By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

Next Wednesday is something of a D-Day for the Department of Education.

Think of it as the beginning of the end of the way the department has traditionally worked with parents. From that day, parents of children from failing schools will learn about their choices and will be able to help decide their children's educational future.

Wednesday is when education officials plan to release a list of schools parents can transfer their children to as part of compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the education law that mandates yearly improvement in the nation's high-poverty schools.

It's the first time students from low-performing schools will have priority to transfer to another DOE school. If kids do not or cannot transfer, their parents may be able to choose a tutoring program from a DOE-approved list — and the state will pick up the bill. The DOE has $3 million in federal money to spend on transferring children to different campuses and another $3 million in federal money to spend on tutoring.

Wednesday's list will give the number of spaces available in each grade level on campuses that have met the state's academic standards.

On Sept. 20, the department will release its list of which schools students can choose to move away from. Those are also the schools where tutoring programs will be available.

Earlier this summer, the DOE identified 85 schools that needed improvement.

In hopes of minimizing that number, the DOE is hurrying to crunch the latest test results that are starting to roll in from this spring's standardized tests.

That's because officials at the U.S. Department of Education have told the DOE it can use the latest test scores to remove schools from the failing list — but does not have to punish more schools by adding them. Schools that perform well on the tests can be removed from the list of failing schools, but no schools would be added until this time next year, when the spring 2003 round of test scores returns to the district.

Superintendent Pat Hamamoto has called it a one-year bye.

The DOE has estimated that as many as 23 Hawai'i schools could come off the list of so-called failing campuses because they would have had two straight years of test-score improvement, spokesman Greg Knudsen has said.

It's enough to dramatically change the number of failing schools the state has to contend with this year.

Letters should have already gone out to parents around the state to explain how the No Child Left Behind Act could affect their campus. The letters also let families know how they can request transfers if their children attend schools that have had sub-par test scores.

Priority for the available spots will be given to low-income students with the lowest standardized test scores or grades.

Parents must apply for a transfer by Sept. 30, and by Oct. 15 will know if their child has been accepted. They will have two working days to accept or decline.

Students can start at their new campus Oct. 28.

With 50,000 students attending schools labeled as failing, DOE officials face an uphill battle in meeting the logistical requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

But the biggest challenge is in improving schools to get them off the failing list.

Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.