The Etowah County School System

Revised August 2015

ETOWAH COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

TITLE I PLAN

INTRODUCTION

The Etowah County School System serves over 8600 students and consists of ten elementary schools, four middle schools, five high schools, a K-12 school, an alternative school, and a career technical center. Employing over 1000 professionals and support staff, the school system is one of Etowah County’s largest employers. Results from the state assessments consistently rank Etowah County among the top county school systems in the state.

Fifteen schools currently provide Title I services for their students:

SCHOOL
Carlisle Elem. (K-5)
Duck Springs Elem. (K-6)
Gaston (K-12)
Glencoe Elem. (K-4)
Glencoe Middle (5-8)
Highland (Pre-K-6)
Hokes Bluff Elem. (K-5)
Hokes Bluff Middle (6-8)
Ivalee Elem. (K-6)
John Jones Elem. (K-5)
Sardis Middle (6-8)
Sardis High (9-12)
West End Elem. (Pre-K-6)
West End High (7-12)
Whitesboro Elem. (K-5) / PROGRAM TYPE
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide
Schoolwide

A.  A description of high-quality student academic assessments, if any, that are in addition to the academic assessments described in the State plan under Section 111(b)(3) used by the LEA and schools.

Section 1112(b) (1)(A)(i-iv)

In addition to the academic assessments that are required by the ALSDE, the following assessments are used in various schools in the school system:

·  STAR reading and math assessments

·  McGraw Hill Reading Wonders reading assessments

·  GoMath! assessments

·  SuccessMaker, computer software assessment reports

·  Portfolios

·  Teacher checklists

·  Dolch word list

·  Making Middle Grade Work assessments

·  High Schools That Work assessments

·  Stride Academy assessments

·  Accelerated Reader

·  Odysseyware

Results from the state’s assessment program are provided to students and parents on the Alabama State Department of Education website. Parents who have questions/inquiries are encouraged to contact the school to arrange a meeting with the child’s teacher, principal, and/or counselor.

B.  A description of any other indicators that will be used in addition to the academic indicators described in section 1111 for the uses described in such section.

Section 1112(b)(B)

The Etowah County School System does not use other indicators in addition to those described in section 1111.

C.  A description of how the LEA will provide additional educational assistance to individual students assessed as needing help in meeting the state’s challenging student academic achievement standards.

Section 1112(b)(C)

The following intervention programs and assistance are provided for students in various schools in our school system:

·  Accelerated Reader Program

·  Alabama Reading Initiative intervention with struggling readers

·  Student tutors, peer tutoring, after school tutoring, tutoring by parent volunteers and student mentors

·  Using charts and graphic organizers

·  Utilizing small group instruction

·  Grade–level intervention groups

·  Test preparation classes

·  SuccessMaker software programs in computer labs

·  Unique scheduling and grouping strategies

·  APT Plus Resources

·  Cooperative Learning Groups

·  Corrective Reading

·  Credit Recovery Program

·  Making Middle Grades Work

·  High Schools That Work

·  Read Naturally

·  Stride Academy

·  Differentiated Instruction

·  GoMath!

·  Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI)

·  After School – Extended Day Services

·  Earobics

·  EL Summer Camp

·  Response to Intervention (RtI)

·  ACCESS Distance Learning

·  Reading Advantage

·  Odysseyware

D.  A description of the strategies the LEA will use to coordinate programs under this part with programs under Title II to provide professional development for teachers and principals, and if appropriate, pupil services personnel, administrators, parents and other staff, including LEA level staff, in accordance with Section 1118 and 1119.

Section 1112(b)(1)(D)

Professional development services are provided by combining resources from three major sources: the Alabama Department of Education (in conjunction with the Jacksonville State University Regional In-service Center); Title I; and Title II.

The Title I Advisory Committee, comprised of parents, teachers, and administrators, meet at the beginning of each school year to conduct a needs assessment to determine the year’s professional development priorities. Once the priorities have been established, they are disseminated to the schools. These professional development priorities provide the basis for determining the expenditure of funds. Whenever possible, the funding sources are coordinated to support the established professional development priorities.

Professional Development Priorities:

·  Teachers to reduce class size – elementary grades

·  Reading – elementary, middle & high school grades specifically in the special education subgroup

·  Language arts/English – elementary, middle & high school grades

·  Mathematics – elementary, middle & high school grades specifically in the high school special education subgroup

·  Social Studies – elementary, middle & high school grades

·  Science – elementary, middle & high school grades

·  English as a second language – elementary, middle and high school grades

·  Effective classroom use of technology – elementary, middle and high school grades

·  Implementing content standards – elementary, middle and high school grades

·  Using data and assessments, including standards-based assessments, to improve learning

·  Closing the Gap – elementary, middle, and high school grades

·  Classroom Management – elementary, middle, and high school grades

·  Mentoring – elementary, middle and high school grades

E.  A description of how the LEA will coordinate and integrate services provided under this part with other educational services at the LEA or individual school:

Section 1112(b)(E)

Title I services are coordinated with general program services to meet the needs of students by utilizing the following programs, practices and priorities:

·  The Accelerated Reader Program

·  The GoMath! Curriculum

·  The Reading Wonders Curriculum

·  Elementary schools place a high priority on providing an uninterrupted block of time for reading/language arts instruction.

·  Instructional coaches are provided through the Alabama Reading Initiative to assist teachers in improving instruction.

·  After-School – Extended Day enrichment programs

·  SuccessMaker software labs

·  Stride Academy/Motivated Data

·  Credit Recovery

·  ESL summer camp

·  STAR Reading

·  STAR Math

·  STAR Sportsmanship

·  Odysseyware

·  Provide transitional opportunities to preschools, HeadStart, local daycares during Kindergarten Registration events.

F.  An assurance that the local educational agency will participate, if selected, in the State National Assessment of Education Progress in 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics carried out under Section 411 (b)(2) of the national Education Statistics Act of 1994.

The Etowah County Board of Education will participate, if selected, in the State National Assessment of Educational Progress in the 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics carried out under Section 411(b)(2) of the National Statistics Act of 1994.

G.  A description of the poverty criteria that will be used to select school attendance areas under Section 1113.

The LEA uses Title I, Part A funds to serve schools who meet the 40% poverty level for schoolwide programs and who apply to implement a Title I schoolwide program. The criteria used to determine the 40% poverty level is free/reduced lunch eligibility. Currently, schools being served with Title I, Part A have a free/reduced lunch poverty level of 40% or higher.

H.  A description of how teachers, in consultation with parents, administrators, and pupil services personnel, in targeted assistance schools under Section 1115, will identify the eligible children most in need of services.

Section 1112(b)(1)(H)

Not Applicable

I.  A general description of the nature of the programs to be conducted by such agency’s schools under the Schoolwide Program (Section 1114) and the Targeted Assistance Program (Section 1115) and, where appropriate, educational services outside such schools for children living in local institutions for neglected or delinquent children, and for neglected and delinquent children in community day school programs.

Schoolwide Programs are developed by individual schools based on the individual schools’ Needs Assessment. In general, the majority of the Schoolwide Programs focus on the content areas of reading and math. Individual Schoolwide Programs are defined in the school’s ACIP. Direction and guidance are provided by the Central Office Staff as needed by individual schools.

Etowah County’s Title I program provides services to neglected and delinquent children and youth through the Big Oak Ranch/Westbrook Christian School.

See Appendix 1 for a description of the program.

J.  A description of how the LEA will ensure that migratory children and formerly migratory children, who are eligible to receive services under this part, are selected to receive such services on the same basis as other children who are selected to receive services under this part.

Section 1112(b)(1)(J)

Policies have been enacted by the Etowah County Board of Education to ensure that migratory children, as well as children from other special populations, are provided the same opportunities to participate in the Title I program as students from the general school population.

See Appendices 2 and 3

K.  A description of how the LEA will use funds under this part to support preschool programs for children, particularly in Early Reading First, or Head Start or Even Start programs, which services may be provided directly by the LEA or through other agencies, if appropriate.

Section 1112(b)(1)(K)

Presently, West End Elementary School and Highland School are the only schools in our system with a Pre-K Program. West End Elementary received an Office of School Readiness (OSR) Tiered Grant of $88,200 for the 2015-16 year. Highland School received an OSR Tiered Grant of $85,500 for 2015-16 year. These competitive grant must be resubmitted each year.

L.  A description of the actions the LEA will take to assist its low- achieving schools, identified under section 1116, as in need of improvement.

Section 1112(b)(1)(L)

·  Local Education Agency’s Improvement Plan

See Appendix 4

M.  A description of the actions the LEA will take to implement public school choice and supplemental services, consistent with the requirements of section 1116, if appropriate.

Section 1112(b)(1)(M)

Not Applicable at this time.

N.  A description of how the LEA will meet the requirements for highly qualified teachers and paraprofessional in accordance with Section 1119;

Section 1112(b)(1)(N)

·  Etowah County School System Plan for Highly Qualified Teachers

See Appendix 6

·  The Etowah County Board of Education has established a priority of hiring paraprofessionals who meet one of the following criteria:

-  2 years of college (48 semester hours) or

-  Associates degree or

-  Passed the Work Keys Test

O.  A description of the services the LEA will provide homeless children, including services provided with funds reserved under Section 1113(c)(3)(A).

Section 1112(b)(1)(O)

Appendix 3 outlines our school system’s plan to serve the homeless population.

P.  A description of the strategies the LEA will use to implement effective parental involvement under section 1118.

Section 1112(b)(1)(P)

-  The LEA Parental Involvement Policy/Plan

See Appendix 7

Q.  A description of the process/procedures the LEA uses to ensure the implementation of the Parents Right-to-Know provisions under Section 1111(h)(6), Section 11129(g), and Section 3302.

A description of the LEA’s progress for the implementation of the Parent’s Right-to-Know

Provisions are found in Appendix 7, pages 5, 6, 7.

R.  A description of how the LEA will use funds under this part to support after-school (including before-school and summer school) and school year extension programs.

Section 1112(b)(1)(Q)

Various elementary, middle and high schools provide before and/or after school programs, funded with Title I and non-Title I sources. These programs provide some or all of the following services:

·  Assistance with homework

·  Tutoring services

·  Computer activities

·  After School – Extended Day Enrichment Programs

·  Graduation exam preparation

·  EL summer camp

·  Summer programs

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