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Quarter 4 - Fall/Winter 2005
Issue 3, Volume I
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Message from TransACT President Rick Passovoy
The holiday season is a time to pause and reflect on the past year and look forward with anticipation of things to come.
As TransACT reflects back on 2005, we see many positive changes:
- Districts now have access to a robust package of notices, forms, letters and improved RoadMap guidance tools with our NCLB Parent Notifications collection.
- Learning about and complying with the revisions and additions to IDEA is much easier thanks to the introduction of the IDEA Parent Notifications collection.
- The GenEd Parent Notifications collection has grown with the addition of Free & Reduced-Price Meals parent notifications that follow USDA-prototype forms.
- Our new website has provided faster access to the tools and services to which you subscribe.
- All of these improvements have been created with the goal in mind of saving districts time and money so they can focus on what matters most...the education of children.
Looking ahead to 2006, we will continue to support you with the legally reviewed and professionally translated communication tools, compliance guidance and world-class customer support that you have come to expect from TransACT.
We wish you an enjoyable holiday season. Thank you for your business. We look forward to working with you in 2006 and beyond!
Practical Advice from Forest Hertlein, Ph.D.
Dr. Forest Hertlein is the Executive Director of Federal Programs at TransACT. In this important role, Forest keeps his finger placed on the pulse of compliance issues. His expertise not only ensures that our services our relevant and accurate, but also allows us to provide you with briefings of the most pertinent issues facing schools.
USDOE Monitors Finding Parent Notice Problems
Now is the time for districts to evaluate their parent communication plans to assure that notices meet content requirements and that every administrator knows who is responsible for sending the appropriate notice, under what conditions, and when.
Federal monitors and auditors are finding that districts and schools are having difficulty complying with NCLB parent notification requirements. Monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education and auditing by the Office of Inspector General have revealed that notices are not being sent, not delivered within the required timeframe, or have significant deficiencies in content.
In the area of Public School Choice, monitors have found the following:
- Not all parents of eligible students were notified their children were eligible for school choice. For example, several districts did not offer choice to parents of students transitioning to another level (e.g. elementary to middle school) or to parents of entering kindergarten students or kindergarten students moving to first grade;
- Information was not provided on the academic achievement of the schools to which a student may transfer for comparison to the student’s current school;
- Notice of public school choice was not delivered by the first day of school;
- Delivery of certain notices was not direct to parents through means such as postal mail. Other methods, such as delivery at a meeting, were cited as insufficient; and
- Parents were not informed of their right to school choice even though the opportunity to transfer to another school was not available.
The audits have also noted that in regards to Supplemental Educational Services:
- Parental notification of SES was not provided to parents of all eligible students;
- Annual notice of the availability of SES was not provided to parents at schools that did not make AYP for three or more years. Schools sent SES notices the second year but did not continue sending the notice in subsequent years;
- SES information was not provided directly to parents through means such as postal mail. Some districts provided SES information only at conferences but significant numbers of parents of eligible students did not attend;
- Not all state-approved SES providers were identified within or near the school district and descriptions were not provided for each provider’s qualifications and demonstrated effectiveness; and
- Names of students eligible for SES were released to SES providers prior to obtaining parent consent.
Other areas of deficiency found during monitoring related to notifying parents of their right to request their child’s teacher’s qualifications and the assignment of non-highly qualified staff to teach their child for four or more consecutive weeks.
Subscribers to TransACT's NCLB Parent Notifications have online access to a collection that has been determined compliant with NCLB requirements by the national law firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP.
To review or evaluate your NCLB parent notification strategy, please call (425) 977-2100. Our skilled Customer Care staff will gladly demonstrate the TransACT® NCLB RoadMap, to help your schools create a customized parent communication plan that complies with the NCLB mandates.
Learn More from Dr. Hertlein: Beginning in 2006, TransACT will offer webinars led by Dr. Forest Hertlein. Sessions will be FREE to customers. Non-customers may attend online for a nominal fee. TransACT Compliance Webinars will enable you to ask questions about the compliance issues facing schools nationwide. More information will be provided in the next newsletter.
