Title I Program

Targeted Assistance District/Building Plan

Coulee-Hartline School District

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Title I resources will be used to provide a teacher, teacher's assistant, and materials to be used in assisting the participating children in meeting performance standards for their grade level in math and reading. The Reading Workshop program is the primary means of reading service for eligible students in grades kindergarten through second grade. In addition the program supports eligible K-5 students with additional help in their classrooms.

The principal, Title I teacher, Title I assistant, parent representatives and classroom teachers consult with each other at the beginning and end of the school year to review the program and to discuss any anticipated problems or changes that need to be made in the program or the Building Plan. In September all students take the NWEA test. After this initial screening, further testing is administered to students below grade level. The classroom teachers play a major role in deciding which students need to be referred to the program. After the eligible students have been determined, the classroom teachers and Title I teacher once again meet to set up scheduling. 

RESEARCH

A portion of the Title I Program at Coulee City Elementary uses direct parental and community involvement to provide students with as much exposure as possible to written text. Stanovich and Cunningham found in their study "What Reading Does For the Mind: that " ...even when performance is statistically equated for reading comprehension and general ability, reading volume is still a very powerful indicator of vocabulary and knowledge differences." They concluded in their study that an early start in reading is important in predicting a lifetime of literacy experience. Coulee City's Reading Workshop pairs each eligible Title I student with a trained parent or community member who, under direction of a Title I teacher work with the Kindergarten – Third grade students. They guide reading practice using several different decoding strategies, provide a role model of fluency during shared reading, and are a source of encouragement to the sometimes struggling reader. The reading materials are carefully chosen at each student's instructional reading level so that the student can read free of frustration and enjoy the experience of reading as they are learning new skills. 
While the main focus of the program is reading practice, several other techniques that have been proven effective by research are incorporated. Weekly, each student's sight word vocabulary is assessed and they are assigned a list of five sight words on file cards, which they practice daily. When the words are read correctly for five consecutive days, they are placed on a ring and kept for further practice. Also, there is a focused reading skill that is highlighted each week.  Comprehension is assessed informally by asking the student to "retell" the story in their own words, or occasionally through formal comprehension questions throughout the reading experience to determine student understanding and critical thinking skills. 
Reading Workshop provides activities that involve several modes of learning. To further parental involvement, students are encouraged to take home reproducible books to read at home with their parents on a weekly basis. These books are at the students reading level and have been read in class that week.
ENTRANCE AND EXIT CRITERIA 
To identify eligible students in greatest need, we ask the regular classroom teachers to observe and evaluate their individual students during the first weeks of school, as well as review any previous test scores that may be available. During the month of September, after parents have been notified of possible difficulties, teacher referrals are sent to the Title I teacher. These referred students, all the students who were in the program last year and students below grade level the reading or math portion of the NWEA, are tested using the Ekwall Reading Inventory or Qualitative Reading Inventory for reading and the WKJII for math. These scores, along with the needs rating scale, and the classroom rank order are assigned points and combined to get an overall rank order of the students most "at risk". The students' parents are notified that their child is eligible for Title I services, and unless a parent objects, the student is enrolled in the program. The students begin receiving services around the first or second week in October. Students remain in the program until they meet the exit criteria.
The exit process for a student is started when either the classroom teacher or the Title I teacher observe the student consistently working at grade level. For the Reading Workshop student this observation would take place when they have mastered the books at their grade level. The student would then be tested using one or more of the previously mentioned tests. At this time the Title I teacher, classroom teacher and parents of the student will meet to review the student’s progress to determine if the student can maintain grade level performance standards without the extra Title I assistance.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM 
The meeting times and scheduling for the Title I programs are carefully considered during conferences between the Title I teacher and the classroom teachers. Because the Reading Workshop program utilizes parents and community volunteers who work one to one with the eligible students, it is necessary to remove the children from the regular classroom, but this is done in such a way that the student is missing none of the standard reading curriculum. According to the yearly subject area supplant survey the majority of the teachers have their classroom students participate in Silent Sustained Reading or the teacher is reading aloud during the time slot that Title students are reading one to one with their tutor. The Title I Reading Workshop then becomes an integral part of the day for these students, meeting Tuesday through Thursday throughout the school year whenever students are in attendance. 
In Classroom Assistance: For students in third through fifth grade the majority of our support is provided in class and/or in a small group outside of the class. Activities are structured to support the lessons of the homeroom teacher and to support each student’s development as a confident, independent learner. 
