Sheffield City Schools
District Title I Plan
2016-2017
Approved May 11, 2016
Revised August 17, 2016
Mr. Keith Lankford, Superintendent
Dr. Carlos Nelson, Director of Federal Programs
DISTRICT PLAN COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Carlos Nelson, Federal Programs Coordinator
Tony Willis, Principal, L. E.WillsonElementary School
Matthew Syesta, Principal, W. A.Threadgill Primary School
Eric Kirkman, Principal, Sheffield Junior High School
Carol Austin, System-wide Registered Nurse
Chiquita Meade, Parent Involvement Coordinator
Shelly Hollis, Curriculum and Instructional Specialist
Carla Griffin, Gifted and Talented Teacher
Dayna Willis, Media Specialist
Sara Quinn, Teacher
Katrina Kenney, Teacher
Melanie Batchelor, Teacher
Brea Colagross, Teacher
Joey Elliott, Teacher
Diana Burns, Threadgill Primary School, Parent Representative
LaQuinta Moore, L.E. Willson, Parent Representatives
Thomas and LaMeeka Marshall, Sheffield Junior High, Parent Representatives
Christi Steadman, Sheffield Housing Authority
Gina Mashburn, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Community
Al Hammond, Colbert County Helping Families, Community
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose ...... 1
Student Assessments ...... 1
Other Indicators...... 1
Additional Educational Assistance...... 1
Professional Development ...... 2
Coordination and Integration of Services .....2
Participation in the State National Assessment of Educational Progress..2
Poverty Criteria ...... 3
Programs Conducted in School-wide Schools .....3
Neglected and Delinquent Children and Youth....4
Migratory, Limited English Proficiency, Children W/ Disabilities..4
Preschool...... 4
Low Achieving Schools ...... 4
Plans for School Improvement and School Choice ....4
Highly Qualified Personnel ...... 5
Homeless Children...... 5
Parent Involvement ...... 5
Parents’ Right to Know ...... 8
Extended School-Year Programs...... 9
Assurances...... 9
Plan Development and Duration...... 10
Appendices...... 11
Parent Involvement Policy
Nondiscrimination Policy
Admissions Policy
SHEFFIELD CITY SCHOOLS
DISTRICT TITLE I PLAN
Purpose
The purpose of SheffieldCitySchool’s District Plan is to assist low-achieving children in meeting the State’s challenging academic achievement and content standards.
Student Assessments
Sheffield City Schools will administer the student academic assessments described in the State plan to determine the success of children served under Title I in meeting the State’s academic achievement standards, and to provide information to teachers, parents, and students on the progress being made toward meeting these standards. Assessment results will be used to assist in diagnosing, teaching, and learning in the classroom in ways that best enable low-achieving children served in the Title I program to meet academic standards and do well in the local curriculum. Results will also be used to determine what revisions are needed to existing initiatives and projects. Students who may be at risk of reading failure will be identified through the use of screening and diagnostic instruments and provided intensive one-on-one interventions.
Other Indicators
Individual academic assessment results will be provided to teachers and parents in a timely manner through the use of state and local report cards and progress reports designed to clearly convey the status of each student. Local report cards are distributed at the end of each six-weeks. Progress reports are sent home at each three-week interval between report cards. State report cards are distributed once per year at the time they are delivered to the system. Parent-teacher conference days are scheduled once per year and teachers are required to communicate with the parents of each student in their classrooms.
Additional Educational Assistance
When students experience difficulty mastering the proficiency or advanced levels of academic performance, small group and one-on-one intervention strategies will be implemented to remedy the areas of weakness. The needs of students experiencing difficulties will be addressed by the Student Support Team (SST), the Multidisciplinary Eligibility Determination Committee/Individual Education Plan Committee (MEDC), and the 504 Committee. Members of these committees will utilize results from DIBELS, ASPIRE, Compass Learning, Moby Max, and Global Scholar assessments as well as parent conferences, and progress reports while making decisions to assist students’ needs.
“At-risk” students, those identified for intensive intervention, will be provided immediate assistance with the Scott Foresman “Sidewalks” Program. Groups will be adjusted at mid-year according to the most recent test results.
Classroom teachers will assess the needs of individual students on a daily basis. At-risk students will be progress monitored weekly. Students identified as “some risk” will be progress monitored every other week. The classroom teacher, instructional specialist, principal, and grade level committee will review progress monitoring scores weekly.
Students experiencing difficulty will be referred to SST by the classroom teacher. The SST will outline recommendations, accommodations, or possible testing. Referred students will receive follow-up evaluations by the committee. Students referred for testing will have a 60 day window to test, hold the eligibility meeting with parents, and begin services.
Supplemental instruction will be promptly given to any student experiencing difficulty mastering academic achievement standards. Intervention will be provided by the classroom teacher, remedial reading teachers, special education teachers, EL teachers, instructional aides, high school mentors and/or volunteers.
