In support for requesting that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) provide additional technical assistance and training for determining adequate yearly progress (AYP)

WHEREAS, The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1969 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special education needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, and

WHEREAS, N!EA is the largest national Indian organization of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education of Indian and Native people; and

WHEREAS, through its unique political relationship with Indian nations and tribes, the federal government hes established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians residing on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, many Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funded schools have been placed on “School Improvement” or “Corrective Action” status by the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) in regards to the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) laws, and such a designation may lead to mandatory restructuring in the near future for many tribal schools; and

WHEREAS, options for restructuring described in the O.1.E.P. Preliminary State Plan are more limited then those for public schools, and may have profound effect on the autonomy, governance, and daily operations of tribal schools throughout the United States; and

WHEREAS, the B.I.A. Office of Indian Education Programs has a responsibility to provide timely information, technical assistance, and training leading to data-driven decision making and school improvements; and

WHEREAS, the B.I.A. has sponsored several “data retreats” and provlded other technical assistance over the past two years that established a transitional A.Y.P. baseline determined by dividing the prior year data by the number of years remaining to achieve 100% proficiency by 12th grade; and

WHEREAS, in a letter to schools on October 06, 2003, the Director, O.1.E.P. described a reformulation of the 8.1.A. transitional baseline for Adequate Yearly Progress, but no technical assistance has been provided to date regarding that reformulation; and

WHEREAS, both reading and language arts have at various times been established as assessments for determining AYP, but NCLB section 1111(b)(1)(G) requires assessments for reading QC language arts, as well as mathematics;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Indian Education Association hereby requests that the Office of Indian Education Programs provide technical asslstance and training relating to the new method and accounting of the basis for the change in method; and

BE IT FUTURE RESOLVED, that the National Indian Education Association hereby requests that AYP measures be applied to either reading or language arts, not both, for both standards identified through either transitional methods or methods under negotiated rule making; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Indian Education Association shall hereby introduce a resolution at the National Congress of American Indian’s 2003 Annual Meeting similarly supporting requests that 0.1.E.P. provide such technical assistance and training.

Submitted by: Ray Lorton, Quinault

CERTIFICATION

I do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly considered and passed by the NIEA Board of Directors at its November 1-5, convention in Greensboro, North Carolina at which time a quorum was present.