Title I News

May 2024

Volume 8, Issue 5

"The unexamined life is not worth living.”

― Socrates

As we approach the end of another school year, it's natural to find ourselves reflecting. This year, you’ve likely faced challenges, celebrated victories and witnessed the profound impact of collective efforts on the lives of your students.

Introspection plays a crucial role in our professional and personal growth. By taking the time to reflect on our experiences, we gain valuable insights that shape our understanding of the present and guide our decisions for the future.

In our moments of introspection, let us celebrate the progress we've made and the lives we've touched. Let us also acknowledge the areas where we can do better and the lessons we've learned along the way. Each challenge we've overcome has strengthened our resolve, and each success has fueled our passion for serving our students.

Supplement-not-Supplant Methodology

When you work with federal programs, you hear the phrase “supplement, not supplant” a lot. In the Title I world, the term “supplement, not supplant (SNS) methodology” is referenced on a regular basis. But what is it, and who is required to have one?

Section 1118(b)(1) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that a district use the Title I, Part A funds it receives only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence of Title I, Part A funds, be made available from state and local sources for the education of students participating in a Title I program. To demonstrate compliance, ESSA 1118(b)(2) states that a district’s methodology must result in each Title I school receiving all the state and local funds it would otherwise receive if it were not receiving Title I, Part A funds—i.e., the methodology may not take into account a school’s Title I status. This distribution of funds is often referred to as “Title-I neutral.”

There are exemptions to a district’s requirement for a written supplement-not-supplant methodology. A district or an individual grade span does not need an SNS methodology to comply with ESSA 1118(b)(2) if it has—

• For the district as a whole, one school;
• For the district as a whole, only Title I schools; or
• For individual grade spans, a grade span that contains only:
  • A single school,
  • Only non-Title I schools, or
  • Only Title I schools

Although districts meeting these criteria do not need to have a written methodology to comply with ESSA 1118(b)(2), it does not relieve the district of its requirement under ESSA 1118(b)(1) and elsewhere to operate consistent with all federal, state and local requirements and to provide free public education, including for schools and grade spans meeting the conditions described above.

When monitoring, KDE staff will need to review the district’s written SNS methodology along with the data and real calculations that support it. That methodology should include:

• An account of the distribution of state and local funds, including staff, resources and services such as professional development, in a Title I- neutral manner, including all state and local funds that the district uses for the education of students;
• An account of the staffing and services allocations with real calculations and numbers to support it, which may be based on the staffing allocation districts already provided to KDE;
• An accompanying narrative to explain the funding and staffing distributions; and
• Supporting documentation. [See ESSA 1118(b).]

Review the U.S. Department of Education’s Supplement not Supplant Non-Regulatory Informational Document for more details.

A Principal's Perspective – Capturing Quality Feedback

This new section of the Title I Newsletter is dedicated to supporting and educating Title I principals. Here we will feature updates, insights and resources specifically tailored to principals at Title I schools, creating a welcoming and informative space for them to engage and receive timely direction related to their workload. Title I coordinators are welcome to share this content with principals, or even invite them to subscribe to the Title I Newsletter. Principals wishing to receive this newsletter directly may subscribe by emailing Erin Sudduth.

We’ve made it to the end of another school year. While wrap-up activities like testing and celebrations can be consuming, don’t neglect to use this time to gather comprehensive feedback from all stakeholders (teachers, parents, students, etc.) to assess the effectiveness of your school’s programming and parent and family engagement initiatives. Consider using a variety of strategies to capture quality feedback that will inform your planning for the upcoming school year. Some strategies may include:

• Ensuring clarity in the feedback forms that articulate specific questions related to school performance, teaching quality, parent support and overall satisfaction.
• Utilizing a mix of quantitative ratings and open-ended questions to gather both structured data and nuanced insight. Consider questions such as:
  • (for parents) How can the school improve communication and collaboration with families?
  • (for parents) Did you encounter any obstacles or difficulties in accessing services or participating in engagement activities? If yes, please explain.
  • (for parents) Were there any family engagement events that you particularly enjoyed or found helpful? If yes, please explain.
  • (for students) Did you feel like you got extra help when you needed it from the special programs and teachers who work with you?
  • (for students) Was there something fun you did this year with your family at school that you really liked? If yes, what was it?
  • (for teachers) How effective were the Title I programs in supporting student learning and achievement in your classroom?
  • (for teachers) Did you feel adequately supported in implementing Title I strategies and resources? If not, please explain.
• Encouraging anonymity to foster honesty and openness among respondents.
• Promoting participation through multiple channels, including online surveys, paper copies or even face-to-face interviews.
• Ensuring adequate response time and communication are given, including email or messaging app reminders, social media announcements, texts, phone calls, or any other methods of communication that are meaningful to the community and produce measurable results.