After school and summer reading programs will be available for students. This program will provide remedial service and interventions for struggling students
Professional Development
Appropriate professional development activities, based on needs assessment results, will be provided for teachers, principals, and other staff members through the use grants and local funds. These activities will be designed to ensure that staff members are highly qualified and will address goals to improve parent involvement. There will be continued emphasis on strategies designed to assist teachers in the teaching of reading and math. Each school’s plan includes a professional development component developed by the School Improvement Team based on specific school needs assessment results and current data.
Coordination and Integration of Services
School-wide staff coordinates and integrates Title I programs and services with the local Office of School Readiness (OSR) pre-school program. These four-year-old students are served with art, music, library, and physical education experiences from general education staff members. Activities are implemented to ensure a smooth transition for these students to the regular program. English learners, children with disabilities, immigrants, homeless, and migratory children are served by the general education faculty as well as the Title I staff.
Participation in the State National Assessment of Educational Progress
Sheffield City Schools will participate in the State National Assessment of Educational Progress in 4th and 8th grade reading and math upon request. The district has a long history of participation in NAEP.
Poverty Criteria
Sheffield has only one school per grade grouping; one primary school pre-k-2, one elementary school 3-6, one junior high 7-8, and one high school 9-12. The primary and
elementary and junior high schools are school-wide schools served under the Title 1 program. School-wide plans for these schools are on file in the Central Office and will be made available upon request.
Programs Conducted in Targeted Assisted Schools
Currently no school is identified as targeted assisted in Sheffield City Schools.
Programs Conducted in School-wide Schools
Two OSR pre-school classes are provided and located in the primary school facility. Thirty-four children are served with two certified teachers and two aides. Supplemental services and programs for identified children are provided in computer labs at both schools as well as in small reading groups.
Certified teachers and aides provide extended-day learning opportunities at the schools in after school and summer reading programs. A 21st Century Grant was implemented during the 2007-2008 school year, renewed for the 2015-2016 school year and continues to provide additional assistance to students in the extended-day program.
The current curriculum at the school-wide schools is designed to follow the scope and sequence of the Alabama Courses of Study according to Alabama’s College and Career Readiness Standards, the components of the Alabama Reading Initiative Program, and state standardized tests. Instructional materials used to implement the curriculum content include Scott Foresman Reading Street, the Wright Skills program, SRA Distar, Corrective Reading, and state adopted textbooks that correlate with ARI, AMSTI, and the Alabama Course of Study objectives. Current district assessment data reports, parent surveys, and needs assessments indicated math and reading are the content areas most needed for improvement. Therefore, during the 2015-2016 school term, STAR Renaissance Assessment was removed for Reading and Math for Threadgill, Primary, L.E. Willson Elementary, and Sheffield Junior High School and Scantron was implemented in order to provide more assistance to our teachers and students in Math and Reading. Other Title I funds are used to supplement teacher salaries in the three Title I schools.
Reform strategies are based on students’ developmental levels and on testing data. Intensive small group intervention, Title I instruction, “Sidewalks,” Failure Free Reading and the Compass Learning Program are tools used to work with students who are academically at-risk. Students may participate in extended learning opportunities which include the After-School Reading Program, mentoring programs, Accelerated Reader Program, and community volunteers who read to students.
In commitment to providing a quality education for all students, the faculty enhances the regular curriculum in many ways. All grade levels participate in educational field trips and enjoy a variety of guest speakers. All students participate in a comprehensive art and music curriculum, with thirty minutes of guided lessons each week. School guidance counselors also teach an age appropriate character development lesson each week.
A Student Support Team (SST) is engaged at each school and meets every 30 days or as needed to make recommendations for accommodations and/or evaluation to ensure that the needs of referred students are being met.
Neglected and Delinquent Children and Youth
SCS needs assessments indicated there is a need in the Sheffield City School System to operate programs for neglected or delinquent children and youth. Within our district boundaries, there are no institutions, community day programs, or correctional facilities designed to serve neglected or delinquent children and youth. However, we do have a attention home facility within our school district.
These circumstances have brought about a change in this status and the school system will enter into a consortium with Huntsville City Schools and apply for funds from the Alabama State Department of Education and operate programs that would involve collaboration with locally operated facilities to establish formal agreements regarding the services to be provided for these children. These programs would include, but not be limited to the following:
- high-quality educational programs that prepare children and youth to complete high school, enter training or employment programs, or further their education;
- activities that would facilitate the transition of such children and youth from the correctional program in an institution to further education or employment; and
- dropout prevention programs for children and youth who are at-risk of dropping out of school.
Migratory, Limited English Proficiency, and Children with Disabilities
The system shall reserve an unspecified amount of funds to provide services comparable to those provided to children in schools funded under this part to serve migratory, limited English proficiency students and students with disabilities who are eligible to receive Title I, Part A. These children will receive Title I, Part A services.
