Title I Information
What is Title I?
MSAD 15 Title I Policy
Why Does My Child Need Title I?
How Can I Help My Child at Home?
Web Sites
Parent Resources
Contact Us
What is Title I?
- Title I is a federally funded program targeted to assist students in achieving higher academic standards. In 2001, Title I was reauthorized through the No Child Left Behind legislation.
- Title I emphasis has shifted away from fiscal compliance and pullout programs and now focuses on coordination with regular classroom instruction, school wide programs, capacity building, school improvement, standards, assessment and accountability.
- Title I mandates parental involvement in its programs with increasing specificity. The emphasis on parental involvement is justified by research showing that the support of parents at home can have a positive impact on student achievement, attendance, and classroom behavior as well as a positive effect on parents themselves by giving them the tools to help their children at home.
- Title I is a supplemental service and is not intended to take the place of classroom instruction. Using an approved screening procedure, which includes teacher recommendations, classroom interventions and the Developmental Reading Assessment, students will be rank ordered by need and provided service accordingly. Parents will be encouraged to be part of this process every step of the way, and will be given at home strategies to help their child.
- We hope that by establishing a partnership between home and school, we can help all students become readers for life.
MSAD 15 Title I Policy
NEPN/NSBA Code: KBF
MSAD 15 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADOPTED 5-19-04
MSAD 15 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADOPTED 5-19-04
TITLE I
It is the policy of the Maine School Administrative District 15 to provide remedial services using Title I funding to identified students. Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a federal program designed to proved supplemental remedial services to students identified through an approved screening process. Title I services are intended to reinforce and not replace classroom instruction.
School personnel will inform parents if their child is recommended for Title I services. Written parental permission is required for all testing except tests administered to all students school-wide. Survey input from parents of Title I students and staff will be considered when planning, designing and implementing Title I services.
Parents have the right to decline Title 1 services for their child and the school will honor their requests. If a child no longer qualifies for services based on the approved screening process, the parent will be informed that services will end.
DISTRICT LEVEL PARENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM
MSAD 15 will involve parents in the joint development of a District-level plan to help students meet challenging academic standards. Additionally, parents will be involved in the process of school review and improvement by:
A. establishing a District-level Parent Advisory Committee with parent representatives from each building;
B. developing a District-wide newsletter to communicate to parents the District’s Title I plan and to seek their input and participation;
C. establishing effective and ongoing three-way communications among the District, staff and parents;
D. providing a calendar for Title 1 meetings and events and encourage parent participation.
MSAD 15 provides the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary for schools to plan and implement effective parental involvement activities designed to improve student academic achievement and school performance by:
A. holding training sessions for Parent Advisory Committee members so that they may be more effective liaisons between parents and schools;
B. seeking input from parents in developing workshops that will help them become more effective partners with the schools in encouraging academic achievement;
C. providing information to parents about the assessment system used to monitor student progress.
MSAD 15 builds the capacity of schools and parents for strong parental involvement by:
A. encouraging parents to participate in their child’s Title 1 program;
B. providing support to parents, so they may help their child improve their academic performance;
C. coordinating outreach efforts with community based programs such as Head Start.
By March of each year, the Superintendent/designee will conduct an annual survey with the involvement of parents in the effectiveness of this policy. The goal is to improve the academic quality of the schools served under Title 1. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to participation by parents in Title 1 activities. The findings of this evaluation will be used to make parent involvement more effective.
BUILDING LEVEL PROGRAM
The school shall convene three parent meetings annually that parents will be encouraged to attend. These meetings shall be used to provide parents with:
A. an overview of parental rights;
B. information on curriculum, instruction and assessment;
C. activities to support student learning;
D. demonstration of student learning;
E. updates from District Parent Advisory Committee.
The building principal/designee will:
A. distribute Title 1 Policy;
B. organize, oversee, implement meetings on Title 1;
C. serve as a member of the District Parent Advisory Committee;
D. provide support as needed to Title 1 staff.
SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT
Belief Statement: The School Staff and Parents in MSAD #15 have high expectations for themselves and for students. We propose a partnership between the school, the parents, and the students as a means to ensure that all Title 1 students will develop academic skills.
