WHAT IS TITLE I ? SEAFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT ANNUAL PARENT MEETING October 7, 2010

TITLE I OVERVIEW Title I Schools in Seaford – Blades Elementary, Central Elementary, Frederick Douglass Elementary, West Seaford Elementary Seaford Middle School, Seaford Senior High School. All schools operate a school-wide program. Largest federally funded program supporting academically at risk students in public and private schools. Title I provides federal funding to school to help students who are low achieving or at most risk of falling behind. Based on the poverty level of a community. Schools use their Title I funds to improve the achievement of all students in their school.

HOW ARE FUNDS USED? School-wide programs allow for the education of all students in high poverty schools (over 40%) to be supported by Title I funds. Title I funds are spent on the strategies that are outlined in the school’s Success Plan, which is developed by school leadership, parents, and community members. The plan is developed by doing a comprehensive needs assessment for the school, selecting research-based strategies, and evaluating the results being obtained.

C URRICULUM All schools in the Seaford School District use Delaware Prioritized Curriculum to guide instruction. Delaware has recently adopted National Standards and will be transitioning to those over the next several years. At the elementary level the following programs are used and teachers and administration have aligned these programs to ensure coverage of the Prioritized Curriculum: Reading – Open Court Math – Math Trailblazers Science – Smithsonian SS – Delaware Adventure and trade books

C URRICULUM At the secondary level the programs vary to meet the needs of the student and the expectations of their courses. All courses are aligned with the Delaware Prioritized Curriculum.

A CADEMIC A SSESSMENTS Elementary: DIBELS – (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Math Universal Screener Math Formative Assessments District Developed Assessments DCAS Secondary: Unit/ Summative/Formative Assessments DCAS Statewide End of Course Assessments

P ROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS OF DCAS Original Model 84% must meet or exceed the standard in ELA 75% must meet or exceed the standard in Math Growth Model Target ELA Score = 237 Target Math Score = 201

P ARENTAL I NVOLVEMENT P OLICES The district parental involvement policy was developed last year with the input of parents. The goal is to provide measures and means to promote parental involvement. Each school is currently developing a school level policy, specific to that school. Parent input into the development of this policy is critical.

PARENT RIGHTS As a parent of a student attending a Title I school, you have the following rights: You can schedule regular meetings with your children’s teachers or school administrators. You can obtain information on the level of achievement of your child on each state academic assessment. You can obtain certain information on the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher and paraprofessional providing services to your child. You can file a complaint to the State of Delaware Department of Education if you believe we are violating Federal law or regulation. (delcode.delaware.gov/title14/c002/sc01/index.shtml)

D ISTRICT AND SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS Inform you about the rating of the school as determined each year by DDOE and why it received that rating. (Also see the District and School Profiles for more information: profiles.doe.k12.de.us) Inform you about programs occurring in the school that may benefit your child. Tell you if you have the opportunity to choice your child to a different school. Inform you if free after school tutoring is available for your child.

D ISTRICTS AND S CHOOL REQUIREMENTS Provide you with opportunities to be involved in school and district improvement efforts, including improvement planning. Provide timely notices to you if your child has been assigned to or taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified. Provide you with the school’s parental involvement policy and school/parent compact and post them on the school website. Make notifications in other languages for the parents of limited English proficient students, including how these parents can be involved, and how they can help their children achieve at high levels. Have an annual meeting where you can learn more about your rights and ask questions about Federal law and our programs.