State and Federal Programs

For any questions related to Federal or State programs, please contact:

Dr. Phil Black, Director

PUSD Assessments & Accountability/Compensatory Education Department

(559) 793-2445

State and Federal Programs

PUSD's Assessments & Accountability Department oversees state and federal categorical funds and the requirements of the funds that directly flow to PUSD's programs and sites. The department oversight consists of the funding application process, budget development, distribution of funding, and monitoring compliant use of the funding.

The Assessments & Accountability Department implements the program requirements of Title I, as required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESSA) and other federal programs such as Title II, Title III, and Migrant.

This department also coordinates the assistance and support for the development of the annual Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSA).

Categorical Program Descriptions

Title I

Funds are used to support effective, research-based educational strategies that close the achievement gap between high-and low-performing students and enable the students to meet the state's challenging academic standards. Title I-funded schools are either targeted assistance schools or schoolwide program schools
Funds may be used in a variety of ways as long as they provide supplemental services that are focused on improving student achievement. Examples of how funds may be used include, but is not limited to the following:

Supplemental support provided by teachers and instructional aides
Extended learning time (e.g., before school and after school)
Parent involvement
Supplemental instructional materials and other instructional support
Staff development
Promoting and developing a positive school culture
Health, nutrition, and other social services

Title III LEP and Title III Immigrant

The program focuses on language instruction for limited-English-proficient and immigrant students.

The program provides for supplementary programs and services to students that are limited English proficient, known as English learners.

Funds may be used for a variety of purposes that provide for support directed to ELs, including:

English language development instruction
Enhanced instruction for ELs in core subject areas
High-quality professional development for teachers and other staff
Identifying and improving curriculum, materials, and assessments
Tutorials or other intervention support to meet the language development needs of ELs
Educational technology
Providing community participation programs, including family literacy and parent outreach
Coordinating the language instruction program with other programs and services

Title II

This is a federal program that increases student academic achievement through strategies such as improving teacher and principal quality.

The Title II purpose of, Part A is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts to:

improve teacher and principal quality through professional development and other activities, including reduced class sizes; and
ensure all teachers are highly qualified.

The program focuses on preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers. Allows LEAs increased flexibility to allocate funds among professional development, class-size reduction, and other teacher quality activities.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

On December 10, 2015, it was signed into law a new set of regulations for the federal Title I program. Under the previous regulations, known as No Child Left Behind or NCLB, parents at schools designated as Program Improvement, were given the opportunity to apply for their student to be transferred to a non-PI school.

Under the new regulations, called the Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA, the NCLB School Choice transfer program is no longer available. Schools will no longer be designated as Program Improvement. The California Department of Education will determine if a school is not meeting improvement goals and if they aren’t meeting the goals, the State will designate an intervention for the school.

If you are interested in learning more about ESSA and how Title I programs, including SES, may be affected by this new law, several websites are listed here:

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/essa-reauth/

http://west.edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/11/Every-Student-Succeeds-Act-Implications-for-CA-FINAL-PDF.pdf

School Site Council

California Education Code 52852 requires that a school site council shall be established at each school that participates in Title I or LCFF supplemental/concentration grant funding. The school site council shall be composed of the principal and representatives of: teachers selected by teachers at the school; other school personnel selected by other school personnel at the school; parents of pupils attending the school selected by the parents; and, in secondary schools, pupils selected by pupils attending the school.

School site councils meet regularly to complete the following activities:

Elect officers
Develop/revise by-laws (optional)
Advise the annual revision of the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Recommend the annual revisions to the SPSA for Board approval
Approve revisions to the site categorical budget and SPSA
Monitor the implementation of the site categorical budget and activities in the SPSA
Annually evaluate the activities in the approved SPSA

School Site Council (Empowering Students)

District Parent Involvement Policy

Parental/Family Involvement

Porterville Unified School District recognizes that providing our parents/guardians/caregivers with opportunities to become involved in their children’s educational experiences has a direct and significant impact on their child’s education and goals. It has been proven that students of involved parents/guardians earn higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, develop better social skills with higher self-esteem and will graduate and go on to post-secondary colleges or universities. Furthermore, research affirms that our parental/guardian involvement is more predictive of success than socio-economic status, ethnicity, or parents’ educational background. Our schools value parents as equal partners in their child’s education and we provide and recommend a variety of ways for parents to demonstrate their involvement, beginning with simply showing a genuine interest in your child’s classwork, asking questions, and listening to their responses. Our school personnel value and rely on two-way communication with parents, and found that by working together, our children will flourish within our community. We encourage parents to exercise their rights as follows and to become active participants in their children’s educational pursuits.