1. Schools will:
A. establish goals for each student and communicate written progress to parents;
B. present all home communication in a clear, understandable format;
C. provide research based instruction;
D. supply parents with home activities and strategies for the purpose of accelerating student achievement;
E. provide parent-teacher conferences;
F. organize parent nights to provide strategies and information to parents about the importance of improving academic achievement;
G. publish minutes of District Parent Advisory Council Meetings.
2. The Parents will:
A. attend at least one Title 1 parent night per year;
B. support learning activities recommended by the Title 1 staff;
C. review and sign progress reports acknowledging understanding of their child’s progress;
D. contact the Title 1 teacher with questions or concerns about their child’s progress.
3. The Student will:
A. participate in Title 1;
B. complete home learning activities;
C. read for a set amount of time each day;
D. take responsibility for improving academic skills;
E. ask for help when needed;
F. return school materials in good condition.
Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 6318
School personnel will inform parents if their child is recommended for Title I services. Written parental permission is required for all testing except tests administered to all students school-wide. Survey input from parents of Title I students and staff will be considered when planning, designing and implementing Title I services.
Parents have the right to decline Title 1 services for their child and the school will honor their requests. If a child no longer qualifies for services based on the approved screening process, the parent will be informed that services will end.
DISTRICT LEVEL PARENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM
MSAD 15 will involve parents in the joint development of a District-level plan to help students meet challenging academic standards. Additionally, parents will be involved in the process of school review and improvement by:
A. establishing a District-level Parent Advisory Committee with parent representatives from each building;
B. developing a District-wide newsletter to communicate to parents the District’s Title I plan and to seek their input and participation;
C. establishing effective and ongoing three-way communications among the District, staff and parents;
D. providing a calendar for Title 1 meetings and events and encourage parent participation.
MSAD 15 provides the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary for schools to plan and implement effective parental involvement activities designed to improve student academic achievement and school performance by:
A. holding training sessions for Parent Advisory Committee members so that they may be more effective liaisons between parents and schools;
B. seeking input from parents in developing workshops that will help them become more effective partners with the schools in encouraging academic achievement;
C. providing information to parents about the assessment system used to monitor student progress.
MSAD 15 builds the capacity of schools and parents for strong parental involvement by:
A. encouraging parents to participate in their child’s Title 1 program;
B. providing support to parents, so they may help their child improve their academic performance;
C. coordinating outreach efforts with community based programs such as Head Start.
By March of each year, the Superintendent/designee will conduct an annual survey with the involvement of parents in the effectiveness of this policy. The goal is to improve the academic quality of the schools served under Title 1. The evaluation will include identifying barriers to participation by parents in Title 1 activities. The findings of this evaluation will be used to make parent involvement more effective.
BUILDING LEVEL PROGRAM
The school shall convene three parent meetings annually that parents will be encouraged to attend. These meetings shall be used to provide parents with:
A. an overview of parental rights;
B. information on curriculum, instruction and assessment;
C. activities to support student learning;
D. demonstration of student learning;
E. updates from District Parent Advisory Committee.
The building principal/designee will:
A. distribute Title 1 Policy;
B. organize, oversee, implement meetings on Title 1;
C. serve as a member of the District Parent Advisory Committee;
D. provide support as needed to Title 1 staff.
SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT
Belief Statement: The School Staff and Parents in MSAD #15 have high expectations for themselves and for students. We propose a partnership between the school, the parents, and the students as a means to ensure that all Title 1 students will develop academic skills.
1. Schools will:
A. establish goals for each student and communicate written progress to parents;
B. present all home communication in a clear, understandable format;
C. provide research based instruction;
D. supply parents with home activities and strategies for the purpose of accelerating student achievement;
E. provide parent-teacher conferences;
F. organize parent nights to provide strategies and information to parents about the importance of improving academic achievement;
G. publish minutes of District Parent Advisory Council Meetings.
2. The Parents will:
A. attend at least one Title 1 parent night per year;
B. support learning activities recommended by the Title 1 staff;
C. review and sign progress reports acknowledging understanding of their child’s progress;
D. contact the Title 1 teacher with questions or concerns about their child’s progress.
3. The Student will:
A. participate in Title 1;
B. complete home learning activities;
C. read for a set amount of time each day;
D. take responsibility for improving academic skills;
E. ask for help when needed;
F. return school materials in good condition.
Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 6318
Why Does My Child Need Title I?
