ESEA Directors Institute 2014

1. ESEA Directors Institute 2014 Your Role as ESEA Director Monday, October 6, 2014

2. 2014-15 District Calendar Overview

3. ESEA and IDEA 2014-15 School Year Calendar for LEAs • Available for download on ePlan • TDOE Resources • Calendar of Events • Includes Schedules, Due Dates & Deadlines • Applications • Forms • Reports • Monitoring • Webinars, conferences and meetings

5. ePlan Overview Linda.Stachera@tn.gov 615-253-5209 ePlan.Help@tn.gov

6. What is ePlan? Tennessee’s online grants management system: • Submit and revise plans and reports • Apply for federal funding • Request reimbursements and report expenditures • Process budget amendments and program revisions

7. Benefits of ePlan • Convenient access in electronic online format • Promotes collaboration of diverse stakeholders • Ability to manage edits and reviews • Planning drives the funding • Ability to link multiple processes (planning, monitoring, fiscal) • Options for data reporting

8. Password and User IDs • Users are granted ePlan passwords only after submitting a User Access Form. • New ePlan users will receive an email with the ePlan set-up link and instructions on how to set up a password. • Passwords are maintained within the online system and are not known by the system administrators. • Emails that are auto-generated by ePlan have the web address ePlanTN.NoReply@eGrantsManagement.com • Users who currently have ePlan accounts and request additional roles will keep their original ePlan password.

9. ePlan Main Components • Planning Tool • LEA Plans are approved by the CORE offices • Consolidated Funding Application • CFAs are approved by CPM (Consolidated Planning & Monitoring) • Reimbursement Requests • Approved by OCFO (Office of the Chief Financial Officer)

10. Browsers and Technical Issues • Some ePlan features are not supported with older version of Internet Explorer. Users find good results using Google Chrome or Firefox, for example. • When working in ePlan, users may not use the back button. • Users who cannot see all of the options in the ePlan menu may not be signed in. • Users who cannot proceed to the next portion of a funding application or plan may not have the necessary user access. We will talk about access roles in tomorrow’s meeting.

11. When can LEAs Edit? • LEAs cannot edit applications (and plans) after submitting to the TDOE. • If an LEA needs to make a change to a funding application, the LEA will click “Revision Started” at the top of the Sections page. • This will re-open access to the program and budget pages in the application. • LEAs can then re-submit the application for a new approval.

12. Validations • Validations are business rules set in ePlan to assure application completeness. • Users can check for validations errors at the top of the funding application screen. • Red ERROR messages will not allow an application to move forward. • Validation messages contain links that, when followed, will take the user to the page in question in the funding application.

13. Validation Errors

14. The LEA Document Library • The LEA Document Library is a place in ePlan to upload forms and reports that are due to the TDOE. • Any user with ePlan access can upload documents to the LEA Document Library. • Some folders will display only for LEAs who are required to upload documents (monitoring for example). • LEAs can view the dates of their uploads, the name(s) of the user(s) who have upload documents, and a document history.

15. Staying Informed • Homepage messages • Due-dates are located in upper-right hand corner of the screen • Latest announcements can be found in the upper-left portion of the screen • Look for user tips and FAQ’s in the lower portions of the screen • TDOE Resources • CPM Calendar & Regional map • ESEA/IDEA information • Information about non-ESEA/IDEA programs • User Access Forms • Training Information • Training videos (access from the ePlan homepage • Training presentations (access from TDOE Resources)

16. District & School Planning Overview All Tennessee Schools Must Have a Plan under T.C.A.All Title I Schools Must Have a Plan under ESEA

17. School Planning Requirementsfor ALL Tennessee Schools • T.C.A. 49-1-613.  Annual school improvement plans.  • (a) Effective with school year 2007-2008, each school and LEA shall include in their annual school improvement plans specific goals for improvement, including, but not limited to, school performance on value added assessment and other benchmarks for student proficiency, graduation rates, ACT scores where applicable and student attendance. School improvement plans shall also identify areas of strengths and weakness, as well as strategies to improve areas of weakness, how additional funds provided through the basic education program (BEP) as the result of changes made in the BEP formula for school year 2007-2008 will be used to address these areas and how the LEA will measure the improvements supported by these funds. The strategies may include, but are not limited to:

18. School Planning Requirementsfor ALL Tennessee Schools • T.C.A. 49-1-613.  Annual school improvement plans.  • (a)The strategies may include, but are not limited to:(1) Developing school or content-based professional development;(2) Developing teacher induction programs;(3) Increasing the number of reading and math specialists;(4) Increasing classroom equipment and supplies;(5) Reducing class size;(6) Using targeted tutoring and remediation;(7) Increasing numbers of school counselors and social workers;(8) Providing principal professional development;(9) Using enhanced technology for remediation and retesting;(10) Employing school attendance officers;(11) Reorganizing the school day instructional time; and(12) Implementing a standards-based curriculum and associated instructional strategies.

19. School Planning RequirementsESEA Specific for Title I Schools • ESEA SEC. 1114. SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAMS. (b) COMPONENTS OF A SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAM- (1) IN GENERAL- A schoolwide program shall include the following components: (A) A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school (including taking into account the needs of migratory children as defined in section 1309(2)) that is based on information which includes the achievement of children in relation to the State academic content standards and the State student academic achievement standards described in section 1111(b)(1).

20. School Planning RequirementsESEA Specific for Title I Schools • ESEA SEC. 1114. SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAMS. (b) COMPONENTS OF A SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAM- (1) IN GENERAL- A schoolwide program shall include the following components: (B) Schoolwide reform strategies that — (i) provide opportunities for all children to meet the State's proficient and advanced levels of student academic achievement described in section 1111(b)(1)(D); (ii) use effective methods and instructional strategies that are based on scientifically based research that — (I) strengthen the core academic program in the school; (II) increase the amount and quality of learning time, such as providing an extended school year and before- and after-school and summer programs and opportunities, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum; and (III)include strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved populations; ETC…

21. District and School-Level PlansRelevant Dates • August 1, 2014: LEAs begin planning process with release of district-level accountability data • August 18, 2014: Schools begin planning process with release of school-level accountability data • September 1 – October 15, 2014: LEAs must update ePlan with 2014-15 school year district plans • October 15 – November 15, 2014: Schools must finalize plans and may enter 2014-15 school year plans in ePlan • December 1, 2014: LEAs will have reviewed all school plans and completed the LEA School Plan Assurances page on the sections page of the LEA Plan. The LEA should complete the assurance page for school plans even if the school plans were not entered in ePlan.

22. School-Level Plans • Spring 2014: Pilot included school-level plan entry in ePlan was conducted for select LEAs and Schools • Identification of additional components needed • Working groups to refine ePlan template to avoid duplications • School Year 2014-15: • School plans optional in ePlan • School plans are still required even if not entered in ePlan • Aligned with district plan • LEA reviewed and approved • Progress monitored (on-going) • School Year 2015-16: • School plans will be required in ePlan

23. ePlan Access Roles for the School Plan • USER ROLES MAINTAINED BY THE LEA • School Data Entry A school-level users who can work in the School Plan for his/her own school • School Plan Reviewer • A school-level user who will submit the School Plan for his/her own school to the LEA for approval USER ROLES MAINTAINED BY THE TDOE LEA School Plan Reviewer An LEA user who will approve ALL School Plans within his/her LEA User Access Administrator An LEA user who will set up ALL School Plan users in ePlan

24. Consolidated Planning & MonitoringContacts • Planning • Eve.Carney@tn.gov • Linda.Stachera@tn.gov • Janine.Whited@tn.gov • Valerie.Starks@tn.gov • ePlan Help Desk • (615) 253-5209 • Regional Consultants • Corey.Currie@tn.gov • Janet.Mansfield@tn.gov • Bridgett.Carwile@tn.gov • Bridgette.Jones@tn.gov • Jacki.Wolfe@tn.gov