Parents have the right to request the qualifications of their children’s classroom teachers, including:

The teacher’s qualifications to teach the subject matter
The type of credential held
The degree of graduate certificate held
If services are provided by a paraprofessional, what type of services, and the paraprofessional’s qualifications

District Advisory Committee (DAC)

Requirements

School districts receiving State funds are required to establish a district advisory committee (DAC). This committee also serves as one of the parent advisory committees for the LCFF/LCAP.

Responsibility

DACs are required to certify that the LEA’s Consolidated Application for specified categorical funds, including, but not limited to school-based coordinated categorical programs, compensatory education programs, and EIA programs, was developed with review and advice from those committees.

DAC Committee Members

School sites are currently electing new committee members for the 2020-21 school year.

District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC

Responsibilities

1. The DELAC, or subcommittee on English learner education, shall advise the district’s local governing board on program and services for English learners.

2. The DELAC shall be responsible for advising the district’s local governing board on the following tasks:

· A. Development or revision of a district master plan of education programs and services for English learners, taking into consideration the Single Plan for Student Achievement.

· B. Conducting a district-wide needs assessment on a school-by-school basis.

· C. Establishment of district programs, goals, and objectives for programs and services for English learners (e.g., parental exception waivers and funding).

· D. Development of a plan to ensure compliance with any applicable teacher and instructional aide requirements.

· E. Administration of the annual language census (e.g., procedures and forms).

· F. Review and comment on the district’s reclassification procedures.

· G. Review and comment on the written notifications required to be sent to parents and guardians.

Federal Program Monitoring (FPM)

Federal and state laws require the California Department of Education (CDE) to monitor the implementation of categorical programs operated by local education agencies (LEAs). LEAs are responsible for creating and maintaining programs that meet requirements.

LEAs are monitored to ensure that they meet fiscal and program requirements of federal categorical programs and mandated areas of state responsibility and funding.

The Federal Program Monitoring (FPM) Office coordinates reviews through a combination of data and document review and onsite visits. LEAs are assigned to one of four cycles: A, B, C, D. Each year, CDE analyzes extensive data for all LEAS which receive categorical funds in two of four cycles. LEAs may be selected for an on-site or online monitoring every two years.

Several factors, including compliance history, academic achievement, program size, and fiscal analysis are considered in identifying LEAs for review. Using this selection criterion, approximately 60 LEAs and sites are selected for on-site or online monitoring. Several LEAs are also randomly selected each year for monitoring.

COMPLIANCE MONITORING

Schools, districts, and county offices that receive funding for certain programs may be chosen for a review by the state. The purpose of the review is to ensure that they are spending the funding as required by law. Reviews may take place in person and/or through an online process.

At the end of each review, the state will complete a report of findings that informs the school, district, or county office how to correct the findings.

TITLE I SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAM (SWP)

A schoolwide program (SWP) is a comprehensive reform strategy designed to upgrade the entire educational program in a Title I school. Its primary goal is to ensure that all students, particularly those who are low-achieving, demonstrate proficient and advanced levels of achievement on State academic achievement standards.

Schoolwide programs must address the needs of all students in the school, but particularly the needs of children who are members of the target population of any federal education program whose funds are included in the schoolwide program. Research shows that to close the achievement gap in high priority schools, a school's entire educational program must be improved. The schoolwide program assists in this process by requiring research-proven programs and activities to be incorporated into the school's curriculum.

A schoolwide program permits a school to use Title I funds and other federal education program funds and resources to improve the entire educational program of the school in order to raise academic achievement for all students. Schoolwide programs have greater flexibility in spending Title I funds to engage in reform strategies that increase the amount and quality of learning time and help provide a high-quality curriculum for all children. Flexibility in the use of funds is tied to increased achievement by students at all levels by allowing schools to integrate their programs, strategies, and resources.

A well-designed and implemented schoolwide program touches all aspects of the school's operation and offers an appropriate option for high-poverty schools seeking to improve achievement for all students, particularly the lowest-achieving.

Schoolwide programs:

Plan for comprehensive, long-term improvement.
Serve all students with highly-qualified teachers and paraprofessionals.
Provide continuous learning for staff, parents, and the community.
Use research-based practices to develop and implement enriched instruction for all students.
Use inclusive approaches to strengthen the school's organizational structure.
Consolidate resources to achieve program goals.
Engage in continuous self-assessment and improvement.