1. Title I, Part A and Section 31a At Risk 101
Office of Field Services
Title I, Part A 101
Welcome. This PowerPoint is a brief overview of the Title I, Part A targeted assistance program and program requirements. Several tools have been created to support someone new to Title I. These tools are part of the handouts for this presentation. One is called Director’s Manual-Title I, Part A Program, the next is Title I, Part A fund explanation and the last is the Targeted Assistance Program Plan Rubric. Please print these documents before preceding with this presentation.

2. Improving Basic Programs
Title I, Part A
Improving Basic Programs
Definition
Designed to help disadvantaged children meet high academic standards; to help children who are failing or most at risk of failing to meet the district’s core academic curriculum standards
What is Title I, Part A? It is a federally funded program – read definition. It is found as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) entitled No Child Left Behind, enacted in 2002.

3. Supplement vs. Supplant
A State educational agency or local educational agency shall use Federal funds received under this part only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be made available from non-Federal sources for the education of pupils participating in programs assisted under this part, and not to supplant such funds
[Title I, Part A Section 1120 A (b)]
One of the founding principles in Title I, Part A is supplement vs. supplant. Read slide.

4. Supplement, Not Supplant
Definition of Supplanting
Substituting or replacing funds from non-Federal sources (State/local) for existing or previously-existing instructional programs or non-instructional services
Substituting or replacing funds from other Federal/State funds required by law for specific categories of students (e.g., Special Education)
What does this mean? It means that federal funds, in this case Title I, Part A funds cannot take the place of district/general fund responsibilities or take the place of required programs i.e. special education.

5. Supplement, Not Supplant
State/local funds must be used for all activities that are the district’s responsibility
Read slide.

6. What is “District Responsibility”?
Defined as the requirements for operating a school under State and local laws/policy. This includes categories such as, but not limited to:
Basic education classroom teacher salaries
Support personnel salaries
Administrator salaries
Basic classroom supplies and materials
Operation and maintenance
Contractual agreements with unions
Transportation
Read slide

7. Supplement vs. Supplant
Supplementary
Title I, Part A: Extends Learning Time for Eligible Students
Title I, Part C: Services to Migrant Students
Title II, Part A: Professional Development/Class Size Reduction
Title III: Services to Limited English Proficient Students
Section 31a: Direct Support or Direct Instruction to Eligible Students
What are the supplementary services provided by these federal and state funds? Read slide.

8. Allocation District Allocation Process
Allocation formula for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) based on counts of low-income children (2008 census poverty estimates for allocations)
Allocation formula for Public School Academies (PSAs) based on October 2008 equated free lunch counts
Minimum of 10 low-income children based on the above criteria for district/academy to be eligible for allocation
First is allocation to the district. Read Slide, Handout: Explanation of grant funding sources

9. Targeted Assistance Definition
Targeted Assistance (TA)
Only students identified as failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the State’s challenging student performance standards
Who is served in a Title I, Part A targeted assistance program? Read slide.

10. TA Needs Assessment (required component)
Identify Eligible Children
Four core academic areas
Multiple, educationally-related criteria by:
Grade level
Content area
Preschool-Grade 2 selected solely on the basis of teacher judgment, interviews with parents and developmentally-appropriate measures
What do you do and what do you look for in a needs assessment to identify eligible children?

11. Targeted Assistance Eligibility (required component)
Needs Assessment
Consistent selection criteria used to identify students at each grade level in each content area (four core)
Focus the program for the current year
Head Start, Even Start, or Early Reading First Children – 2 years preceding
Migrant Children
Neglected/Delinquent Children
Homeless
The Needs Assessment can be thought of as a  two step process.  Step 1 uses achievement data from state and local assessments to identify eligible students.   This process identifies the specific students who are at risk of failing the core curriculum by grade level and content area. The criteria must be consistent across a grade but may be different for each grade level.  i.e. the achievement data and cut scores would be quite different to identify first graders for reading assistance from the achievement data and cut scores used for 4th graders. The eligible students are then rank ordered according to need. The purpose of the grade specific criteria and rank ordering is to prioritize services to reach the neediest students and provide a program of sufficient scope to make a difference in the achievement of the neediest students. Title I targeted assistance programs are focused on specific students with specific needs. Many students may be eligible but not necessarily served.
In Step 2, programs without sufficient funds to service all the grade spans and the four core areas can use the Needs Assessment results to focus the funds on a specific grade span and need area as long as other funds are used to provide support for the other areas.  If no other funding sources are available the Title I program can still focus its funds but the program must provide a “safety net” , some form of  supplemental service, for students in the Title I school that are not within the focused grade or subject  but still eligible for services.  The handout “ Director’s Manual-Title I, Part A Program”  gives you examples of types of assessments and can help you think through this process.
In step 1 you identified a pool of eligible students.  Each grade level must be made aware of the selection criteria used to identify the eligible students , develop their referral process using the same criteria and use the criteria with fidelity to refer students for services in the Title I,  Part A Targeted Program.  The criteria that causes the student to be eligible for the program is also the criteria to exit the program.  Remember since 1995 any student who is at risk of failing the core curriculum is eligible for services through out the year based upon the pre-established criteria  for referral set for each grade level.
In addition to the students identified by the achievement focused needs assessment and the previously referenced  teacher referral for pre-school –grade 2  , children who have been  in Head Start, Even Start, or Early Reading First - 2 years preceding entering kdg.  and Migrant Children, Neglected/Delinquent Children, and Homeless are all automatically eligible for services .

