Calhoun City Schools Our mission is to inspire ALL students to become lifelong learners in the pursuit of excellence.

Calhoun Primary School Annual Title I Meeting August 29, 2013 at 6:00 pm Welcome Introductions Principal- Beth Holcomb Assistant Principal- Mana Smith Academic Intervention Specialist- Hayley Gilreath Family Engagement Coordinator- Maria Garza Faculty and Staff Meeting Agenda Posted Sign In (sheets on table) Translation Please Note: We welcome questions and input throughout the presentation. We want to make sure you leave the meeting Informed about the Title I program as well as the opportunities the school provides to get involved.

What is Title I? Title I is the largest federal assistance program for our nation’s schools. Title I provides federal funds to public schools with high numbers or percentages of economically disadvantaged children to help ensure that all children meet the state’s challenging academic content and student achievement standards. Schools with 40% or more of children from low income families can develop school wide Title I programs to serve all students. Calhoun Primary School operates a school wide Title I program. The primary goal of the Title I is a high quality education for every child.

How Does Title I Work? The federal government provides funding to states each year for Title I. To receive the funds, each state must submit a plan describing what all children are expected to know and be able to do; the high quality standards of performance that all children are expected to meet and ways to measure progress. State Educational Agencies (SEAS) send the money to school districts based on the number of low income families. The local school district (LEA) identifies eligible schools and provide Title I resources. The Title I school (parents, teachers, school staff and administrators) set goals for improvement; measure student progress using standards set forth in the state Title I plan, develop programs that add to regular classroom instruction and involve parents in all aspects of the program.

Important, Required School Documents Parent Involvement Policy – available tonight to view; will be reviewed/revised by our PTO/School Governance Team; available on our website Stakeholder Compact – available tonight to view; will be reviewed/revised by our PTO/School Governance Team; available on our website School Improvement Plan – available tonight to review; will be the driving force of the work completed by our School Governance Team; available on our website School-Wide Plan – available tonight to view; will be reviewed/revised by our PTO/School Governance Team; available on our website Parent Survey – available tonight to view; will be reviewed/revised by our PTO/School Governance Team; available on our website

How are Title I Funds Allocated to Schools? The funding for this program is based upon the percentage of students who apply for and receive free or reduced school meals. It is therefore important to our system to give every family an opportunity to apply for a free or reduced school meals through each school’s school nutrition program. Every student is given a free or reduced meal application at the beginning of the school year and upon enrollment. Please take the time to complete this application if qualified when you receive it. This year the forms can be completed electronically. There is a link on our system website to access.

Title I Programs Generally Offer: smaller classes additional teachers and paraprofessionals additional training for school staff extra time for instruction a variety of teaching methods and materials counseling and mentoring career and college awareness

How are Title I Funds Utilized at Calhoun Primary School? Needs Based Assessment (conducted by school staff, school Leadership Team, PTO, School Governance) Additional faculty and staff Software Subscriptions (Reading Eggs and Learning A-Z) Instructional Supplies Technology (I pads and document cameras) Classroom Trade Books Supplies for Parent Workshops Books and Periodicals for Professional Development

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at CPS Common Core Curriculum Differentiated Instruction Small Group Instruction Student Engagement Workshop Model Special Services (EIP, ESOL, Discovery, SPED, etc.) Benchmarks/Progress Monitoring (AIMSweb, Leveled Reading Assessment, STAR, Writing Rubrics, pre/post tests) Data Analysis Student Learning Objective Academic Intervention Specialist Continuous Staff Development Career Explorations

School Improvement Goals (under revision) Student Achievement Goals 1. 80% of all students in kindergarten, first and second grade will meet or exceed the spring national norms on the final administration of AIMSweb in the domain of Reading. Kindergarten: Letter Sound Fluency (LSF) 39 or greater First Grade: Reading Fluency (RCBM) 67 WPM or greater Second Grade: Reading Fluency (RCBM) 106 WPM or greater 2. 80% of all students in kindergarten, first and second grade will meet or exceed the spring national norms on the final administration of AIMSweb in the domain of Math. Kindergarten: Quantity Discrimination 28 or higher First Grade: Math Computation 39 or higher Second Grade: Math Computation 40 or higher 3. 80% of all students in first and second grade will meet or exceed the spring national norms on the final administration of AIMSweb in the domain of Writing. First Grade: Total Words Written (TWW) 20 or higher Second Grade: Total Words Written (TWW) 32 or higher