Preschool
Two pre-school classes are provided and located in the primary school facility. Thirty-four children are served with two certified teachers and two aides.
Low Achieving Schools
Currently there are no Title I schools in Sheffield City Schools identified as in need of improvement.
Plans for School Improvement and School Choice
The three Title I school-wide schools have meet their goals and are not in school improvement. With the assistance of the principal, school staff, and parents the school continues the development of their Continuous Improvement Plan to strengthen the core academic subjects and address the specific issues in effort to maintain their good standing. Professional development strategies continue to address corresponding staff needs. Specific measurable objectives have been established to ensure that all groups of students continue to make adequate yearly progress.
School choice is not an option for our district since there is only one school per grade span in the Sheffield City School System. Therefore, there is not another school within the system to which students may transfer.
Highly Qualified Personnel
All teachers and paraprofessionals in the three federally funded Primary, Elementary, and Junior High Schools are highly. In the event that a teacher in the system should be identified as not being highly qualified then general funds will be used to provide appropriate professional development opportunities which will allow staff members to achieve this goal. A district-level review of staff members’ certifications will result in the identification of employees who are not highly qualified according to the State’s model. Each identified staff member will be notified of the required course work or other appropriate steps to be taken in order to meet the state’s definition of highly qualified in an individual teacher HQ plan.
Homeless Children
The system shall reserve an unspecified amount of funds to provide services comparable to those provided to children in schools funded under this part to serve homeless children who do not attend participating schools. Homeless Children who are eligible to receive Title I, Part A services are part of Title I, Part A services.
Parent Involvement
The system employs a part-time parent involvement coordinator to implement appropriate parental involvement activities throughout the school year at the three schools. Activities are based on current needs assessments and geared to provide knowledge and skills designed to ensure that children meet the state’s academic achievement standards.
Sheffield City Schools’ Parental Involvement Policy and Plan will continue to be reviewed, revised, and adopted jointly with parents of children attending school-wide school and targeted assisted school, as evidenced by the following:
- Initial Approval by Federal Programs Committee – May 7, 2002
- Board Policy 7.25 Adopted - June 17, 2002
- Review and Adoption at annual Title I Parent Meeting- May 12, 2014
The policy and plan are reviewed and adopted by stakeholders at the annual Title I Parent Meeting, and remain in effect for a period of one calendar year. The signatures of the Federal Programs Coordinator, the Parental Involvement Coordinator, and a parent representative will be affixed to the approval form. The school district distributes this policy and plan annually to the parents of all students on or before October 1 of each school year. The Bell (a quarterly SheffieldCity’s Schools publication) is mailed to every household in Sheffield, and annually includes the Sheffield City Schools’ Parental Involvement Policy. In addition, copies of the policy and plan will be available on the district’s website, at all parent meetings, in the Central Office, and in each school’s office and library.
One percent of the district’s Title I allocation targets parental involvement. Schools will use the LEA reservation of funds to engage parents in family literacy activities, parenting sessions, and community programs while also providing the salary for a parental involvement specialist. The parental involvement coordinator extensively utilizes community agencies and businesses to direct monthly seminars, provide supervised family activities and make provisions for at-risk students. In addition to obtaining the donated services of area professionals, many dollars of educational supplies, clothing, and glasses are collected annually in an effort to assist students in need.
All parents have the opportunity to be involved in decisions regarding the parental involvement budget. All students have a designated folder/notebook as a communication tool between parents and teachers. Each spring, a parental involvement survey is placed in students’ communication notebooks. The analysis of parental responses on the survey reflects parental needs and dictates the program and expenditures for the upcoming year. In addition to survey results, parental responses from the suggestion box, program evaluations, and other communications are considered. The spring meeting of the Parental Involvement Sub-Committee, composed of parents and teachers, reviews all results and makes recommendations for the next year’s program and usage of funds. The sub-committee’s recommendations are taken to the annual Title IParent Meeting for approval.
At the beginning of the school year, each school-wide school holds a meeting to inform the parents about the instructional program, the curriculum, and forms of academic assessments. Parents learn about the school-wide program and the following subjects taught: reading, math, language, science, social studies, physical education, art, music, and technology. They also learn how to schedule parent-teacher conferences and how they can participate in decisions related to the education of their child. Parents are referred to their copy of the parent handbook which includes more detailed information on these topics and a copy of the parental involvement plan. Classroom teachers provide opportunities for regular meetings to review and assist in improving student progress.
Each school-wide school reviews its school-parent compact annually. The compact is designed to build and develop a partnership between the teacher, child, and parent. This partnership helps students achieve or exceed proficiency on the state’s academic content standards. The teachers retain the completed compact in their classrooms for use during parent-teacher and/or student-teacher conferences.