12. TA Incorporated into School Improvement Planning (SIP)
(required component)
The TA program plan contains a description on how program planning for Title I, Part A students is incorporated into the existing School Improvement planning process or
The TA program services are included with the SIP (interventions) to address the needs of eligible students
You have criteria in place and have established the focus of the program. Now, you must plan the services you will provide to meet the needs of eligible students . Title I ,Part A requires site based decision making involving a team of stakeholders; Title I staff, teachers, and parents of Title I eligible students must be part of the team to plan the program ,its implementation and evaluation. The extent of the services provided depends upon your Title I , Part A budget. A detailed description of the program that you put in place must be included in your School Improvement plan. It may be a separate program description or it may be included as a strategy/intervention in your action plans or SIP template. If it is included as an intervention it must be clearly identified as a Title I intervention to meet the needs of students at risk of failing the specific subject.

13. Instructional Strategies (required component)
A description of:
Services delivered in each academic area of core curriculum
Effective strategies for improving student achievement based on scientifically-based research on teaching and learning
Multiple strategies used during in-class instruction in all academic areas
Additional instructional time and/or opportunities given to identified students
The Title I plan description in the SIP will include Instructional strategies for all four core areas, be scientifically based, include strategies all students will experience and include additional, supplemental, strategies targeted to identified students. The description of the program and /or supplemental strategies must be detailed enough so that anyone reading your plan would know what Title I services are available for eligible students.

14. Title I/Regular Education Coordination (required component)
A description of ongoing coordination and integration between regular education and the TA program, including services for Limited English Proficiency, if applicable
A description of the transition plan for preschool-age children, if applicable
The School Improvement Plan must also include a description of how the Title I program coordinates its services with the regular program. Describe what is in place to allow or facilitate ongoing communication / coordination between classroom teachers and the Title I staff. If your program services Limited English Proficient students describe how their needs are integrated into the program.
All elementary level Targeted Assistance programs must include a description of the transition plan for preschool age children into Kindergarten.. It should describe the process in place for communication between the school and Headstart or other pre-school programs ,and the parents of preschool children who will attend Kdg. in the fall. It should include programs or services in place to aid in the transition into kdg. The plan must be more than a once a year visitation to kindergarten.

15. Instruction by Highly Qualified Staff (required component)
An assurance statement that all Title I, Part A instructional paraprofessionals meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements
An assurance statement that all teachers are highly qualified
NCLB requires all teachers to be highly qualified and all Title 1 INSTRUCTIONAL parapros to be highly qualified before they be employed in their respective jobs. As the slide states, make sure that within the Targeted Assistance School Improvement plan for this component that there is an assurance statement that (a) all Title 1 A paraprofessionals that provide INSTRUCTION to Title 1 eligible students meet the No Child Left Behind requirements for highly qualified, and (b) all teachers in the school meet the NCLB requirements for highly qualified. Consider also including in the plan a letter from central office assuring that all Title 1-A instructional paraprofessionals and all teachers are highly qualified.
NOTE: if the school does have any teachers that do not meet the highly qualified requirements then include in this section of the TA Plan the name/s of any staff that are not highly qualified and the date that they will achieve highly qualified status per the plan on file at the district office.

16. Ongoing Review of Eligible Student Progress
(required component)
Describes how progress of participating children is reviewed, on an ongoing basis, to revise the TA program to provide supplemental learning opportunities to enable such children to meet the State’s challenging student achievement standards
Describes how using the above to revise the TA program to provide training for teachers to identify students who need additional assistance or training on how to implement student achievement standards in the classroom
NCLB expects that the process the school uses to identify Title–eligible students will be ongoing such that students that are struggling to meet the State’s academic achievement standards are able to access supplemental learning opportunities on a timely basis or be dismissed when they attain the achievement standard. The process used by the school to identify students for Title 1 services must include an on-going review of the progress that Title 1 eligible students are making once they have been identified as eligible for services. The obtained results from the on-going assessments must be used to inform staff of continuing eligibility, the effectiveness of the prescribed services, whether or not teachers need training in how to identify students for services or to identify staff who need additional assistance or training on how to implement student achievement standards in the classroom.

17. Section 31a At Risk
"at-risk pupil" means a pupil for whom the district has documentation that the pupil meets….
For pupils in grades K-3, at-risk pupil also includes a pupil who is at risk of not meeting the district’s core academic curricular objectives in English language arts or mathematics.

18. Section 31a At Risk Allocation
Based on Oct 31 free lunch count and a formula in the School State Aid Act.

19. Section 31a At Risk
All services provided under Section 31a must be supplemental, support a comprehensive program that is based on the needs identified using the Student Eligibility Worksheets and focused on the overall goal of improving student academic achievement.
Supplemental is defined as services that are in addition to services provided to all students. Supplemental services cannot replace services required by State or Federal legislation or that have been funded with general funds in the prior year.

20. Section 31a At Risk
A district or public school academy shall not use any of that money for administrative costs or to supplant another program or other funds…no professional development or parent involvement costs.

21. Section 31a At Risk
The instruction or direct non-instructional services provided under this section may be conducted before or after regular school hours or by adding extra school days to the school year and may include, but are not limited to, tutorial services, early childhood programs to serve children 0 to 5, and reading programs as described in former section 32f as in effect for A tutorial method may be conducted with paraprofessionals working under the supervision of
a certificated teacher.

22. Eligibility Worksheets
Section 31a At Risk
Eligibility Worksheets
Preschool
K-3
4-12

23. Questions and Answers
Contact your regional Office of School Improvement consultant:
Region
Region
Region
Region
Region