School Improvement Goals (continued) Process Goals 1. Teachers will fully implement the new Common Core Curriculum (CCGPS) in English/Language Arts and Math. 2. In order to best support our ESOL population, resource classes will utilize differentiate instructional techniques to meet the needs of all learners. A push-in model will also be utilized to provide an alternative delivery model to qualifying students. 3. In order to best support our economically disadvantaged population, staff members will participate in on-going professional learning opportunities and activities that give insight into lives of those living in poverty. 4. Teachers working with special education students will strengthen their instructional skills and mode of delivery through intensive training in research based reading practices, co-teaching techniques, and subatizing.

Student Achievement Data CPS-Spring 2013 Students in grades K-2 scored at or above the national average in Reading Fluency as measured by AIMSweb. Students in grade K-2 scored at or above the national average in Quantity Discrimination (K) and Math Computation (1-2) as measured by AIMSweb. CPS received a score of 99.9 on our first CCRPI report and was ranked 12 th in the state.

Parent Involvement Districts that receive more than $500,000 in Title I funding have to set aside a minimum of 1% for parent involvement. Schools allocations of this set aside funding are used for parent involvement activities. Through the shared governance process parents have input into how these funds will be spent to meet the unique parent involvement needs of the school. Additionally, Title I provides for Supplemental Educational Services and Parental Choice options, when schools struggle to meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards. We are proud to note that all of our schools have met or exceeded Adequate Yearly Progress measures. As a result of this achievement, we are not required to offer Supplemental Educational Services or Parental Choice options.

No More AYP Title I schools have moved from a NCLB needs improvement (NI) status based on AYP to a Reward, Priority, Focus or Alert school status based on definitions provided by the US Department of Education. All content areas (reading, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) will now be measured. We want to assure students are ready to enter the 21 st century, college and career ready.

Parent Rights Under Title I Ask for meetings and trainings. Review the results of annual Parent Involvement Effectiveness Survey. Review the school’s achievement data. Review the School Improvement Plan. Review and have input on the Title I Parent Involvement Policy and Stakeholder Compact. To know the credentials of faculty/staff and HIQ status.

Parent Involvement Policy (school and system) Every Title I school, in collaboration with parents, must develop a parent involvement policy. The Parent Involvement Policy describes how the school will involve the parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and improvement of the Title I program at the school.

Stakeholder (Parent-School) Compact The school’s Stakeholder Compact describes the responsibilities of the school staff, the parent(s), and the student for improved student achievement. This document is developed in collaboration among parents, teachers and students and is updated periodically. This document is reviewed individually and signed off on during regularly scheduled parent conferences annually.

Staff Qualifications Parents have a right to know that their children are being taught by highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals. All of these individuals must be considered highly qualified by meeting rigorous standards. Including: Competency in subjects taught Passed state tests (Teachers/Paraprofessionals) Full certification College degree Please Note: We are proud to state that all faculty and staff members at Calhoun Primary are considered Highly Qualified.

How Does CPS Involve Our Parents? PTO and School Governance Team Meetings Committees Family Engagement Coordinator– Maria Garza Parent Resources located in Parent Resource Center (located in our main office area) Open Lines of Communication Between Home and School Volunteer Program Student Communication Folders Literacy Night “Lunch and Learns” – Parent Workshops Parent Conferences Fiesta of Learning School/System Website, Shoutpoint, Newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Questions Should you have any questions about the Title I program in your child’s school please contact one of the following individuals: Beth Holcomb- Principal Mana Smith- Assistant Principal Maria Garza- Family Engagement Coordinator Brittney Wilson - Director of Federal Programs Calhoun Primary School: Calhoun City Schools Board of Education: Website: calhounschools.org

Thank you for your support! With the CPS faculty & staff, students, and parents working together, we will accomplish great things for the future of Calhoun City and Gordon County!