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SARC Report: A Parent's Guide to the SARC
Description of the requirements and information contained the School
Accountability Report Card (SARC).
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.
How often must a SARC be updated?
School report cards must be updated annually.
How are
schools required to distribute the SARC?
State law generally encourages schools to make a
concerted effort to notify parents of the purpose of the
report cards and to ensure that all parents receive a copy
of the report card for the school their child attends.
Specifically, schools are required to notify all parents
about the availability of the SARC and to provide parents
with instructions about how the SARC can be obtained both
through the Internet (if feasible) and on paper (by
request). If a sufficient number of a school's enrolled
students speak a single primary language other than English,
state law requires that the SARC be made available to
parents in the appropriate primary language.
How can a parent obtain a SARC?
Parents with Internet access can go to
Find a School Report Card on the California Department
of Education's Web site. In addition, as a parent of a child
attending a public school in California, you should receive
a notice from the school or district about how to find the
school's report card on the Internet and how to request a
paper copy of the report card. You can also contact the
school or the district office to determine the availability
of a translated report card.
How can a parent find out more about
California's public schools?
If you have questions or need information about a
specific school, you can call or write to the school or the
district office. You can also schedule an appointment to
visit the school and meet with the school's administrators
and staff. Click
HERE to see West Hollywood Elementary SARC report.
California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
Click
here to view
STAR test results for West Hollywood Elementary. | 
West
Hollywood Elementary School
