Parent Guides
Home Language Survey (HLS)
A Home Language Survey (HLS) is a questionnaire that parents or guardians complete when a student enrolls, asking which languages the student uses or hears at home.…
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Parent Guides
NYFERA’s practical guides for families navigating New York schools and education data.
Parent Guides
What to Check About Support for English Language Learners in New York Schools
To judge whether a New York school is supporting an English Learner (EL) well, check three things first: how the school identified your child, who is qualified…
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Parent Guides
What to Check in a Charter School Annual Report: A Guide for New York Families
A charter school annual report summarizes the school's academic, financial, and organizational performance for a given year. In New York, families should check whether the report covers…
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Parent Guides
Questions to Ask When Comparing Charter and District Schools
Charter and district schools are both public, tuition-free, and open to all students, but they differ in who runs them, how they enroll students, and who can…
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Parent Guides
Questions to Ask During a School Visit: A New York Parent’s Guide
A school visit is the only reliable way to judge a school's culture, but open days are staged events. Prepare about 30 minutes of homework beforehand, observe…
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Parent Guides
How to Compare Two Schools Without Relying on a Single Score
A single rating or test score compresses different subjects, student groups, years, and assumptions into one number that looks more certain than it is. A better comparison…
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Parent Guides
How Student Participation Rates Affect Assessment Results
Participation affects assessment results in two ways: classroom engagement can improve learning and test performance, while assessment participation rates determine whose scores are counted. The evidence shows…
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