What is Title I and How Can I be Involved?

Annual Parent MeetingSummersville Grade School

February 24, 2014

Definition of Title I

• Title I provides federal funding to schools to help students who are low achieving or at most risk of falling behind.

• Title I is allocated to schools based on the percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch.

• Schools with a percentage of at least 40% are eligible for a schoolwide program.

Summersville Grade School operates a

Schoolwide Title I Program.

Schoolwide means …

• The school uses Title I funds to upgrade the entire educational program of the school.

• Title I funds are used to serve all children in order to raise academic achievement.

• Title I funds will be used to provide additional assistance to all students who experience difficulties in meeting the state’s performance targets.

To be a “Schoolwide” School …

• The school must have a free/reduced lunch count of at least 40%.

• The school must collect and analyze data that affects student achievement.

• The school must develop a comprehensive site plan and annually review the effectiveness of the plan.

Summersville Grade School’sSchoolwide Title I Program

Planning Team• Mark Zahm, Superintendent• Farrah Hudson, Reading Recovery/Title I

Teacher/Parent• Monica Maxey, Special Educator/Parent• Murisa Anderson, Language Arts Teacher/Parent• Carolyn Clark, Administrative Assistant• Susan Gieselman, School Nurse/Librarian• Chelsea Heck, Parent Liaison

Summary

The following reform strategies included in ourSchoolwide Title I program address the varied needsand learning styles of our student population:• Title I Reading Program• Reading Recovery• Reading Plus Computer Program• Lexia Computer Program• Scott Foresman My Sidewalks Reading Intervention• Decreased Class Sizes

Focus Goals for 2013-2014

• Full time Title I teacher aide• Portion of a salary for an extra teacher in the

lower grades• Accelerated Reader Program• Homeless students• Increase computer involvement • Professional development • Kindergarten monitoring

Curriculum and Instructional Strategies

• Lower grades– Kindergarten monitoring twice a year– Focus on students reading at grade level by 3rd

grade– Increased technology – Increased one to one instruction

• Upper grades– One to one laptops– Chrome book instruction– Increased one to one tutoring

Professional Development Opportunities

• Mt. Vernon Teacher Conference• Illinois Reading Recovery Conference• Regional Office of Education Classes and

Workshops• Title I/NCLB Conference

Academic Assessment Summersville Grade School will continue to

set challenging academic standards in order to promote the optimal academic achievement for each child. Summersville Grade School has a leadership team consisting of parents, administrators, and teachers. The purpose of this team is to plan for instruction through ongoing evaluation of the academic program. The utilization of specific components of the needs assessment helps to guide academic assessment decisions.

Parents, teachers and administrators are kept abreast of children’s academic progress through individual conferences, grade reports, and bi-annual reports to the Board of Education. The school improvement team also studies the results of the School Report Card, ISAT, AIMSWEB, and other prescriptive tests in order to determine future goals for annual school improvement.

Proficiency Levels

ISAT Data• 2012– 72% Meets and Exceeds Summersville– 59% Meets and Exceeds State of Illinois

• 2013– 69% Meets and Exceeds Summersville– 59% Meets and Exceeds State of Illinois

Title I Parent Notification Requirements

Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is one of our target areas for improvement. Through surveys and interviews with parents and community members, it has become apparent that there is a need for restructure in this area. In order to improve in this target area, Summersville Grade School will seek expansion and revision of the following opportunities for parental involvement.

Opportunities for Parental Involvement

• Open House• PTO/Booster Club• Parent/Teacher Conferences• Accelerated Reader Program• Parent/Grandparent/Community Volunteers• Book Fair• Community Career Speakers• Parent Mentoring Program

School-Parent Compact

All families should have received aPartners in Learning Compact to sign and return.

Parents who did not receive this compact mayobtain one from the school office.

Parent’s Right to Know – Student Achievement

Parents will be informed of their child’s progress through …• Quarterly Report Cards• ISAT Data Sheets • AIMSWEB Data (available at Parent/Teacher

Conferences)

Parent’s Right to Know – Non-Highly Qualified Teachers

• Schools are required to notify parents if their child has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher that is not highly qualified.

• Currently, all teachers within the district are highly qualified. In the past, it has been difficult to find highly qualified candidates for positions in Title I Reading and Special Education. In the future, strategies to manage this problem will be as follows:

Strategies to Attract Highly Qualified Teachers

• Post vacancies on the ISBE website.• Advertise vacancies in the local newspapers.• Explore ways to increase salaries and benefits.• Create a brochure describing the school and

its vision.• Offer quality mentoring programs for new

teachers.

How Can You Be Involved?

Parental Involvement Opportunities

• Open House• PTO/Booster Club• Parent/Teacher Conferences• Accelerated Reader Program• Parent/Grandparent/Community Volunteers• Book Fair• Community Career Speakers• Parent Mentoring Program

Parent Involvement in Decision Making

• Parents are invited to Title I needs assessment committee meetings.

• A yearly parent needs survey is sent home.

Right to Request Meetings

• Upon the request of parents, the school must provide opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children.

• The school must respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

Questions?

Contact Information

Mark Zahm, SuperintendentSummersville Grade School

1118 East Fairfield RoadMt. Vernon, IL 62864

mzahm@sgs79.org

618-244-8079