Title I Update 2010-11

Purpose of Title I - Title I funds are designated to be used to provide an enriched and accelerated educational program at eligible schools in order to help students master the challenging state content and performance standards and to help ensure high standards for all students.

• The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) enacted several changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The following is a summary of the changes outlined in the book, The New Title I: The changing Landscape of Accountability by: Kristen Tosh Cowan, Esq.
• Standards and Assessments -Annually, states must administer assessments in math and reading/language arts for all students in grades 3-8
• Accountability and Adequate Yearly Progress - Each state's accountability system must ensure that all students make adequate yearly progress (AYP) and reach the "proficient" level of achievement within the 12 years of enactment of the law (this is, by the 2013-2014 school year).
• School and LEA Improvement, Corrective Action and Restructuring –

1. An LEA must identify a school for improvement if the school has failed to make AYP for two consecutive years. All students within the school must be given an opportunity to transfer to a non-failing school within the LEA. However, the lowest-achieving students from low-income families must be given preference for such things as first choice of alternative schools and transportation funding.
2. If the school fails to make AYP for three consecutive years, the LEA must arrange for eligible students (who must be low-income) to receive supplemental educational services. The LEA is also required to use up to an amount equal to 20 percent of its Title I, Part A allocation for the provision of supplemental services and transportation in the school choice program.
3. If a school fails to make AYP for four consecutive years, then the LEA must impose at least one of the corrective actions outlined in the statute.
4. After five consecutive years of failure, the LEA must develop a plan for restructuring the school.
5. If the school fails for a sixth year, the plan for alternative governance must be implemented.

• Funding Allocations – NCLB requires that a district rank all public schools in order of poverty (highest to lowest), determine which schools are eligible, and serve those schools strictly in rank order.
• Program Design – Schoolwide programs continue to be the cornerstone of reform in the Title I program. Under NCLB, the primary change to schoowide programs is that the poverty threshold for eligibility to operate schoolwide program drops to 40 percent.
• Professional Staff Qualifications – NCLB sets significant new rules on the minimum qualifications for teachers and paraprofessionals. Teachers of "core academic subjects" must be "highly qualified," which means that the teacher has passed the state certification or licensing exam and holds a bachelor's degree. In addition, NCLB requires the teacher to pass a formal assessment or state evaluation or have done major coursework in certain subject areas, depending on if the teacher is "new" or "not new" and what grade level is taught. All teachers working in schools receiving Title I funds must meet "highly qualified" requirements. Paraprofessionals must either have completed two years of higher education, earned an associate's degree or met a rigorous standard of quality and passed a formal state or local assessment. All instructional paraprofessionals working in schools receiving Title I funds must meet "highly qualified" requirements.
• Parental Involvement – The traditional Title I parental involvement programs continue without major changes, as is the requirement for school-parent compacts. SEAs and LEAs must give parents information about the achievement of their children and the performance of their schools, and the information must be provided in a form that parents can easily understand.
• Equitable Service to Private school Students – LEAs must provide equitable Title I services to eligible private school students. LEAs must annually consult with nonpublic school officials and nonpublic officials must sign a certification indicating such consultation occurred.
• Fiscal Requirements – The three central fiscal requirements of Title I – supplement not supplant, maintenance of effort, and comparability – are unchanged in NCLB.
• Administration and Planning – An SEA is authorized to use up to 1 percent of its Title I allocation for state administration. For school improvement activities, the SEA must retain 2 percent of its grant for the first two years of the authorization (then 4 percent in later years). However, the SEA must distribute 95 percent of those funds to LEA's.
• Flexibility – NCLB continues to authorize flexibility through waivers, consolidated applications, consolidated administration and schoolwide programs. NCLB also authorizes two new flexibility provisions for states and districts. Transferability authority is available to all SEAs and nearly all LEAs to permit agencies to move up to 50 percent of funds from one major formula grant program to another. Funds may be moved into, but not out of, Title I, Part A.
• Charter Schools – In general, charter schools are subject to the same NCLB requirements as other public schools. In particular, they are subject to the same accountability requirements, including sanctions for poor performance. To learn more information about the requirements of charter schools visit the NCLB website.

Visit this link to find out more information about NCLB and Title I www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov

Manchester City Schools Title I Schoolwide Schools

Westwood Elementary, College Street Elementary and Westwood Junior High have been designated as Schoolwide Title I schools for the 2009-10 school year and will be providing instruction in the content area of reading.

Parent Involvement

Title I supports a strong parent involvement component and ongoing parent activities will be offered throughout the year as Title I perceives the parent as an active and involved participant in the child's learning. We welcome your support and suggestions as we strive to meet the academic needs of all the students enrolled in our district. If you would like to be a parent volunteer at your child's school, please contact the principal.

College Street Elementary -

Dr. Lisa Yates, principal

931-728-2805

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Westwood Elementary

Sandra Morris, principal

931-728-3412

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Westwood Junior High

Dana Morris, principal

931-728-2071

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If you have questions concerning Title I contact:

Anita Brewer, Director of Title I

Manchester City Schools

931-723-4704

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