What's New at TransACT
Dedicated to Your Success - The TransACT Customer Care Team
Did you know that, as part of your TransACT subscription, you have a team of outstanding support professionals who are dedicated to your success? The Account Implementation Managers in the Customer Care Department are eager to assist you with the successful use of the services TransACT provides, at no additional charge. Contact them at any time to:
• Receive a superior level of training and support
• Acquire expert guidance on successful implementation
• Provide feedback to improve the quality of your customer experience.Each member of the Customer Care team strives to empower you and your staff with the training, tools and ongoing support that you need to be successful with TransACT.
Customer Care representatives are available from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time. For assistance, call (425) 977-2100, email support@transact.com or click on the Live Help link at the top of any TransACT Compliance & Communication Center webpage.
A Comprehensive Solution to Complex Federal Mandates
We are committed to providing you with powerful communication tools and peace of mind. To maximize your investment by delivering the greatest value for your educational dollar, we now offer a Comprehensive Subscription, bundling all of our services into one package at a 30% savings over the regular price!
The Comprehensive Subscription includes the NCLB, IDEA and GenEd Parent Notifications collections, the EduPortal® eLibrary, K-12 National Resources research collection and Premium Support.
Purchasing your Comprehensive Subscription is easy through the TransACT Online Store, or by contacting Customer Care at (425) 977-2100 or email to support@transact.com. Learn more about the Online Store below.
Featured Tool
TransACT Online Store: Have you made an online purchase or renewal with TransACT yet?
Launched in early 2004, the TransACT Online Store enables customers to conveniently, quickly, and most importantly, securely purchase or renew their TransACT subscriptions in the same way you would shop for a book or CD on the Internet.
Enter the Online Store by visiting www.transact.com and select the Subscribe link that appears at the top of the page. Next, login to your account and begin shopping!
There are several advantages to using the Online Store:
You also have the option to add services to your cart and to save the order for a future purchase. This process emails a quote to you so that it can be used to generate a Purchase Order. We hope you will take a moment and check out the TransACT Online Store!
Helpful Hints from Customer Care
Forgotten Your Password? No Problem!
If you have forgotten the password to access your TransACT subscription, it is easy to create a new one. Simply click on the Forgot your Password? link that appears under the password field on the Login page. You will receive an e-mail with a new, temporary password that will allow you to login to the system.
Once you have logged in, change the password to something you can easily remember. To change your password, click on the My Account button in the red toolbar at the top of the page. Select User Management and the click on the link to change your password.
If you need assistance with registration or login, please contact Customer Care at
(425) 977-2100 or support@transact.com.
Spotlight on a TransACT Team Member
Melissa Bersing - Product Manager
I enjoy providing our customers with professionally developed translations and communication tools to enable effective school-to-home communications. It feels good to offer a service that has a direct and positive impact on the education of children.
Birthplace: Everett, Washington
Birth month/day: June 12 - I'm a Gemini!
How long have you been with TransACT: Almost 10 years.
What you like most about TransACT: I really enjoy working with the customers. I also like working with all the languages that we offer.
Favorite school subject: Math.
Favorite things to do outside of work: I like to spend time with family, hang out with my 10 year-old son, read, play with my puppy, and work around the house.
Favorite band or music: I like a little bit of every genre of music. It depends on what kind of mood I am in.
Famous person you’d like to have dinner with (living or not): Oprah - She is an amazing woman.
Favorite vacation spot: Long Beach, WA.
What you wanted to be when you grew-up: I wanted to be a brain surgeon or a lawyer.
Favorite quote: “I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we are not wise enough to see it.” - Oprah Winfrey
Contact Us
View this eNewsletter online at: http://www.transact.com/public/news/newsletter/eNews2005Q4.htm
Website: http://www.transact.com
Email Addresses:
Unsubscribe: unsubscribe@transact.com Sales: sales@transact.com Subscribe: info@transact.com Customer Care: support@transact.com