Reading Workshop: The students meet in the Title I Room three times a week for thirty minutes of intensive reading activities.  A short amount of time at the beginning of the 30-minute Reading Workshop time slot is spent reading through sight-words which are chosen individually for each student from a graded word list. The students are then given a focus for the day. We review and practice reading strategies that include semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic methods so that the student develops a variety of techniques to translate meaning from words in text. The remainder of the period (20-25 minutes) is reading time, students reading aloud to their respective tutors, and tutors providing support and guidance while emphasizing the particular focus for the day. 
The books that are chosen for individualized reading are based on the student's instructional level, as determined by their testing and classroom performance. We use a variety of incremented series of books that have been placed in bins according to each book's particular level, using Fountas and Pinnell criteria. The students are given several books each week to keep on hand, and progress is recorded on reading logs. Along with these books the students are given a reproducible book from the Reading A –Z website. These are leveled books that the students can take home each week.  We strive to provide as much quality and motivational reading practice as is possible in the amount of time allotted.  We encourage our students to continue reading for pleasure at home with these take home books. 
PROFESSIONAL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT 
Title I staff, administration and parents take advantage of professional development provided by ESD 171 Title I Cooperative. The goal of our professional development is to have trained teachers and staff members who are capable of offering all students, including those with special needs, the opportunity to learn all the essential skills for success, as determined by current state standards. District sponsored training is provided according to the goals set each school year as part of the on-going school improvement process. 
At this time all staff members meet the highly qualified requirements according to the Points-based HOUSSE. The district will make sure that all new teachers and paraprofessionals are highly qualified before hiring.
PARENT INVOLVEMENT 
The Coulee-Hartline School District has a history of strong parental involvement, with many programs and special events offered throughout the year. Information on Title I and other school programs are often shared at these special events. An all-school Open House at the beginning of each school year offers Title I the opportunity to meet parents and explain the Title I program. Input is solicited about the Building Plan and the program as a whole. The Parent- Teacher-Student Compact written by a committee of parents, Title I staff and regular education teachers, is distributed as a part of the student handbook.  Early in the school year, parents and other community members are encouraged to participate in a Title I sponsored tutor training. Parents are informed of student progress through conferences that are held on a school-wide basis each fall, and are requested at other times as needed. Reports about classroom activities are sent home each Friday, and reports on academic progress and social feedback are sent home each quarter
.  Parents are encouraged to volunteer as tutors and strong home reading programs are established in all K-5 classrooms. Our Parent Teacher Organization sponsors three book give-aways, where all students are allowed to chose a book of their own to take home. These are usually connected in some way to our biannual read at home programs. These 4 to 6 week programs are held each fall and spring. 
Parents are notified of meetings throughout the year and questionnaires are sent home at the end of the year for parental response and input regarding the effectiveness of the program. The Building Plan is made available at the first parent/teacher conference of the school year.  It is also posted on our school website. Review of the Building Plan will occur as part of an annual parent advisory committee review of programs for our building. These things are all in accordance with our District Title I Parent Involvement Policy and Procedures.
COORDINATION AND PLANNING 
At this time our district does not have educational services such as Even Start, Head Start, Reading First, or Early Reading. Our high school vocational program sponsors a preschool program. This preschool works as a part of our high school but is located in our elementary. Because or this our students easily transition from preschool to kindergarten. The preschool curriculum flows seamlessly into the kindergarten program. The preschool class visits the kindergarten classroom in the spring to get the students familiar with the kindergarten program. The preschool students are a part of many of our school sponsored assemblies, programs and special events.
Title I works hard to support the kindergarten program. Kindergarten students are placed on our rank order and qualifying students are served in Reading Workshop for reading and in the classroom for math. 
Migratory children, Second Language Learners, Homeless Children: Coulee-Hartline School District doesn’t currently have any of the aforementioned students at this time. All new enrollees are screened for needed services. If such a student should enroll we will take appropriate steps to make sure that their needs are met with the help of county and state agencies or community services.
 SCHOOLWIDE STATUS 
The Coulee-Hartline School District remains a Targeted Assistance Program. The free and reduced lunch population rarely reaches 40%. Because of this, the success of the tutoring program it has been using and the research that supports the effectiveness of one to one tutoring we choose to remain a Targeted Assistance Program. 

TIME AND EFFORT
The Coulee-Hartline School District tracks time and effort on a monthly basis. Title I personnel work solely on activities related to said cost objectives each month. Time and Effort records will be signed and dated by the employee or a supervisor with first-hand knowledge of the work performed at the end of each month.