Title I, Part A Improving Basic Programs Program Requirements and Guidelines Sheldon ISD

Public Law The Title I, Part A, Program (Improving Basic Programs) was authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.

Purpose

The purpose of the Title I, Part A, Program is to ensure that all children, particularly low- achieving children in the highest-poverty schools, have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

Purpose The purpose shall be accomplished by: Providing children an enriched and accelerated educational program; Promoting schoolwide reform and ensuring access for children (from the earliest grades) to effective instructional strategies and challenging academic content; Significantly upgrading the quality of instruction; Affording parents meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at home and at school

Title I Eligibility

Children eligible for free and/or reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Act.

Title I Eligibility Children eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program; or A composite of any of the above measures. The school district must use the same measure of poverty to: Identify eligible school attendance areas; Determine the ranking of each attendance area; and Determine campus allocations

Title 1 Eligibility Campuses with a low-income percentage of 35-40% are considered a “targeted assistance” campus. Sheldon’s percentage is 83%.

Schoolwide Campus All students enrolled in a schoolwide campus are eligible for Title I, Part A, services.

Campus Allocations Funds are allocated to each Title I eligible school served by multiplying a per-pupil cost by the number of low- income students enrolled.

Qualifications of Teachers and Paraprofessionals

Section 1119 of NCLB states that school districts must ensure that all Title I, Part A, teachers and paraprofessionals (with instructional duties) hired in *core academic subjects are highly qualified. Principals must annually sign an attestation which verifies compliance with statute.

Qualifications of Teachers and Paraprofessionals The core academic areas as defined by NCLB are as follows: English Reading/Language Arts Mathematics Science Foreign languages Civics and government Economics Arts# History Geography #Includes theater arts, dance, music, and art

Qualifications of Teachers and Paraprofessionals Teachers must hold at least a bachelor’s degree, be fully certified in Texas, and demonstrate competency in the core academic subject area they are teaching. Paraprofessionals must have completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education, have obtained at least an associate’s degree, or have met a rigorous assessment in the core area for which they are performing instructional duties

Parental Involvement

All Title I, Part A, campuses must use at least 1% of its Title I allocation to implement parent involvement activities, including the promotion of family literacy and parenting skills. COW-Computer on Wheels located at the Parent Center at KMS.

Parental Involvement Convene an annual meeting to inform parents of their school’s participation in Title I and to explain the requirements and rights of parents (offer a flexible number of meetings, such as mornings and evenings). Involve parents in the planning and improvement of Title I programs. Provide parents timely information about Title I programs and activities, and a description of the curriculum and academic assessment used to measure student progress. Jointly develop with parents a school-parent compact that outlines the shared responsibility for improving the students’ academic achievement.

Contact Information Deidranna Seamster-Allen Title 1 Coordinator/Read180 Teacher H.M. Carroll Elementary School