Annual Title I Parent Meeting JTR Jamie Penoncello, Principal (6th )

Welcome to J. T. Reddick Eighth Street and J.T. Reddick combine to form Tift County Middle School. Mr. Jamie Penoncello is the principal of J.T. Reddick (6th grade) and Dr. Chad Stone(7th and 8th grade) is the principal of Eighth Street. I am excited about the opportunity to work with you this year. Eighth Street and J.T. Reddick are both considered Title 1 schools. The goal tonight is to better inform you about what this means for our stakeholders.

Who are we? There are approximately 550 students in the sixth grade. 47% Caucasian 34% African American 17% Hispanic 2% Asian American

Title One and J. T. Reddick Our goal is to work together to form a unified experience for all of our middle school students. We base our curriculum on the Georgia Standards of Excellence. Title One supports intervention programs, parent communication, and additional school resources.

Why Should I Know About Title I? Because it impacts our ability to best serve our kids. Title I can help: Children achieve more in school and feel better about themselves. Parents understand their children better. Parents can also have more say about their children’s education. A general slide about how parents and schools can work together to support parents Teachers benefit from the suggestions and support that parents offer and from the satisfaction of seeing children succeed.

How Title I Works Background info on how Title I works The federal government provides funding to states each year for Title I. To get 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 ways to measure progress. State educational agencies (SEAs) send the money to school districts based on the numbers of low- income families. This is determined by the Lunch Application Process. All students benefit from Title I programs. Background info on how Title I works ESM and JTR are considered Title 1 schools. 4

What are we spending our Title I funds on? Technology –Promethean Boards Reduced class size teachers Research based intervention programs for students Supplemental materials and books Parent Resource Liaisons (Dr. Pope) Professional Development (speakers, conferences)

A summary about what Title I Parental Involvement is all about. Your Title I program needs you to help: determine program goals plan and carry out programs evaluate programs work with your child at home- and even in school, as a teacher’s assistant or volunteer. The annual Title I meeting is the place to start -and you’re invited! It’s the perfect time to: learn more about Title I learn about your rights and responsibilities as a Title I parent learn about parenting skills workshops meet other parents and teachers begin a process of communication and cooperation between parents and schools. A summary about what Title I Parental Involvement is all about. Introduces Parent Involvement Policy and Compact The parent-school compact States the goals and responsibilities of both parents and schools. The parental involvement policy Helps parents understand and take part in the school’s efforts. 8

J. T. Reddick has Parent Involvement Policies J.T. Reddick has Parent Involvement Policies. Parent involvement policies detail how: We will involve parents in the process of school review and improvement We will provide assistance to parents to support and improve student academic achievement We will build the parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement to improve student academic achievement Tift County Middle School

Title 1 Parent Compact Tift County Middle School The Compact states the goals and responsibilities of students, parents and schools. Highlights of our Compact include: The responsibility of the school The responsibility of the parent The responsibility of the student The Compact is one way to help carry out the school’s policy. The Title 1 Parent Policy and the Title 1 Compact were distributed during the first week of school and are available tonight for you to review. Tift County Middle School Insert Highlights of the School-Parent Compact

J.T. Reddick Spring 2014 CCRPI Data CCRPI Score: 84.1 School Climate Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Reading: 98% of the students met or exceeded ELA: 94% of the students met or exceeded Math: 84% of the students met or exceeded Science:79% of the students met or exceeded Social Studies: 88% of the students met or exceeded Tift County Middle School Delete did or did not to appropriately reflect whether or not the school made AYP on the 2007 PSSA Insert School Improvement Status Made AYP, Warning, School Improvement I, School Improvement II, Corrective Action I, Corrective Action II If Making Progress, also list last year’s improvement status

School Improvement Plan JTR The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is the school’s roadmap. It details: Where the school is now (data) Where the school needs to go (goals) How the school will get there (plan) How the school will know if the plan is working (review and revise) Tift County Middle School

School Improvement Plan JTR participated in an extensive review in fall of 2014 to analyze student performance and the overall function of the school. JTR developed a School Improvement Plan to address particular areas of concern. Both schools have: Instructional Coaches in Literacy and Math Connections classes for all students Parent Liaison to serve all families Insert Process for parents to become involved in the SIP process.

Additional Rights In addition to the parental responsibilities of participating in the development of the Family Involvement Policy, School-Parent Compact, and School Improvement Plan, parents have additional Rights to Know.

Title I Budgets Set-asides at the district level Parental involvement, Professional development, School Choice/SES,… At the school level we provide: Parent Involvement Activities Parent Liaison Professional Development for classroom teachers Instructional materials for teachers

School and District Requirements Mandated funds set aside for each Title I school Parents must be involved in the discussions concerning how the funds are spent. (School Council) Schools must strive to build capacity of parents to help their students achieve at high standards.

Teacher And Paraprofessional Qualifications All teachers and instructional paraprofessionals had to be highly qualified by June, 2006. All Tift County Middle School teachers are Highly Qualified as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Teacher Qualifications Highly qualified teachers: State certified/ licensing examination and BA degree and For new teachers demonstrate knowledge-teaching skills and pass rigorous tests or For experienced teachers-rigorous test or state evaluations Discuss, generally, make-up of staff

Paraprofessional Qualifications To be highly qualified, instructional paraprofessionals must have: Completed two years of higher ed study, OR • Associates degree, OR • Formal assessment

Right to Know Qualifications You have the right to request the qualifications of your child’s teacher and any instructional paraprofessionals that work with your child. To learn the qualifications of these staff, make an appointment with the principal. You will be notified when your child is taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified in a core academic subject.

Your Title I Program Needs You! Learn about your local Title I program. Take advantage of what Title I has to offer. Get involved in your child’s education. Tift County Middle School Please contact Dr. Laura Pope at lpope@tiftschools.com for any questions regarding Title I. Her goal is to help you make informed decisions about your child’s education. 16