What is Title I and How Can I be
Involved?
Annual Parent Meeting
Summersville 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’s
Schoolwide 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 our
Schoolwide Title I program address the varied needs
and 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
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•
•
•
•
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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 a
Partners in Learning Compact to sign and return.
Parents who did not receive this compact may
obtain 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
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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
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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, Superintendent
Summersville Grade School
1118 East Fairfield Road
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864
mzahm@sgs79.org
618-244-8079