25. Consolidated Funding Application

26. General Application Information • Application for funding should be based on needs assessment – district and school plans should reflect prioritized needs • Assurances – read carefully • Subject to A-133 audit if award is greater than 500,000 currently; this threshold is changing next year • ESEA and IDEA application to be submitted together in ePlan

27. Consolidated Application Status

28. LEA CONTACTS/USERS IN ePLAN • The Contacts page within the Funding Application is where LEAs designate who will be their points of contact for projects such as ESEA, IDEA, Title I, Homeless, Migrant, Parent Involvement, etc. • Contacts in ePlan need to be accurate and up-to-date. • Please make all necessary changes when you are revising your budget. • If an LEA wishes to change a contact person, this change must be made via the CONTACTS page in ePlan. (instructions can be found on the Home page) • User Access Forms must be sent to TDOE. (instructions are on the form)

29. LEA ADDRESS BOOKFunding Application Contacts

30. LEA ADDRESS BOOKRole Contacts

31. Narratives • Be CLEAR and CONCISE. • Indicate if an allocation is a set-aside in the narrative. This allows for crosswalk from budget to set-asides page. • i.e. Admin., PD, Parent Involvement • Title III/Consortium: The narrative needs to include the amount for each LEA and what they are using the monies to purchase. • i.e. School District ABC $1000.00 for materials including…

32. Personnel • If you make changes to the budget that affect personnel, address personnel pages. • Personnel pages and budget narratives must match. • Include FTEs in budget narratives for ALL personnel. • i.e. 3 educational/instructional assistants at ABC Middle School (3 FTEs)

33. Revisions and Spending(aka. Amendments/Addenda) • When making budget revisions, make sure you address the set-asides pages. • Reconcile your budget with actual spending throughout the school year. • Do not spend money, especially on personnel, until the budget is approved. • If possible, coordinate with IDEA and submit one revision. • Any program or budget change to the application must be made through a revision. • If your application is returned from CPM, review the Consolidated Checklist for items that need to be addressed.

34. School Eligibility and the PPA Page • If there is a change is school status, make this correction before your submit a revision. (Focus, Priority, Reward) • The remaining amount needs to be as close to zero as possible without being negative. (a negative number will appear in parentheses)

35. Monitoring Process Overview Debbie.Owens@tn.gov 615-532-6297

36. Results-based Monitoring Purpose: To monitor and support districts in the implementation of IDEA & ESEA programs that improve outcomes for students, while recognizing continuous improvement is necessary. • Shifting our focus from COMPLIANCE to PERFORMANCE

37. Process Overview • Why a results-based monitoring tool? • Shifts focus from compliance to program effectiveness • Encourages collaborative conversations around district programs • Provides a better understanding of successes and challenges • How is the results-based monitoring tool organized? • Based on factors influencing student outcomes • Combines IDEA & ESEA monitoring items • Adds an Improvement Plan focusing on suggested strategies to increase student outcomes • Includes a Compliance Action Plan

38. Process Overview • Who is the Monitoring team? • Lead: CPM Regional Consultant • CPM Regional Consultant • Staff representing Special Education and other critical subgroups and other areas (EL, non-public, etc.) • Fiscal consultants when needed • CPM Nashville staff when needed

39. Monitoring Process Overview • Documentation required for the visit is uploaded electronically. • Many documents reviewed on-site but no copies of documentation are expected. • Process relies heavily on interviews with LEA staff and listening to their procedures and challenges within their districts. • School site visits are conducted by meeting with the principal and school leadership then walking through classrooms and parts of the building. • TDOE staff writes up all comments, improvement plans and compliance action plans while in the district. • An on-site exit conference reviews the completed written monitoring instrument with LEA leadership.