A variety of sample surveys for educators, families and students are available in the Cognia Continuous Improvement Platform (CIP) under Surveys. If you are not a current CIP user, contact your district’s CIP administrator to obtain rights to the platform.

For all evaluation activities, remember to maintain quality evidence such as survey results, methods of delivery, and detailed meeting minutes showing the review and consideration of the data. Demonstrate a commitment to action by sharing feedback summaries and outlining plans for addressing concerns and building on strengths, thereby fostering trust and engagement within the school community.

Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

Keeping up with multiple open projects at once can be challenging. We will continue to provide you with this chart to help you keep track of all projects and deadlines. Don’t forget to align your Grant Management Application and Planning (GMAP) application and MUNIS spending as needed. We recommend at least a quarterly alignment.

In This Issue

• New Resources from KDE
• KDE to Offer Statewide Federal Programs Training
• Evaluate Equitable Services for Effectiveness
• Supplement-not-Supplant Methodology
• A Principal’s Perspective: Capturing Quality Feedback
• Coordinator’s Year at a Glance
• Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

KDE to Offer Statewide Federal Programs Training

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is pleased to offer a virtual statewide federal programs training at no cost to school districts on June 3-4. The same content will be offered both days.

The training will highlight upcoming changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, fiscal requirements and other topics of importance for district federal program administrators.

The training will be provided by The Bruman Group (formerly Brustein & Manasevit), a legal firm that is nationally recognized for its federal grants management and education regulatory and legislative practice.

The training will benefit district staff who are responsible for the oversight and administration of federal education programs and compliance with legal requirements. We strongly encourage the district superintendent, finance officer and federal programs coordinator to attend.

To register for this training, please complete the online registration form. An agenda and link to join the training will be sent in advance of the meeting.

For more information, email Leslie Bridges or call her at 502-564-3791 Ext. 4040.

New Resources: Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Compact Templates

Templates for the district and school level parent and family engagement policies and the school-family compact are now available on the Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage.

Although districts and Title I schools are not required to use the templates created by KDE, the documents were designed to help ensure all information required under ESSA is included.

A frequently asked questions document was also created to support districts and schools in using the templates.

An in-depth review of the new resources was provided in the April webinar.

Evaluate Equitable Services for Effectiveness

Before you begin planning next year’s private school equitable services, an evaluation of this year’s services will be helpful in determining effectiveness of the Title I program within the private school.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) 1117(b)(1)(D) includes “how the equitable services will be academically assessed and how the results of that assessment will be used to improve those services,” as one of the required topics to be discussed during consultation with the private school.

Collect and analyze academic performance data from the private schools served, including standardized test scores, formative assessments and other relevant metrics, to assess the impact of Title I, Part A services on participating students. It may also be beneficial to survey teachers or other administrators at the private school, as well as parents of participating students, to assess the effectiveness of the services provided.

This will help inform decisions for the upcoming school year as you work in consultation with participating private schools to determine needs and identify how funds can be used effectively to address those needs.

Coordinator's Year at a Glance – Suggested Tasks for May – July 

-Meet with district financial staff to reconcile fiscal issues prior to the end-of-year closeout.

-Determine roles and responsibilities of appropriate local education agency (LEA) representatives to determine comparability requirements.

-Gather data on private school services and evaluate programs for the upcoming year.

-Use the final FY2024 allocation and the 2024-2025 hold harmless percentage to estimate next year’s allocation and work with schools to begin planning next year’s program.

-Review and update district parent and family engagement policy based on data (e.g., evaluations), as needed.

-Review and update school parent and family engagement policy based on data (e.g., evaluations), jointly with parents, as needed.

-Review and update school–family compact, jointly with parents, as needed.

Monthly Title I Webinar

The April webinar and accompanying PowerPoint are available on the Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage. During the webinar, information centered around KDE’s new parent and family engagement policy and compact templates.

The May webinar will be held at 10 a.m. ET May 30. 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.

We are keeping the webinar feedback survey open so you can continue to submit comments, ideas and questions.

The Title I Monthly Webinar Feedback 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.

CONTACTS

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