A parent's guide to Title I : Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965

Ways parents can GET INVOLVED! Become active in your Title I Program by doing the following:

Learn more about the school, curriculum, special
programs, Title I and your rights and responsibilities

Participate and Support your child academically at
school and home

Teach your child in ways that will add to what the
teacher is doing

Make Decisions about your child's education and
academic program

Know Your Rights because knowledge is power

Keep in contact with your child's teacher through
telephone, e-mail, or face-to-face conversations

Georgia's ESEA Waiver

In 2012, the Georgia Department of Education (Department) was granted an ESEA Flexibility Waiver that allows school districts greater flexibility in designing a learning program tailored to meet the academic needs of individual schools. Under Georgia's Flexibility Waiver, certain Title I schools are designated as Reward, Priority, Focus or Alert schools and these designations help determine the design of the tailored learning program. Title I schools will hold the designation of simply being a Title I school or will be defined by the following designation descriptions:
Reward Schools are Title I schools identified each year
that are among the state's highest-performing schools (top 5 percent of all Title I schools or the highest graduation rates over a number of consecutive years) or schools with significantly high progress (top 10 percent of all Title I, highest growth in student academic performance, or highest growth in graduation rates over a number of consecutive years).
Priority Schools are Title I schools that are among the
lowest 5 percent of schools in the state based on student test scores and their lack of growth over a number of consecutive years or Title I high schools with graduation rates less than 60 percent over a number of consecutive years.
Focus Schools are Title I schools with
some of the largest gaps in student achievement or graduation rates between subgroups

of students or are Title I high schools with graduation rates less than 60 percent over a number of consecutive years that are not identified as Priority Schools.
Title I Alert School may
be both Title I and non-Title I schools identified each year that are performing significantly below the state average in its graduation rate or in test scores for a particular group of students, or its test scores are significantly below the state average for a particular subject area.
In addition, the Department's ESEA Flexibility Waiver outlines Georgia's new Statewide Accountability System - the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI). The CCRPI serves as a comprehensive report card for all schools in Georgia. The CCRPI provides a score between 0-100 for each school and each school system, and that score measures how well the school and school system are doing in preparing their students to be successful in college and/or career.
For more information on the status of your school, please visit http://tinyurl.com/pekb2dt or speak with an administrator at your school.

Outreach Programs Division 1862 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Drive, SE Atlanta, GA 30334
Craig Geers Outreach Programs Director
cgeers@doe.k12.ga.us 404-657-1793
Michelle Sandrock Parent Engagement Program Manager
msandrock@doe.k12.ga.us 404-232-1148
Nathan Schult Parent Engagement Specialist
nschult@doe.k12.ga.us 404-463-1956
Keisha Jeffries Parent Engagement Communications Specialist
kjeffries@doe.k12.ga.us 404-656-2633
For more information, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/c9rsmtz

A Parent's Guide to Title I

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@GaDOEParents gadoeparentengagement.edublogs.org

In accordance with State and Federal laws, the Georgia Department of Education prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its educational and employment
activities. Inquiries regarding the application of these practices may be addressed to the General Counsel of the Georgia Department of
Education, 2052 Twin Towers East, Atlanta, Georgia 30334, 404-656-2800.
Printed June 2014 All Rights Reserved

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965

Through Title I, money is given to school districts Title I programs can help: around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses Children do better in school and feel better its Title I money for extra educational services for about themselves children most in need of educational help. The focus Teachers understand the needs and concerns of of the Title I program is on helping all students meet students and parents the same high standards expected of all children.
Parents understand their child and be more involved
What is Title I? in the child's education

Title I is the largest federally funded program for elementary, middle, and high schools.
Title I helps students, teachers and parents!

What is My Role in Supporting My Student's Success?

What is the State's Role in

What is the School District's Role in What is the School's Role in

Supporting My Student's Success? Supporting My Student's Success? Supporting My Student's Success?

Parents are an important part of the Title I team and are partners with The Georgia Department of Education is required to carry out the

the school in helping all students achieve.

following actions:

As the parent of a child in a Title I school, you have the right to:
Be involved in the planning and implementation of the parent involvement program in your school

Partner with other agencies and institutions to provide leadership and guidance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in accord with Section 1118, Parental Involvement, of ESEA to enable parents to become strongly involved in their children's education

Ask to read the progress reports on your child and school
Request information about the professional qualifications of your child's teacher(s) including the degrees and certifications held, and whether the teacher is certified in their respective area of instruction
Help to decide if Title I is meeting your child's needs, and offer suggestions for improvement
Ask about your child's school designation under the new Georgia ESEA Flexibility Waiver

Disseminate to LEAs and schools information about effective parental involvement practices that:
Make use of the most current professional research Foster high achievement by all students Lower the barriers to greater participation by parents in the
process of review and improvement in school planning
Provide parents with an easy-to-understand annual state report card regarding student achievement and the professional qualifications of instructional staff
Review the progress of each LEA annually to determine:

Local educational agencies (LEAs) are defined as school districts, county offices of education, and direct-funded charter schools that are responsible for the following actions:
Plan and implement educational programs, activities, and procedures as required under Title I that involve parents
Reserve 1% of Title I funds for parental involvement activities if the LEA receives more than $500,000
Develop a parental involvement policy with the participation of parents
Provide full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, disabilities and parents of migratory children, and when appropriate, in a language and format that they can understand
Conduct annual parent surveys and implement changes based upon the results of those surveys

Know if your child has been assigned, or taught by a teacher that is not highly qualified for at least four consecutive weeks
Help develop your school's plan for how parents and schools can work together

If each LEA is carrying out its responsibilities regarding assessment, parental involvement, school improvement and support, and the qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals
Monitor compliance with Title I law, including review of the LEA's parental involvement policies and practices

Build capacity by providing early literacy and technology trainings that will help parents work with their children to improve academic achievement

To learn more or view Title I, Part A Parental Involvement, Section 1118 of ESEA in its entirety, please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg2.html

Some Title I schools are schoolwide programs. This means that school staff work to improve the school's educational program in an effort to increase the achievement of all students, particularly those who are low achieving and thus could benefit from extra supports or services. Other schools may have a targeted assistance program, which means that only certain students and their parents can benefit from the additional services Title I provides. Title I schools are responsible for the following actions:
Send notifications to parents about the school's policy in an understandable language and format
Hold an annual meeting, at a convenient time for parents, to discuss the school's parental involvement plan, budget, how funding is spent and the rights of parents to be involved
Develop jointly, with the parents of participating students, a school-parent compact
Offer parental meetings at various times (schools may also pay for transportation and childcare, when reasonable and necessary)
Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs, including the school parental involvement policy
Build capacity by supporting the development of parent advisory councils or parent leadership teams
Provide information to parents about the state standards and curriculum and how parents can monitor their child's progress