School shuffle starts off with list
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
Parents who want to transfer their child from schools considered "failing" under provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act are getting their first look at which schools can accept students.
Here's how to find the list of schools accepting transfer students: • Visit the DOE No Child Left Behind Web site School principals should also have information on which campuses are able to accept transfers.
A list released yesterday by the state Department of Education shows that most schools have at least some spots available. However, there are no openings in some of the state's most rapidly growing areas, such as Kapolei and Mililani. Many schools have space available only in one or two grade levels. For example, Nimitz Elementary can accept students only in the third or sixth grades; Pearl City Highlands has just one opening for a student in the sixth grade.
Roster online
Honolulu District has the most schools eligible to receive students, but has relatively few spots available. Although many of the Honolulu District schools are in neighborhoods with aging populations and few young families, those schools are often popular alternatives for families who commute into town. Many of those campuses earlier in the spring accepted dozens of transfer students through the district's geographic exception program.
For example, at Kawananakoa Middle, about 35 percent of the students usually come to the school on geographic exceptions. But it has no openings now.
The list, which shows schools and how many openings they have for children at each grade level, is meant as a starting point for parents who would like to search for a new school for their child.
The No Child Left Behind Act is a federal education law that mandates yearly improvement in the nation's high-poverty schools.
The DOE has identified 85 such schools that have not met minimum levels for standardized math and reading scores and attendance. That list of 85 schools might change on Sept. 20, when the state releases a new list — based on the latest standardized test scores — of which schools this year officially will be considered "failing" campuses from which students can transfer.
Paul Ban, DOE Title I specialist, said that even though most parents won't know for a week whether their child can move or not, the list gives them time to think about transferring and start filling out applications.
"Rather than waiting until the 20th when we finalize the list, our superintendent thought it was important to give families more time to consider their options," Ban said.
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.
