Title I News

April 2025

Volume 9, Issue 4

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative."

― H.G. Wells

As we welcome the fresh energy of spring, we are reminded of nature’s remarkable ability to adapt and thrive. Just as plants and animals adjust to the changing seasons, we, too, must remain flexible in the face of the evolving landscape of education.

We must be prepared to continuously assess, adapt and grow in our efforts to support students and families. As we navigate the shifting demands of our work, let’s take inspiration from the resilience of nature and remain open to new approaches that can help us better serve our school communities.

Streamline Your Documentation

Whether using Title1Next™ or another system for housing documentation, consider developing a way to streamline pieces of documentation that could potentially contain personally identifiable information (PII).

For example, consider creating a contact log to track frequent emails or calls discussing sensitive student information. A log can serve as evidence of collaboration while protecting student privacy. This could save significant time by eliminating the need to redact sensitive information when providing evidence during a monitoring visit.

Communication Log Example

Refresher: What is PII?

Personally identifiable information (PII) is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. For consolidated monitoring, this would include the student’s name​ along with anything else that can be linked to that name to identify the student, including, but not limited to:

• Student’s parent/guardian or other family member names​
• Student or family’s address​
• Personal identifiers, such as social security, student identification number, etc.​
• Other direct identifiers, i.e., student’s date of birth, place of birth and mother’s maiden name​

When the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) reviews documentation for Title I, Part A program compliance during monitoring, PII-level data is typically not required. For example, a spreadsheet with individual student names and assessment scores does not demonstrate program compliance. Documents showing the analysis of that assessment data and how the analysis led to actionable items (meeting minutes, plans for next steps, etc.) helps demonstrate that a school uses assessment data to identify needs and develop a needs-based program.

New Resources: Supplement not Supplant Information and Methodology Example

Links to the new Title I, Part A Supplement Not Supplant Information document and Example Title I, Part A Supplement Not Supplant Methodology are now available on KDE's Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage.

The information document explains Title I, Part A supplement not supplant (SNS) requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and how they differ from the SNS requirements of other Title programs and previous requirements under No Child Left Behind. The example methodology resource is intended to serve as a reference for districts as they work to develop their own SNS methodology and save supporting documentation. Districts are not required to copy the formatting of the example methodology but should ensure their methodology narrative includes the same type of information that can be supported with real calculations.

An in-depth review of SNS requirements and an overview of the resources was provided in the March Title I webinar.

Principal's Perspective: Building Capacity for Parent Involvement

A common Title I finding during monitoring is related to the parent and family engagement policy. Policies often omit a required section that outlines the school's plans to build parent capacity for involvement. But what does building parent capacity mean?

Building capacity refers to efforts aimed at empowering parents to take an active role in their children's education. Your school’s policy should describe the specific activities it will provide to support parents as they take on an active role in partnering with the school. Consider some of these strategies for building parent capacity:

• Provide resources and training: Schools may offer workshops, seminars or educational materials to help parents better understand the curriculum, school policies and how to support their child's learning at home. This might include things like understanding statewide and district assessments or learning how to help with homework.
• Ensure effective communication: Ensure there are clear, open lines of communication between teachers and parents. This could involve regular updates, parent-teacher meetings and creating accessible channels for feedback and questions. Ensuring that parents feel informed and heard is crucial.
• Encourage active participation: Schools might create opportunities for parents to get directly involved in school events, committees or advisory councils. This helps foster a stronger connection between families and the school community.
• Support diverse families: Recognize that families come from diverse backgrounds. Building capacity includes offering bilingual support or addressing cultural differences to ensure all parents feel comfortable participating, regardless of their language, culture or socioeconomic status.
• Strengthen the home-school connection: Help parents understand the importance of their involvement in their child's education and how they can create a positive learning environment at home.

In short, it’s about equipping parents with the tools, knowledge and confidence to actively support their child's educational journey, which in turn leads to better student outcomes. And that’s the ultimate goal.

Don’t forget, ESSA states that parent and family engagement policies must describe how requirements will be met. Statements such as, “Our school will provide resources and training to parents,” or “Our school will ensure effective communication with families,” are not sufficient. Those statements should be expanded to include examples of resources and training topics that will be provided or reference the different methods of communication used by the school.

Although not required, consider using KDE’s Elementary School Parent and Family Engagement Policy Template / Secondary School Parent and Family Engagement Policy Template when reviewing your current policy. The templates offer step-by-step guidance for considering both required and recommended capacity building strategies.

Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

Please review the table below and make note of the approaching deadlines regarding the obligation and expenditure of funds from all open Title I, Part A projects.

In This Issue

• Reminder: Final FY25 Allocations in GMAP
• Streamline Your Documentation
• KDE to Offer Virtual Statewide Federal Programs Training
• New Resources: Supplement not Supplant Information and Example Methodology
• Schools and Districts Encouraged to Submit Best Practices
• Principal’s Perspective: Building Capacity for Parent Engagement
• Coordinator’s Year at a Glance
• Open Title I, Part A Projects and Associated Deadlines

Reminder: Final FY25 Allocations in GMAP

As a reminder, final allocations are now uploaded in the Grant Management Application and Planning system (GMAP) for the FY2025 application.

If your district's allocation changed and you have not already done so, please revisit your application to make the necessary adjustments to balance the budget in your application.

KDE to Offer Statewide Federal Programs Training

KDE is planning to offer a virtual statewide federal programs training at no cost to school districts on June 17-18. The same content will be offered both days.

The training, which is still tentative, 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. Additional information will be provided soon once all plans have been finalized.

Schools and Districts Encouraged to Submit Best Practices

KDE’s Best Practices and Sustainability webpage is open for submission of best practices from schools and districts.

The Best Practices website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. Any aspect of a school or district system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.

Best practices should be submitted to the Best Practices database by May 9 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, scheduled for Sept. 22-23.

For more information, email Natasha Stein.

Coordinator's Year at a Glance – Suggested Tasks for April

• Conduct other stakeholder consultations on the development of the district/school Title I plan (i.e., Comprehensive District Improvement Plan/Comprehensive School Improvement Plan). Stakeholders may include parents/families, private schools, homeless education programs, migrant education programs, English learner programs, school leadership teams and community members.
• Conduct annual evaluation of district parent and family engagement policy.
• Evaluate the services with local neglected or delinquent facilities, if the district serves one of these facilities. As a reminder, a list of facilities can be accessed by clicking “Help for Current Page” on the District Set-Aside page of the GMAP application. Develop a plan for ongoing consultation for the upcoming school year.
• Consult with the local homeless liaison to determine the number of homeless students and amount to reserve for the required set-aside of Title I funds for the next school year.
• Consult with eligible private schools and obtain affirmation of consultation with participating private school officials.

Monthly Title I Webinar

The March webinar and accompanying PowerPoint are available on the Title I, Part A Documents and Resources webpage. During the webinar, information centered around supplement-not-supplant requirements.

The April webinar will be held at 10 a.m. ET April 24. 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. Anonymous feedback and topic suggestions may be submitted through the optional Title I Monthly Webinar Feedback Survey. The feedback will be used to help ensure the monthly webinars meet your needs.

CONTACTS

Title I District Consultant List