Educational Services Draft Final Guidance [PDF 171,021kb]
  Draft Final Guidance from the Department of Education on Supplemental educational services, which refer to additional academic instruction designed to increase the academic achievement of students in low-performing schools.
  
• August 21, 2003 -- LEA Identification and Title I Allocation Draft Guidance [DOC 759,808kb]
  This guidance from the Department of Education outlines how local educational agencies (LEAs) identify eligible Title I school attendance areas and schools and allocate funds to those attendance areas and schools.
  
• June 24, 2003 -- Guidance for the Rural Education Achievement Program [PDF 605,407kb]
  REAP guidance document to assist rural district compete for and receive federal grants in support of ESEA.
  
• March 28, 2003 -- Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Guidance [DOC 810,496kb]
  Department of Education draft non-regulatory guidance for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
  
• March 27, 2003 -- Guidance for the Early Reading First Program [DOC 153,088kb]
  This document provides non-regulatory No Child Left Behind program guidance for the Early Reading First program.
  
• March 24, 2003 -- Title I Charter School Guidance [PDF 46,404kb]
  Department of Education draft guidance on how new Title I provisions under No Child Left Behind will impact charter schools.
  
• March 10, 2003 -- Standards and Assessments Draft Guidance [DOC 901,120kb]
  This guidance document is one of three documents the Department of Education is preparing on standards and assessments in order to assist States, districts, and schools in understanding and implementing The No Child Left Behind Act in the area of standards and assessments.
  
• February 26, 2003 -- 21st Century Community Learning Centers Non-Regulatory Guidance [PDF 827,961kb]
  This guidance from the Department of Education can help State Educational Agencies develop selection criteria to ensure that local programs are high quality and tailored to address the needs of students and their families. States and local communities must identify and implement programs for which there is evidence that they help children succeed in school.
  
• February 25, 2003 -- Final Non-Regulatory Guidance on the Title III State Formula Grant Program [PDF 473,232kb]
  Part II of the Department of Education guidance for Title III grants from the Office of English Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students.
  
• February 20, 2003 -- Guidance Letter for Title I Schools with School Lunch Programs [PDF 64,735kb]
  Joint Departments of Education and Agriculture guidance letter about the use of National School Lunch Program student information to fulfill "economically disadvantaged" provisions of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act.
  
• February 7, 2003 -- School Prayer Guidance [HTML 27,751kb]
  Guidance from the Department of Education on the constitutionally-protected prayer requirements of No Child Left Behind.
  
• January 2, 2003 -- Safe and Drug Free School Grant Guidance [PDF 184,131kb]
  Safe and Drug-Free School and Communities Act Non-regulatory Draft Guidance for State and Local Implementation of Programs under Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1.
  
• December 19, 2002 -- Improving Teacher Quality Guidance [PDF 599,244kb]
  Draft non-regulatory guidance from the Department of Education for Title II state grant programs, which focus on preparing, training, and recruiting high quality teachers and principals.
  
• December 12, 2002 -- Supplemental Educational Services Draft Guidance [PDF 133,261kb]
  This document offers guidance on implementing the supplemental educational services provisions of No Child Left Behind.
  
• October 4, 2002 -- Draft Guidance on Transferability Authority [PDF 450,652kb]
  Preliminary guidance on the ability of LEAs to transfer a portion of the funding that they receive under certain Federal programs to their allocations under other programs.
  
• July 23, 2002 -- Unsafe School Option Draft Guidance [PDF 59,816kb]
  Draft guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on the unsafe school option component of No Child Left Behind.
  
• Military Recruiters: Questions and Answers [PDF 116,379kb]
  Information about access to High School Students and Information on Students by Military Recruiters.
  
• Model Parental Directory Information Notice [PDF 92,943kb]
  US Department of Education model notification letter to families regarding disclosure of student information.