Why does my child need Title I? |
Students can qualify for Title I through a combination of several routes |
| a. DRA results (Developmental Reading Assessment) | Services are offered to a student who scores more than a full level below grade on the DRA. These tests are administered in grades 1 and 2 in the fall and spring of each school year. |
| b. Teacher referral | Teachers may notice certain reading deficits through observation and performance in classroom reading instruction. With parent permission, we would give a new DRA at their current grade level, which would assist in determining whether or not the student will qualify for services. |
| c. Parent referral | Parents may have concerns about their child's reading abilities or interest. |
How Can I Help My Child at Home?
How can I help my child at home? |
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|---|---|---|
| Choosing appropriate books | 5 finger rule | Have your child read any random page of a book aloud to you. If s/he makes more than 5 errors, it's probably too hard to read. The struggle will result in either skipping important but difficult words, or lingering on tough words and losing the meaning of the sentence and paragraph. Choose another book. Ask a librarian or use titlewave.com. |
| 94% rule | We use this guideline for the oral part of our DRA testing. Make a percentage out of the errors by dividing the number if errors by the total number of words in a selection. To simplify, count mistakes in just a 100-word selection. More than 3 mistakes mean they are losing too many details to retain adequate comprehension. Choose another book. Ask a librarian or use titlewave.com. | |
| Starfall.com | A learn to read Web site offered free. Primarily designed for pre-school, 1st and 2nd grade. | |
| Setting a reading time | Weekend time | There may be a waiting, traveling or transition time, which could be filled with reading time. Perhaps you wake up later than your child and s/he could spend that time engaged in a book. |
| Bedtime | Bedtime reading helps your child slow down from a busy day and focus inward on a book as s/he readies for sleep time. Setting reading time can help you establish a bedtime (half an hour or so after the reading time you set), and an endpoint to TV viewing or computer use. | |
| Modeling good reading habits | Read to yourself; read with your child | Your child will see that reading is an acceptable activity, if s/he sees you read to yourself or to him/her. |
| Encouraging re-reading | To a younger child | Do you have a younger child in the family that yours can read to? This can be a win/win situation. Whatever books, magazines, or cereal boxes are available, it's so helpful for your child to feel like a reading expert in someone else's eyes. |
| To himself or herself | Yes, it's okay for your child to re-read a favorite story, even if it's quite below grade level. Experts say it's just about the best thing you can do to build familiarity with high-frequency words. | |
| Practicing a script | Encourage your child to get into a drama musical production. | |
| Asking thought-provoking questions | Production | When reading together, or watching a TV show or movie, stop now and then ask, "What might happen next?" If s/he's right, great, if not, you did provide motivation for staying engaged long enough to find out. |
| Problem/Outcome | Ask what the problem is that has to be solved before the story will end. At the end, ask for the outcome. The response should contain words from the problem. | |
| Conflict | Which character is having a conflict with whom? What kind of conflict? Person vs. person, person vs. self, person vs. nature? | |
| 5 Ws and H | Make up Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How questions about a story. See who can ask the best question, and who can answer them. | |
| Summary | At a commercial break, ask what were the major events in that section of the movie or TV show. Decide what parts would still matter, once the story is over. After you finish a movie, ask for a brief summary. | |
| Connections | Does a story remind you of another story? Why? Is a certain character like another you've read about? Stories follow certain patterns, and your child will soon see similarities. | |
Web Sites
| ALA Editor's Choice (book choices for youth selected by the American Library Association) | ala.org |
| ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) - Newberry awards and other major award winners | ala.org |
| Between the Lions | pbskids.org |
| Bookhive: Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Co. | bookhive.org |
| Burlington Public Library for Kids anad Tots | bpl.on.ca |
| A site for ELL Students | colorincolorado.org |
| Fun with Spot | funwithspot.com |
| Reading Rockets | readingrockets.org |
| Children's Lit Web Guide | pbskids.org |
Parent Resources
Some good general information about reading can be found in:
Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading - National Institute of Education, Washington, D.C.
Useful Resources for Parents:
Raising Lifelong Learners - A Parent's Guide by Lucy Caulkins
Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read by Bernice E. Callina
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Reading by Mary Leonhardt
bookadventure.com - activities, parent's place
U.S. Dept. of Education - free publications
An essential book for understanding why small group explicit reading instruction like Title I is necessary: What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington
