Title I, Part A, Updates for Experienced Coordinators Chris McLaughlin Virginia Department of Education Office of Program Administration and Accountability.

Title I, Part A, Updates for Experienced Coordinators

Chris McLaughlin

Virginia Department of Education Office of Program Administration and Accountability

July 2015 Coordinators’ Academy

2015 Coordinators’ Academy

10 Manage the grant funds;

9 Submit application amendments and correlating budget transfer requests in a timely manner;

8 Submit reimbursement requests regularly and accurately;

7 Prepare for Federal Program Monitoring on an annual basis;

6 Participate in relevant Title I University webinars;


5 Contact your Title I specialist often;

4 Familiarize yourself with and be knowledgeable of USED guidance documents;

3 Examine and enhance parental involvement communication systems and processes;

2 Develop a comprehensive application that accurately reflects the Title I program; and

1 Evaluate the program’s effectiveness in terms of student achievement outcomes.


MANAGE THE GRANT FUNDS

10


Life-Cycle of Grant = 27 Months


Spend Down of Federal Funds

Year of Grant Award

Total Grant Award Period

Deadline to Obligate 85% of

Award*

Deadline to Obligate 100%

of Award

Deadline to Request

Reimbursement for ALL Funds

FFY 2015(2015-2016)

July 1, 2015 – September 30, 2017

September 30, 2016

September 30, 2017

November 15, 2017

FFY 2014(2014-2015)

July 1, 2014 – September 30, 2016

September 30, 2015

September 30, 2016

November 15, 2016

FFY 2013(2013-2014)

July 1, 2013 – September 30, 2015

September 30, 2014

September 30, 2015

November 15, 2015

2015 Coordinators’ Academy7

Virginia Department of Education

Carryover Provisions

• Total period of grant award is 27 months

• 85 percent of funds must be obligated within 15 months

• Up to 15 percent can be carried over for the remaining grant award period

• Refer to Superintendent’s Memo #085-15 – Title I, Part A Carryover Provisions and Reallocation Procedures Under the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (ESEA) for more information.


Considerations for Planning the Use of Title I Funds Ask yourself, is it . . .

• Not prohibited or required by other state or local regulations. • Supplemental to the basic education program•Necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient performance and implementation

• Not exceeding sensible limits; not exorbitant• Market cost for comparable goods

•To meet a clear and documented need•To carry out an approved program/activity or for the success of an

approved/adopted initiative•To increase access, improve quality, support students, etc.

•Appropriate infrastructure in place to support the activity•Aligned with current division initiatives, strategic direction, policies,

etc.•Sufficient time, personnel, funding to fully carry out the initiative


AMENDMENTS AND BUDGET TRANSFERS

9


To amend, or not to amend?

When are application amendments necessary?

•After final allocations are released (if application has already been approved programmatically)

•When programmatic changes are made during grant award cycle

•Before any budget transfer request is made throughout grant award cycle

Title I, Part A, Amendments

Amendments should include:

• Amendment number, date, and description of changes on cover page of application

•Modifications to application such as:

• Program narrative

• Detailed budget description

• Object code budget

• Budget summary


Budget Transfers• A budget transfer request must follow any

application request that includes budget changes.

• Write a clear and concise justification.

• Work with your budget office to ensure accuracy.

• Use the “View My Spenddown Calendar Report” in the Online Management of Education Grant Awards (OMEGA) system to review all budget transfer requests processed within the grant award period.


REIMBURSEMENTS

8


Reimbursements

• Submit reimbursements on regular basis (quarterly or monthly).

• Submit reimbursements for “older funds” prior to accessing “newer funds” when possible.

• Review OMEGA requests regularly to ensure created requests are submitted and approved through local approval queue by all parties.


Reimbursements

• Ensure reimbursement requests are explicitly stated in the grant.

• Ensure the item or activity is directly expressed in the reimbursement request description line.

• Use the “View My Spenddown Calendar Report” in OMEGA to review all reimbursement requests processed within the grant award period.


Review spend down for all open awards regularly (use the “View My Spending Progress” report in OMEGA).


FEDERAL PROGRAM MONITORING (FPM) PROCESS

7


Federal Program Monitoring Cycle


Federal Program Monitoring Cycle


Federal Program Monitoring Process


Federal Program Monitoring (2014-2015)

Number of Divisions

Monitored

Title I, Part A, Title I, Part D,

Title III

Number of Divisions:

No Findings

Number of Divisions:Findings

Total Findings

47

23

24

29


Federal Program Monitoring 2014-2015 Summary

Federal Program Area Area of Improvement Frequency

Title I 2.1c (Instructional Support – Highly

Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals)

16

Title I 2.3a(Parental Involvement Policies)

2

Title I 2.3e(Convene Annual Meeting)

2

Title I 2.7a(Student Selection Criteria)

1


Federal Program Monitoring 2014-2015 Summary

Federal Program Area Area of Improvement Frequency

Title I 3.1a(Fiduciary: Reallocation of funds)

3

Title I 3.2a(Fiduciary: local application

review)

2

Title I 3.3e(Proper Distribution of Funds)

1

Title I 3.4b(Fiduciary: Comparability)

1

Title III 2.4b(Parental Notifications)

1


Federal Program Monitoring: School Division Participation


TITLE I UNIVERSITY (2015-2016)

6


Title I University Content


Title I University• During the 2015-2016 school year, Title I staff will facilitate

training sessions focused on specific and timely topics. • Participation is open to any and all interested division staff.• Topics for this year include:• National Title I Distinguished Schools Application Process• Successful Program Implementation: Meeting Compliance

Requirements• Application Amendments and Budget Transfers• Comparability• Equitable Services, Part I and Part 2• Community Eligibility Provision• Maintenance of Effort• Monitoring and Revising the Schoolwide Plan• Refer to presentation schedule for session dates.


VDOE SUPPORT

5


Consultation Recommended

• Federal Program Monitoring preparation

• Allowable expenditures

• Adding a new position with Title I funds

• School eligibility

• Application planning

• Parent Involvement

• Time and effort reporting

• Schoolwide planning

• Program evaluation


VDOE Contact Information: Title I, Part A, Specialists


VDOE Contact Information: Title I, Part A, Coordinator

Dr. Lynn Sodat, Title I, Part A, [email protected]

804-371-2934

VDOE Title I, Part A, staff contact information, including specialists’ assigned divisions, is posted on the VDOE Web site: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/federal_programs/esea/title1/part_a/index.shtml


IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS AND RESOURCES

4


Guidelines and Procedures

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/federal_programs/esea/title1/part_a/index.shtml


Guidelines and Procedures



Suggested Guidance

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)


Suggested Guidance

Parental Involvement


Suggested Guidance

Fiscal Issues


PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

3


Parental Involvement Provisions in ESEA

• Shared accountability between schools and parents for high student achievement

• Local development of parental involvement plans

• Building parents' capacity for using effective practices to improve their own children's academic achievement

• Parent notification of school and division performance on federal accountability measures

• Parent notification of professional qualifications of teachers


Title I, Part A, Parental Involvement

As a condition of receiving Title I, Part A, funds, a school division must:

•Develop a Title I School Parent Involvement Policy for each Title I school;

•Develop a Title I Division Parent Involvement Policy;

•Evaluate plans and activities annually; and

•Reserve one percent of the division’s Title I allocation for parent involvement if the total award is $500,000 or greater.


Parental Involvement Resources



DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE APPLICATION

2


Your Application is the Road Map to Implement your Title I Program

Needs AssessmentProgram Evaluation

Research-based Programs and Activities

Measurable Objectives

Detailed BudgetBreakdown

Program Overview


Developing the Title I, Part A, Application

• Begin the application process by conducting an annual needs assessment and program evaluation.

• Include a data analysis summary in the application narrative.

• Describe the division’s instructional program as supported by the federal grant.

• Describe research-based strategies implemented to obtain measurable objectives.


Developing the Title I, Part A, Application

• Describe meaningful parental involvement activities.

• Ensure that funded activities and programs contribute to the measurable objectives.

• Provide detailed summary of support initiatives for priority schools, focus schools, and schools in improvement if you set aside funds to support these schools.


PROGRAM EVALUATION: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

1


Ensure that all children have fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain high-quality education and

reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and assessments.

Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged

The purpose of Title I is to:

Purpose of Title I, Part A


Annual Evaluation Process

2015 Coordinator’s Academy49


Data Analysis and Program Evaluation

Two primary inquiries



• Surveys

• Focus groups

• State and local assessments

• Lesson plans and student work

• Curriculum and assessment materials

• Observation reports

• Student demographics

• School culture and climate

• Academic achievement

• College and career readiness

• Human capital/Instructional data

• Parent and community engagement

• School operations and management

Identify and Gather Data

Include multiple types of data from a variety of sources.



Tiered Data Sources



When Determining which Sources of Data to Use, Think About the Following Questions:

Are the data sets relevant to the area under study?

Do the data points selected give you differing perspectives or lenses through which you can answer key questions?

How does each of the data points (sources of data) help you answer key questions?


Key Questions to Consider

• Did the Title I-funded programs and activities improve student performance? How do you know?

• Are the activities and initiatives obtaining the intended results? How do you know?

• How are “like” students performing that do not have the benefit of the Title I program?

• Do achievement gaps exist? Are they shrinking?


Questions?

Title I, Part A, Updates for Experienced Coordinators Chris McLaughlin Virginia Department of Education Office of Program Administration and Accountability.

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