Title I News - November 2020

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Title I News

 

November 2020

Volume 4, Issue 9

Social, Emotional and Academic Development Go Hand in Hand

The research is in and the results are clear: social, emotional and academic development are naturally intertwined and incorporating all three into academic lessons can improve student success.

Did you know that Title I, Part A funds can be used to provide mental health supports to all student populations? Of course, the need should be clearly supported and documented in the school’s needs assessment and follow allowability guidelines.

The National Association of School Psychologists provides an overview of comprehensive school mental and behavioral health services in The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)'s provisions, stating that:

“ESSA authorizes various funding streams (e.g., Title I, Title II and Title IV), including funds specifically reserved for schools identified for targeted support and improvement, to support state and district efforts to improve access to coordinated comprehensive school mental health services.”

Social Emotional and Behavioral Support Resources

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education resources webpage provides a wide range of tools for educators, students and families. Among these are Social Emotional and Behavioral Support resources, which can be utilized by state and district leaders, schools, educators, parents and families to support the well-being of students and educators as they confront the challenges of learning following natural disasters and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out "The Evidence Base for How We Learn: Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development" brief from The Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social, Emotional & Academic Development to learn more. The Aspen Institute's full report also is available.

Resources are not endorsed by the Kentucky Department of Education and are provided for informational purposes only.

Schoolwide Plan Evaluation

The Every Student Succeeds Act 1114(b)(3) states that the Schoolwide Plan (SWP) and its implementation shall be regularly monitored and revised as necessary based on student needs to ensure all students are provided with opportunities to meet Kentucky’s challenging academic standards and ensure continuous improvement. 34 CFR 200.26(c) explains that any revisions to the plan should be based on the results of the evaluation.

A school operating an SWP must:

  • Annually evaluate the implementation of, and results achieved by, the SWP using data from Kentucky’s annual assessments and other indicators of academic achievement. 200.26(c)(1);
  • Determine whether the SWP has been effective in increasing the achievement of students in meeting Kentucky’s academic standards, particularly for those students who had been the furthest from achieving the standards. 200.26(c)(2); and
  • Revise the plan, as necessary, based on the results of the evaluation, to ensure continuous improvement of students in the SWP. 200.26(c)(3)

For additional information regarding the Schoolwide Plan Evaluation, refer to the March Title I Webinar and March 1 Title I PowerPoint, which provides specific suggestions and examples on how to conduct an evaluation at the district/school level.

Suggested Equitable Services Activities from November to June

  • In accordance with state and local guidelines on COVID-19, schedule virtual visits by the local education agency supervisor to Title I classrooms and extend regular communications with private school teachers and officials about student progress and program compliance.
  • Assess student progress and evaluate program effectiveness. Determine criteria for making program modifications when annual progress is not achieved.
  • Conduct professional development and parent and family engagement activities. 34 C.F.R. 200.65

Helpful Tips from Districts – Social Emotional and Mental Health Supports

Jennifer Salyer, Title I Coordinator
Morgan County Public Schools

Morgan County Schools has placed an emphasis on the importance of social-emotional and mental health supports and has utilized several different funding streams to provide students and teachers with the materials needed to cope during times of stress, anxiety and emotional upheaval.

For more information on how Morgan County is funding and supporting the social-emotional development and mental health needs of students, you can contact Jennifer Salyer .

If your district would like to share practices for any Title I project management in any area, email Brenda Considine.

Resources are not endorsed by the Kentucky Department of Education and are provided for informational purposes only.

Monthly Title I Webinar

Title I monthly webinars are provided to share timely information with district coordinators. Topics are chosen each month to offer condensed information in a setting promoting feedback from district staff. 

We are keeping the webinar feedback survey open so you can continue to submit comments, ideas and questions. The Google survey can be accessed online. The survey is optional and responses are anonymous. The feedback will be used to help ensure the monthly webinars meet your needs.

The October Title I webinar and accompanying October Title 1 PowerPoint are available on the Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage. During the webinar, information centered around consolidated and desk monitoring, CARES Act/ESSER funds and resources.

The December webinar will be held at 10 a.m. ET Dec. 17. A reminder email will be sent before the webinar. We value your feedback and would like to learn more about what is helpful and what you would like to see more of in the monthly webinars.

GMAP Application Revisions

By now, with the first quarter of the school year underway, you may find that it has been necessary to make some changes in your spending plan that were not originally present in the approved application.

Budget entries in MUNIS should mirror the approved GMAP budget. KDE advises districts to work collaboratively with their finance officers to develop an appropriate budget that aligns with GMAP and to maintain alignment throughout the process of the grant cycle.

Title I, Part A application revisions may be made at any point during the year through the GMAP system. An application revision would be required when:

(1) Funds are reallocated;

(2) A district moves Title I, Part A funds, which causes a change in the amount of a district set-aside;

(3) A district moves Title I, Part A funds, which causes a change in the amount of a school allocation;

(4) A district makes significant changes in the types of Title I, Part A activities it will carry out. For example, if a district originally was approved to carry out professional learning activities but desires to change that to parent and family engagement activities; or

(5) There is misalignment between GMAP and MUNIS. It is highly recommended that districts develop a process to regularly align GMAP and MUNIS.

 

Title I Year at a Glance – November

The day-to-day activities and many hats you wear may make it hard to keep up with tasks in the Title I world, especially as this school year progresses differently from any other school year you have had.

As a reminder, the following activities should be taking place sometime this month:

- Collect signed Time and Effort records for staff who work on multiple cost objectives.

- Ensure Title I schools have created rank-ordered student selection lists of Title I students in Targeted Assistance School (TAS) programs.

- Ensure schools have documented the distribution of school-family compacts (e.g., copies of signed compacts, signatures of parents who have received the compact).

- Review and revise Schoolwide Program plan or TAS program plan, as needed.

- Monitor dissemination of Local Education Agency (LEA) parent and family engagement policy and school-parent and family engagement plans.

- Principals may submit requests to amend the school grant, as needed, to the district Title I coordinator. This request should follow district protocol for amending the grant.

- Title I schools with Targeted Assistance School must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment. This determines the focus areas of the Title I, Part A services.

A targeted assistance school must identify students who are failing or most at risk of failing to meet state standards. Those students with the greatest academic need in the identified focus areas are provided Title I, Part A services.

The school must keep on file a list of this ranking of individual students. Each school should keep this data on file. The district Title I coordinator should keep a copy of the school’s student ranking data. The Title I Handbook, pages 18-22, provides Targeted Assistance School Requirements.

 

New Consultant joins the Division of School and Program Improvement

We welcomed a new consultant, Laura Heslop, to the Kentucky Department of Education on Oct. 16.

Heslop will work with Title I, Part A, and Title V (Rural and Low-Income Schools) programs. She will begin transitioning into working with districts during the next few weeks. Heslop can be reached at (502) 892-6424, ext. 4057.

 

CONTACTS

Title I District Consultant List