40. Major Sections of the Monitoring Tool • Quality Leadership • Effective Teachers • Instructional Practices • Climate and Culture • Parent and Community Involvement • Appendices

41. Comparability Overview Title I, Part A Comparability 2014-15

42. Prerequisite for Receiving Title I, Part A FundsAnnual Requirement • Demonstrating comparability is a prerequisite for receiving Title I, Part A funds. • Because Part A allocations are made annually, comparability is an annualrequirement. • The Local Educational Agency (LEA) must perform comparability calculations every year to demonstrate that all of its Title I schools are in fact comparable and make adjustments if any are not.

43. TDOE MethodStudent/Staff Ratio • Under ESEA, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) may establish the method LEAs use to determine comparability. • TDOE uses student/instructional staff ratios to compare the average number of students per instructional staff in each Title I school with the average number of students per instructional staff in non-Title I schools. • A Title I school is comparable if its average student/staff ratio does not exceed 110 percent of the average of non-Title I schools. • If the LEA serves all of its schools, or all schools within a particular grade span, with Title I funds, a Title I school is comparable if its average student/staff ratio does not exceed 110 percent of the average of Title I schools.

44. Deadlines • No later than October 30, the LEA shall annually demonstrate if comparability requirements have been met and all required forms must be uploaded to the ePlan LEA Document Library. • If, after review by TDOE of the first submission, comparability is shown to have not been met due to an error in data, calculation or procedure, and adjustments to resources and allocations are required, those adjustments must be made that same school year. • If adjustments to resources and allocations are required, all new comparability forms must be submitted via upload to ePlan no later than December 1 of the same school year.

45. LEA Written Procedures • An LEA must develop procedures for complying with comparability requirements. [Section 1120A(c)(3)]* • These procedures should be in writing and should, at a minimum, include the LEA’s • identification of the office responsible for making comparability calculations, • timeline for demonstrating comparability, • the method and process for collecting data required to demonstrate comparability, • the selected basis for demonstrating comparability, and • how and when the LEA makes adjustments in schools that are not comparable. • See sample procedures and timeline in the Overview document. * Checked during monitoring.

46. Basis:District or Grade-span • LEAs will determine comparability based on the average number of students per instructional staff. The LEA may demonstrate comparability using either calculation basis below: • District basis where, • All Title I schools are compared to all non-Title I schools*; and/or • All Title I schools are compared to all Title I schools OR • Grade-span basis where, • By grade-span, Title I schools are compared to non-Title I schools; and/or • By grade-span, Title I schools are compared to all Title I schools in the grade span * If the Title I schools in the LEA serve only grades K-8, but not grades 9-12, the comparability calculations only need to include the Title I and non-Title I elementary and middle schools, but not the non-Title I high schools.

47. Data Collection for the Current School Year • The data must be collected for the current school year and cannot be based on projections from the prior year. • Data collection encompasses all data reported on Forms I – IV which includes a list of all schools in the LEA (including charter schools and small schools) with student enrollment and the number of low income students, and lists of instructional and other personnel supporting instruction, counting FTE by funding source. • The LEA must maintain source documentation to support the calculations and forms submitted to demonstrate comparability, and, any needed adjustments made to staff assignments.

48. Required Forms • The following required forms are available for download from ePlan and must be completed by all LEAs and uploaded to ePlan. • Form I – Schools List & Enrollment by Grade Span • Form II – Licensed Instructional Personnel • Form III – Other Personnel Supporting Instruction • Form IV – Comparability Calculations • (required unless the LEA has only one building per grade-span) • (depending on the LEA’s selected calculation basis, either district or grade-span, the LEA will use one, or more, of four available versions of Form IV) • Form V – Comparability Summary Report & Assurances

49. Uploading Completed Forms to ePlan • All completed forms must be uploaded to the LEA Document Library in ePlan. • In the LEA Document Library locate the folders: • 2015 • Comparability Documents & Information • All excel files must be uploaded as excel files. • Please do not print and scan excel files. • Do print, sign and scan Form V.

50. Questions