Title I, Part A allows districts to provide preschool programs to improve educational outcomes for eligible children from birth to the age at which the district provides a free public elementary education. In ESSA Quick Reference Brief: Serving Preschool Children through Title I-A learn more about the requirements for all districts receiving I-A funds to ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten as well as the methods for supporting preschool programs with I-A funds.

Check out other ESSA Quick Reference Briefs here!

The CIP Budget Narrative is where districts describe how they intend to use ESSA grant funds in service of school and district plans for continuous improvement. The 2023-24 CIP Budget Narratives for Titles I-A, I-D, II-A, IV-A and IV-B (REAP/RLIS) opened on August 9^th and were due November 1^st.

The Federal Systems Team recognizes the multiple demands districts are currently experiencing and is committed to working in partnership to ensure that they receive all funds for which they are eligible. Some additional dates to track are included below:

• Carryover narratives opened November 26, and are due Friday, January 26th, 2024.
• Funds will be frozen for any district that has not submitted the 2023-24 CIP Budget Narrative by February 2, 2024.
• Funds will be liquidated for any district that has declined or has not applied for federal grants through the 2023-24 CIP Budget Narrative on June 1, 2024.

If your district has questions about submitting a particular narrative, please reach out to your regional specialist with questions or for support.

• Jen Engberg: Clackamas, Columbia Gorge, Multnomah and Northwest Regional
• Sarah Martin: Douglas, Lake, Malheur, South Coast and Southern Oregon
• Lisa Plumb: Lane, Linn Benton Lincoln and Willamette
• Amy Tidwell: Grant, Harney, High Desert, InterMountain, Jefferson, North Central and Region 18

If your district uses TransAct, we want to hear from you! As ODE considers whether to renew the Transact contract beyond the 2023-2024 school year, the Federal Systems Team has developed a short survey to help us understand the statewide impact of this service and which resources districts find most useful.

Please make your voice heard by responding to this short survey.

The U.S. Department of Education is working in collaboration with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide free COVID-19 tests to school districts. Districts may request over-the-counter rapid antigen COVID-19 self-tests free of charge for their students, families, staff and school community.

You can read more on this US Department of Education webpage or for information about the COVID-19 Testing Supply Program, visit https://www.ed.gov/Coronavirus.

Engaging Equity: Equitable Mindsets, Practices, and Systems is an openly licensed professional learning series developed in partnership by the Oregon Department of Education’s Office of Education Innovation and Improvement and WestEd. The series is designed for participation in teams, PLCs, or other groups, and also available to individuals. Learners can access the content through a public Canvas course, or the modules can be imported into your organization's Canvas LMS.

Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Practice, the second cluster of four modules within this professional learning series, focuses on strategies for creating culturally responsive and sustaining learning environments and experiences for students. Examine how adults’ social and emotional learning and well-being are fundamental to creating culturally responsive and sustaining learning environments. The first four modules of the series focused on Racial Equity Foundations. All of the modules are available on the Oregon Open Learning Hub in the PK-12 Professional Learning Group. For more details, view the full scope and sequence for the professional learning series.