What is a School Accountability Report Card (SARC)?
Since November 1988, state law has required that schools receiving state funding to prepare and distribute a SARC. A similar requirement is also contained in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The purpose of the report card is to provide parents and the community with important information about each 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
How often must a SARC be updated?
School report cards must be updated annually and published by February 1.
Note: A paper copy of the SARC is available in Encore’s main office.
For more information on the SARC, please visit the California Department of Education website at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/
