Title I “Quick Start”

1. Title I “Quick Start” Wisconsin Statewide Title I Network CESA #2 and the Wisconsin DPI Title I Quick-Start

2. Objectives • Understand the basics of Title I Part A application to students and schools; • Understand the differences between Targeted Assistance and School wide Programs; • Clarify some of the more common Title I questions asked by district Title I Coordinators; • Network with regional colleagues and recognize “best practices.”

3. Today’s Agenda

4. Good Question! Get to know your group: • Share your name/title/district and where you grew up • Identify your biggest Title I question at this time, and write it on the post-it. Discussion with the larger group will take place in 5 minutes.

5. Needs Assessment Best Practice Requirements • Targeted Assistance and Schoolwide Programs each conduct universal needs assessment to identify program priorities. • Individual student assessments should be done for Targeted Assistance programs; • Schoolwide programs should still identify students who need additional support; • In a Targeted Assistance model, student assessments identify individuals in rank order for supplemental instructional support. • Assessments should occur in early spring in order to identify areas of need for the next fall semester. • Multiple assessments should be used to identify students’ needs.

6. Needs Assessments • Assessments are also used to identify students who are exiting Targeted Assistance programs. • Rank order of students will help determine which students are no longer eligible for Title I Targeted Assistance programs. • Just as there are criteria to serve Title I students , schools need to also design criteria for students to exit Title I programs and use assessments for this purpose.

7. Needs Assessment Check List In the Spring: • Collect current student assessment data; • Conduct additional individual assessment (if needed); • Confer with classroom teachers; • Rank students for services; graduate students from program; • Conduct assessments in private schools and rank students for services;

8. Needs Assessment Check List In the Fall: • Conduct additional individual assessment (if needed); • Confer with classroom teachers; • Review/revise spring ranking of students for services (for Targeted Assistance); • Conduct assessments in private schools and rank students for services; • Update parent involvement policies and send parent compacts.

9. Good Question! • Why is it beneficial to conduct assessments in the spring? What might you do with the results? Must you do it every year? • In Targeted Assistance plans, how should you document the student selection process for next year’s eligibility? Discussion with the larger group will take place in 5 minutes.

10. Private School Consultation • Districts are required to provide eligible private school children, their teachers and families, with Title I services equitable to those provided to public school children.

11. Private School Consultation • It is the responsibility of the student’s home district to assure that students receive equitable Title I services, even in the case of the student attending a private school in another district. • The public school district provides services to the private school eligible students that is comparable to the targeted assistance/schoolwide grade span of the Title I school.

12. Funding • State allocations are provided to DPI from the U.S. Department of Education in the spring. • DPI notifies the districts when the estimate and final allocations are available. • District allocations are based on the Small-Area Income Poverty estimate and not on local free and reduced lunch numbers. • The purpose of free-reduced lunch numbers is to determine building eligibility.

13. LEA’s District Poverty & Fund Eligibility * Percentage is based on U.S. Census poverty data for entire community; not LEA free-reduced lunch data.

14. Determining School Eligibility • There are several methods to determine eligibility. Select the best option to serve the majority of students in a district. • Eligible Buildings are identified by the district’s ranking of schools done every year. • This is based either on district poverty average, grade span grouping, or grade span grouping based on poverty percentage. • Districts with enrollment less than 1,000 students or those with only one school per grade span are exempt from normal ranking requirements.

15. Student Eligibility • Children are identified to be served based on the school’s Title I status/eligibility. • In a Schoolwide Program, all students are eligible and services are to upgrade the whole school. • In a Targeted Assistance Program, eligible participants are those who are identified as failing, or most-at-risk of failing, the State’s student academic achievement standards.

16. Good Question! • What if we have a student who is homeless attending a non-Title I school? Is that student eligible for services? Group Discussion

17. Let’s Take a Break

18. Title I Program Design

19. Title I Program Design

20. Title I Program Design

21. Title I Monitoring • Title I, a federal program, is periodically monitored. • A district will receive advance notification of a monitoring visit, usually conducted in the spring. • There are numerous things a Title I coordinator should be doing upfront from the beginning of the school year to guarantee compliance with Title I and/or other federal programs.

22. Teacher Qualifications • Highly Qualified: In Wisconsin a highly qualified teacher is defined as one who meets all of the requirements of PI 34 (the teacher licensing rule) for the subjects and levels that he/she is teaching. • All teachers need to be highly qualified regardless of school status; • Title I teachers need to have certification as a reading teacher or specialist if they are teaching reading;

23. Paraprofessional Requirements • Paraprofessionals—Any paraprofessional hired after the date the NCLB law was enacted and working in a Title I supported program must have • completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education, • obtained at least an associate degree, or • met a rigorous standard of quality and be able to demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to assist in instruction in reading, writing or mathematics, or reading, writing, or math readiness. • Paraprofessionals providing instruction need to be highly qualified and under the close supervision of a highly qualified teacher.

24. Teacher and Paraprofessional Requirements by Program Type • Targeted Assistance Schools: • All Title I funds, including those used to hire teachers and paraprofessionals, must be focused on serving the children identified with an academic need in a specific core subject. • Schoolwide Programs: • Allows for more flexibility in how funds are used for personnel staffing.

25. Parent Involvement • Parent Involvement is required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. • Parent compacts and a district and school parent involvement policy is required; • ESEA requires an annual evaluation of the district’s parent involvement. • Parents, including those of private school students and homeless students, are to be a very active participant in the planning, student achievement and assessment activities. • Districts and schools should review their parent involvement policy annually.

26. Good Question! • Monitoring • For an LEA, what are some of the positive benefits of monitoring? • Teacher & Para Requirements/Qualifications • Can a teacher who has an emergency license from DPI supervise a paraprofessional in Title I? • Parent Involvement • What are some successes you’ve experienced in involving parents? • Discussion with larger group will begin in 10 minutes.

27. Timeline

28. Resources • Student Assessment and Identification: • Wisconsin Title I Guidelines • Schoolwide and Targeted Assistance brochures (DPI Pubs) • Parent Involvement: • Beyond the Bake Sale • CREATE • DPI Community Learning and Partnership Team • Parents Plus • School, Family and Community Partnerships, Joyce Epstein • What Works Clearing House

29. Resources • Private School Consultation • DPI Bulletin 03.01 Private School Student and Educator Participation in ESEA/NCLB • Highly Qualified Teachers • DPI Bulletin 02.04 ESEA Provision for Highly Qualified Teachers • Paraprofessionals • DPI Bulletin 03.02 Paraprofessional Requirements: Frequently Asked Questions • DPI Bulletin 02.03 Requirements for Paraprofessionals

30. Resources • Wisconsin Title I Guidelines • Wisconsin State Reading Association • Wisconsin Title I Association

31. Closure Turn and share with your small group: Discuss two new things you learned today or best practices you may incorporate into your Title I practice.