West Virginia Department of Education
Guidance Document for the Creation and Use of the West Virginia
Percent Needy Report
September 2014
Background
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) provides public data on the socioeconomic
status of children in West Virginia annually through the production of the West Virginia Percent
Needy Report. This report is generated using school enrollment data and National School
Breakfast and Lunch Program data collected through the West Virginia Education Information
System (WVEIS). The West Virginia Percent Needy Report is the state’s official public reporting
of the percent of economically needy children by public school and school district which is used
to determine school level Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I, Part A funding
allocations. It is based on certified data collections made on the first day of October for each
school year.
While the West Virginia Percent Needy Report is the WVDE’s official annual report of
socioeconomic status by public school and school district, other reports are generated and
shared with school district personnel who manage the National School Breakfast and Lunch
Program. These reports may present different results for number and percentage of
economically needy students by public school and school district because of the difference in
data collection dates. This guidance will explain the calculations and intended uses for the
West Virginia Percent Needy Report as well as the additional report that is generated for use by
the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.
West Virginia Percent Needy Report
The West Virginia Percent Needy Report utilizes various data elements collected annually through the
October 1 Certified Student Data Collections (or through other collections where specified).
Various sets of data elements are used to calculate specific information for schools that
administer one of the following United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National
School Breakfast and Lunch Program (NSBLP):
 A Traditional National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (NSBLP) utilizes family income forms
collected by the school food authority (SFA) to determine which students will receive free or
reduced price meals. These schools are referred to as “Non-CEP” in the following data tables.
 A National School Breakfast and Lunch Program under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
provides free breakfast and lunch to all students. USDA reimbursement is determined based on the
number of students identified, by the school food authority (SFA), to receive free meals without an
income application. These schools are referred to as “CEP” in the following data tables.
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The following data elements are used to calculate specific information for each type of NSBLP as follows:
Data Elements
Data Source
School CEP Status
# of students enrolled
# of students receiving free and
reduced price meals
# of identified students (direct
certification)
USDA Approved CEP multiplier
(currently 1.6)
Child Nutrition CEP Approval – June 30
2nd Month Certified Collection –
October 1
2nd Month Certified Collection –
October 1
Child Nutrition Identified Students –
October 1
USDA Guidance for CEP (subject to
change annually) – June 30
Included for
Non-CEP
Schools
Yes
Yes
Included for
CEP Schools
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
The following sample demonstrates how these data elements are used to generate the report:
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CEP: Percent of Identified
Students Used to Determine
Title I Rank for Schools at
100% Needy 3
8
Percent Needy Used to Rank
Schools for Within District
Allocations 2
7
NSBLP Count Used to
Calculate Within District
Title I Allocations 1
(must be ≤ Enrollment)
6
CEP: Application of USDA
Approved Multiplier
5
CEP: Number of Identified
Student
4
Non-CEP: Number of Free &
Reduced Price Students
3
Enrollment
Presidential
School District
Schools
2
Community Eligibility
Provision(CEP) Status
1
Lincoln
Y
425
N/A
400
1.6
425
100%
94%
Washington
Y
500
N/A
297
1.6
475
95%
N/A
Adams
Y
600
N/A
350
1.6
560
93%
N/A
Jefferson
N
450
400
N/A
N/A
400
89%
N/A
Madison
N
400
200
N/A
N/A
200
50%
N/A
Monroe
N
500
100
N/A
N/A
100
20%
N/A
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NSBLP Count for a Non-CEP school is equal to column 4. NSBLP Count for CEP schools is equal to the
lesser of (a) column 5 X column 6 or (b) column 3; the NSBLP number may not exceed the school’s total
enrollment.
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Percent Needy equals column 7 / column 3.
3
CEP: Percent of Identified Students equals column 5 / column 3. The NSBLP count must be ≤ the # of
students enrolled. This may cause one or more CEP schools to have 100% needy. If this occurs, the LEA
may provide equal per pupil Title I allocations to each school with 100% needy or the LEA may use the
actual Percent of Identified Students (column 9) to rank the CEP schools with 100% needy and allocate
per pupil amounts accordingly.
The Percent Needy data for all West Virginia public schools is compiled into the following two distinct
reports:
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West Virginia Percent Needy Report Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve – The Percent Needy
calculations in this report are used for the purposes of determining school Title I rankings within each
district and to calculate each Title I school allocation. The timeline for this report is intended to provide
information to determine staffing needs for the following school year in time to meet the state
deadlines for personnel transfers and reductions in force (RIF).
Pre-kindergarten enrollment is removed from this process because of the manner in which many prekindergarten collaborative program students are enrolled into the WVEIS data base. These students are
typically all enrolled into one public elementary school within the district which does not accurately
represent the residential attendance areas in which the students live or where they are actually
receiving educational services. Because Title I allocation processes are calculated by attendance areas,
the pre-kindergarten enrollment data is eliminated from this report so that the Percent Needy by
attendance area is not misrepresented when determining Title I eligibility and calculating school
allocations.
West Virginia Percent Needy Report All Grades – The Percent Needy calculations in this report are
used for the purposes of determining school-wide socioeconomic status for school and grade level
demographic reporting. The information in this report includes all students enrolled in each West
Virginia public school and can be utilized for a variety of purposes.
National School Breakfast and Lunch Program Community Eligibility
Provision Report Based on April 1 Enrollment and Direct Certified Data
On April 1 of each year, the WVDE Office of Child Nutrition provides each district Child Nutrition Director
with a report of the Identified Student Percentage and the CEP school claiming percentage. Districts
utilize this information to determine which schools in the district will participate in the Community
Eligibility Provision for the following school year. The deadline for this decision is June 30 of each year.
For this report, each school’s eligible meal reimbursement percentage will be calculated as follows:
1. Uses data results for current school enrollment (collected on April 1) and Identified Students
(collected on April 1). Identified students are students that are eligible to receive free meals
WITHOUT completing an income application. These eligibility reasons include directly certified (DC)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, DC Temporary Aid to Needy Families, DC Foster,
Homeless, Migrant, Runaway, Head Start, and Residential Child Care Institution.
2. Uses the following formula to calculate the eligible meal reimbursement percentage by school –
Step 1: # of Identified Students / # of students enrolled = Identified Student Percentage (ISP)
Step 2: Identified Student Percentage *1.6 (USDA approved multiplier) = % needy
Note: The 1.6 USDA approved multiplier is subject to change based on regulatory changes in the
Community Eligibility Provision.
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Example:
Step 1: 40 Identified Students / 80 students enrolled = 50% ISP
Step 2: 50% ISP *1.6 (USDA approved multiplier) = (80% needy)
3. Includes this calculation in a report distributed by the WVDE Office of Child Nutrition to district Child
Nutrition Directors which includes the following data elements – District Name, School Name,
Number of Enrolled Students, Number of Identified Student, and Identified Student Percentage.
For more information on these reports, contact the following:
Data Accuracy and Calculation Issues with the West Virginia Percent Needy Report –
Randall Kirk, Executive Director - Office of Information Systems and Data Analysis
rnkirk@k12.wv.us
304-558-8869
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I Issues –
Melanie Purkey, Executive Director – Office of Federal Programs
mpurkey@k12.wv.us
304-558-7805
USDE Guidance on CEP and Selected Requirements of Title I, Part A (ESEA) – January 2014
http://wvde.state.wv.us/federal-programs/faqs.html
National School Breakfast and Lunch Program Issues –
Richard Goff, Executive Director – Office of Child Nutrition
rjgoff@k12.wv.us
304-558-2709
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