Title I Program Essentials: Maximizing Student Success

1. 2018-19 FASFEPA & ECTACFall Forum Orlando, FL September 10, 2019

2. Etiquette • Please mute or turn off your cell phone. • Be attentive when others are speaking. • Listen with an open mind. • Ask questions for clarification

3. Agenda • Introduction to Title I, Part A • Instructional Program Types • Equitable Access to High-Quality Teachers • Early Childhood Services • Parent and Family Engagement • Equitable Services • Fiscal Requirements

4. Agenda • Allocations • District Reservations • Reasonable, Allowable, Allocable, and Necessary • Amendment Process and Guidance • Monitoring • Resources

5. Introduction to Title I, Part A

6. Introduction to Title I, Part A • In this section, we’ll discuss: • The purpose of Title I, Part A • The Areas of Focus for the Title I, Part A Program • Title I, Part A At-A-Glance • The LEA Title I administrator’s role

7. The Purpose of Title I, Part A

8. The Purpose of Title I, Part A • The purpose of Title I, Part A funding is: • To increase the achievement of students, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged. • To ensure all children have fair, equal, and significant opportunities to obtain a high quality education. • To ensure children reach, at minimum, proficiency on challenging state standards and assessments. • To ensure that each student is granted equitable access to high-quality teachers.

9. Title I, Part A At-A-Glance

10. Title I, Part A At-A-Glance Technical Assistance Technical Assistance

11. Title I, Part A Areas of Focus

12. Title I, Part A Areas of Focus • The Areas of Focus of the Title I, Part A program are: • Strengthening Academic Achievement • Parent and Family Engagement • Homeless Education • Neglected and Delinquent Education • Educational Services at the LEA-level • Discretionary Educational Services at the school-level

13. Title I, Part A Areas of Focus • Early Childhood Services • Private Schools • Foster Care • College and Career Readiness • Targeted Assistance • Technology

14. LEA Title I Administrator’s Role

15. LEA Title I Administrator’s Role • Duties may vary, depending on the size and structure of the LEA, but most directors or coordinators are responsible for the following: • Overseeing the LEA grant application process • Overseeing the administration and implementation of Title I, Part A and program monitoring • Allocating Title I, Part A funds to eligible schools

16. LEA Title I Administrator’s Role • Most directors or coordinators are also responsible for: • Working with parents, teachers, school administrators, and the community to design, implement, and evaluate Title I programs and plans • Monitoring for compliance with laws and regulations governing the use of Title I, Part A funds

17. Instructional Program Types

18. Instructional Program Types • In this section, we’ll discuss: • The definitions of schoolwide and targeted assistance programs • The eligibility requirements for schoolwide and targeted assistance programs • The required components of schoolwide and targeted assistance programs

19. Schoolwide Programs

20. Schoolwide Programs • What is a schoolwide program? • An instructional program designed to improve the entire educational program • ALL students attending the school receive Title I services • Assists the lowest-achieving students to demonstrate proficiency on academic achievement standards

21. Conditions to Operate a Schoolwide Program • Who may operate a schoolwide program? • A Title I school with 40 percent or more of its students living in poverty, regardless of the grades it serves • A Title I school that receives a waiver from FDOE to operate a schoolwide program without meeting the 40 percent poverty threshold

22. Steps to Implement a Schoolwide Program • Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment • Preparing a comprehensive schoolwide plan • A Schoolwide Improvement Plan may be used as the comprehensive schoolwide plan. • Annually evaluating the schoolwide plan

23. Targeted Assistance Programs

24. Targeted Assistance Programs • What is a targeted assistance program? • An instructional program in which Title I services are “targeted” towards a select group of students meeting certain eligibility criteria • Unlike a school operating a schoolwide program, a targeted assistance school does not serve all students attending the school with Title I services

25. Targeted Assistance Eligibility • Who is eligible for targeted assistance? • Students are eligible for services if the school staff has identified the students as failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the state’s achievement standards based on certain criteria. • Income status is not part of the eligibility criteria.

26. Targeted Assistance Program Conditions • Targeted assistance programs must: • Provide additional instructional support to enhance core instruction • Use state-certified teachers and high quality, trained paraprofessionals • Provide professional development for teachers • Use strategies to increase Parent and Family Engagement • Coordinate with other programs and provide transition services from preschool programs to local elementary school programs

27. Targeted Assistance Program Conditions • Only teachers and paraprofessionals funded by Title I, Part A (in whole or in part) are Title I staff • Only students who receive services are counted as Title I students for reporting purposes • All students eligible for Title I, Part A services should receive them, even if eligible under other programs

28. Equitable Access

29. Equitable Access • ESSA requires that low-income and minority children enrolled in schools assisted under Title I, Part A are not served at disproportionate rates by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers.

30. Equitable Access • As outlined in the approved ESSA State Plan, Florida will measure and report on the percentage of teachers who are ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced. • This data will be reported for each school, each LEA, and for the state disaggregated by schools with high proportions of low-income students and schools with non-low-income students. • FDOE will report on whether Title I schools and schools with high proportions of low-income and minority children have disproportionately higher rates of ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers. • FDOE will report this information over time in order to identify changes in disproportionality.

