Maximizing Flexibility in the Administration of Federal Grants

1. Maximizing Flexibility in the Administration of Federal Grants July 17, 2013

2. Overview Purpose of Title I, Part A Refresher on Schoolwide Programs Use of Funds for Implementation of College and Career Ready Standards Questions

3. Title I, Part A • Title I, Part A (Title I) • Provides Supplemental Federal funds to ensure all students have fair, equal, and significant opportunities to obtain a high-quality education and reach at minimum proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. • Focused on improving the academic achievement of low-achieving students in schools with high concentrations of children from low-income families and is governed by statuary and regulatory requirements of Title I, Part A of ESEA.

4. Fast Facts on Title I • Was initiated in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty. • Serves more than 18 million students nationwide. • Serves students Pre-K through 12th grade. • Is the single largest pre-college Federal education program with over $14 billion allocated in recent years. • In 2010-2011 school year, there were 66,646 schools receiving Title I funds, 48,900 of which operated schoolwide programs.

5. results for students The highest high school graduation rate in decades

6. results for students 1.1 Million fewer students attending dropout factories

7. Our unfinished task: Many low-income students fail to complete high school

8. Our unfinished task: Disparities in high school graduation

9. Our unfinished task: Only 29% of low-income students go to college

10. Our unfinished task: Only 9% of low-income students complete college

11. Improving Basic Title I Program Operated by An LEA • Title I is a distinct Federal program with specific purposes. • Program flexibilities contribute to opportunity for partnership with SEAs, LEAs, and schools. • These flexibilities generally apply regardless of whether an SEA has received ESEA flexibility.

12. Two Types of Title I Programs • Targeted Assistance • Supplemental education services to eligible students with the greatest need. • Schoolwide • Comprehensive program designed to upgrade the entire educational program in order to improve achievement of the lowest-achieving students. • a school with poverty percentage of 40% or more.

13. Schoolwide Programs • A Schoolwide Program: • Maximizes flexibility in using Federal funds. • Serves as a vehicle for whole-school reform with focus on improving achievement of lowest-achieving students. • Allows for easier leveraging of non-Federal and Federal funds to work together to improve educational performance of the entire school. • Addresses student needs through a schoolwide plan based on a comprehensive needs assessment.

14. 10 Components • Comprehensive needs assessment of entire school • Comprehensive schoolwide plan • Incorporates whole school reform strategies that-- • Strengthen the core academic program • Increase the amount of quality learning time to help provide enriched and accelerated curriculum • Meet the needs of historically underserved students • Provide services the meet the needs of low-achieving students • Focuses on ensuring Highly Qualified Teachers in schools • Incorporates high-quality ongoing professional development • Identifies strategies to attract Highly Qualified Teachers

15. 10 Components Cont’D • Incorporates parent engagement strategies • Assists pre-school children transition to elementary school • Includes teachers in Data-Driven Decision-making • Provides low-achieving students with effective, timely additional assistance • Focuses on the coordination and integration of funds • Annual evaluation, with revisions as necessary

16. Importance of the Needs Assessment • Title I, Part A funds may be used for any activity that supports the needs of students, particularly the lowest-achieving students, in the school that are identified through a comprehensive needs assessment and included in the schoolwide plan.

17. Asking the Right Questions Will the proposed use of funds: • Drive results for students who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet State academic achievement standards? • Increase educators’ long-term capacity to improve results for Title I students? • Accelerate reform andadvance SEA, LEA, or participating Title I school improvement objectives and reform goals? • Foster continuous improvement and include approaches tomeasure and track implementation and results and create feedback loops to modify or discontinue strategies that evidence indicates are ineffective in improving achievement of Title I students?

18. Key Requirements • Supplement not Supplant. Federal funds must supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds. Supplement not supplant applies differently in different programs; within Title I, it applies differently in a schoolwide vs. a targeted assistance school. • Necessary and Reasonable. Federal funds must support activities that are necessary and reasonable to accomplish the federal program’s purpose.

19. College- and Career-Ready (CCR) Standards and Assessments

20. A WORD OF CAUTION… The examples in this presentation illustrate ways that Title I funds may be used by SEAs and LEAs to support key areas of reform in a schoolwide program. Because they are merely examples, however, they do not take into account the specific context in which these funds would be used at the State or local levels. Thus, an SEA, LEA or school should ensure that such use is consistent with relevant programmatic requirements.

21. Use of Funds • SEAs may: • Develop standards and assessments for all students • (Title I/Consolidated ESEA State administrative funds). • Provide professional development to implement CCR standards and assessments (ESEA Section 6111 – State assessment funds).

22. Use of Funds • SEAs may: • Provide technical assistance to low-performing schools and LEAs. • Use the school improvement reservation for their State system of support and establish eligibility criteria to determine the schools that receive this support and the amount of funds.

23. Use of Funds • LEAs may: • Prepare low-achieving students to participate successfully in advanced coursework aligned with CCR standards. • Provide intensive summer programs to low-achieving high school students to prepare them to take advanced classes. • Ensure the educational needs of low-achieving students in highest- poverty schools are met.

24. Use of Funds LEAs may: • Provide educators with professional development, and materials and supplies, to implement the schoolwide plan. • Hire outside data experts to work with the staff of Title I schools to build their capacity to analyze student data more effectively to improve instruction and identify appropriate academic interventions. • Hire mathematics and reading coaches to work with teachers where the data indicate a need for improved instruction or to help science teachers in a Title I school operating a schoolwide program to implement interdisciplinary strategies to promote literacy across the curriculum.

25. Use of Funds Title I schoolwide schools may: • Increase participation of low-achieving students in advanced coursework. • Provide intensive summer school classes for low-achieving students, including high school students to prepare them for the rigor of taking advanced courses. • Provide afterschool tutoring. • Develop and use formative and interim assessments to track progress of low-achieving students and train teachers in their use. • Purchase or develop supplemental instructional materials aimed at improving achievement of low-achieving students, including Student with Disabilities and English Learners.

26. Use of Funds Title I schoolwide schools may: • Conduct needs assessments • Upgrade the curriculum for the entire school • Implement an early warning system to identify low-achieving students or students at risk of dropping out • Extend the school day or school year • Reorganize class schedules to increase teacher planning time • Revamp the school’s discipline process to improve achievement of low-achieving students • Hire additional teachers to serve Title I students • Hire specialist to coach teachers in how to better serve low-achieving students

27. Use of Funds Title I schoolwide schools may: • Reorganize classes to promote personalized learning for low-achieving students • Implement career academies to assist low-performing students prepare for college and careers • Implement school safety programs to improve the achievement of low-achieving students • Provide professional development to ensure effective teachers and leaders to serve low-achieving students • Engage in activities to improve school climate designed to improve the achievement of low-achieving students

28. Use of Funds Turning Around Low-Achieving Title I Schools. Implementing rigorous interventions to turn around low-achieving schools • Assessing strengths and weaknesses of school leaders, teachers, and other school staff • Recruiting principals • Screening and identifying external partners • Multipronged strategies for changing school’s culture and improving teaching and learning

29. Discussion