31. Early Childhood Services

32. Early Childhood Services • In this section, we’ll discuss: • Benefits of high-quality early learning • Elements of a high-quality preschool program • Eligibility requirements • Title I funding to support early childhood programs • Services and coordination • Progress monitoring measures • Transition to Kindergarten

33. Benefits of High-Quality Early Learning • A National Center for Education Statistics longitudinal study shows that children who attended center-based preschool programs in the year before kindergarten earned higher scores at the beginning of kindergarten on math, reading, cognitive flexibility, and for approaches to learning (e.g., attentiveness, persistence, and eagerness to learn) than their peers who did not participate in an early learning program the year before starting kindergarten. • While all children benefit by participating in high-quality early learning programs, the achievement gains are largest for children from low-income families and others who have been traditionally underserved.

34. Elements of a High-Quality Preschool Program • Nationally recognized elements of a high-quality preschool program include, but are not limited to: • High qualifications for teachers and other staff • Small class sizes and low staff-child ratios • A full-day, full-year program • High-quality family engagement and involvement • Ongoing program evaluation used for continuous improvement • Research-based curricula

35. Title I Preschool Programs • Title I preschool programs are intended to assist children most at risk of failing to meet the State’s challenging academic standards based on multiple, educationally related, objective criteria. • Certain children are “automatically eligible” to participate in a Title I preschool program (e.g., an LEA or school need not identify the child as most at risk).

36. Title I Preschool Programs • Automatically eligible students include: • Children who participated in Head Start, received services supported by the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants program within Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) (formerly known as Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program), or attended a Title I preschool program at any time in the prior two years • Children who received services under Title I, Part C in the prior two years • Preschool-age children experiencing homelessness • Children who are in a local institution or attending a community day program for neglected or delinquent children and youth

37. Title I Funds to Support Preschool Programs • Based on the needs of its eligible students and the most effective use of those funds, a Title I LEA or school may use its Title I funds: • To support a district-operated preschool program • To support a school-operated preschool program • For coordination with other preschool programs • As a Title I recipient, an LEA or school that uses Title I funds to operate a preschool program must comply with the same requirements that apply to all Title I programs.

38. Title I Funds to Support School-Operated Preschool Programs

39. Title I Funds to Support District-Operated Preschool Programs

40. Title I Funds and Coordination with Other Early Childhood Programs

41. Title I Funds to Support Preschool Programs • Title I funds may also be used to support early learning in other ways, such as: • Providing extended learning opportunities during the summer to improve transitions from early childhood programs to kindergarten • Extending the length of the day of Head Start from part-day to full-day • Expanding schoolwide family engagement activities in a two-generation approach • Providing coaching and training for early childhood teachers • Many LEAs have found strategic ways to use their Title I funds to support the education needs of eligible children before they enter kindergarten.

42. Title I Preschool Program Requirements • If a district chooses to use Title I funds for early childhood education programs, it must describe the following in its LEA plan: • The early childhood education services that will be provided with Title I, Part A funds • How the LEA will coordinate Title I preschool programs with other preschool educational services in the LEA • How the LEA will assist parents in effectively transitioning their preschool children to kindergarten

43. Services and Coordination • Each LEA receiving Title I funds, regardless of whether it operates a Title I preschool program, must develop agreements and carry out the following coordination activities with Head Start and, if feasible, other early childhood programs: • Developing and implementing a systematic procedure for receiving records of preschool children • Establishing channels of communication between school staff and their counterparts to facilitate coordination • Conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head Start teachers to discuss the developmental and other needs of children

44. Services and Coordination • Organizing and participating in joint transition-related training of school, Head Start, and where appropriate, other early childhood education program staff • Linking the educational services provided by the LEA with those provided by Head Start agencies

45. Transition to Kindergarten • Transition activities might include: • Sharing assessment data • Promoting summer learning programs • Engaging families • Implementing joint professional development opportunities that involve both community-based providers and school staff

46. Progress Monitoring Measures • If a district chooses to use Title I funds for early childhood education programs, it must describe the following in its LEA plan: • How the LEA will ensure ongoing progress monitoring measures will align with Head Start Education Standards • How ongoing progress monitoring measures will be administered multiple times throughout the program • How data will be used to inform instructional strategies for use by the classroom teachers

47. Parent and Family Engagement

48. Parent and Family Engagement • In this section, we’ll discuss: • LEA-level Parent and Family Engagement Policies/Plans • School-level Parent and Family Engagement Policies/Plans • School-Parent Compacts

49. LEA Parent and Family Engagement Policy • The LEA-level Parent and Family Engagement Policy/Plan (PFEP) is: • A written document • Jointly developed and agreed upon with parents in partnership with other stakeholders • A description of Parent and Family Engagement activities that will be implemented at Title I schools • Distributed to all parents of participating students

50. School Parent and Family Engagement Policy • The School-level PFEP is: • A written document • Agreed upon by parents in partnership with other stakeholders • A description of the means for carrying out Parent and Family Engagement activities at the school level. • Distributed to parents and the local community in a format and language that parents can understand