What is Title I?

Title I is a federal program that provides funding for students in low income schools. For Title I purposes, the low income count in each building is determined by the number of families eligible for free or reduced-price lunch according to the income scale established by the National School Lunch Act. The funding is based on the poverty level within the district and distributed to schools that meet the established criteria. Title I funds cannot be used to pay for programs required by other federal, state, or local laws/requirements.

There are two types of Title I programs: Targeted Assistance and Schoolwide.

The Targeted Assistance model provides additional educational services to identified Title I students who are low achieving or most at risk of low achievement. Selection for services is based entirely on low achieving, not low income. Schools using the Targeted Assistance model are required to identify specific children to receive supplemental instructional services, as well as specific staff to deliver the supplemental instructional services.In a Targeted Assistance model, Title I funds may be used to coordinate and supplement services. Targeted Assistance schools must maintain documentation showing program expenditures to verify that funds were used to meet statutory requirements for such programs. Conestoga Valley High School is a Targeted Assistance Title I school. 

A school with a 35% or above poverty level qualifies to operate a Schoolwide program. Fritz, Leola, Smoketown and Gerald G. Huesken Middle School qualify as Schoolwide buildings. Buildings using the Schoolwide model are not required to identify specific children to receive supplemental instructional services or specific staff to deliver the supplemental instructional services. All students are eligible to receive Title I services in a Schoolwide building. The Schoolwide program is based on a comprehensive school reform strategy designed to upgrade the entire educational program in the building. The primary goal is that all students, without distinguishing between eligible and ineligible children, demonstrate proficient and advanced levels of achievement on state academic standards.

For many years, Brownstown Elementary operated a Targeted Assistance program via a waiver because Brownstown did not meet the eligibility criteria of 40% [free and reduced lunch]. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), does not utilize waivers. Eligibility for a school to receive Title I funds is now 35% [free and reduced lunch]. Brownstown Elementary is not eligible for Title I funding at this time. 

Highly Qualified Teachers
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) does not use the term Highly Qualified, as NCLB did. Conestoga Valley School District, however, continues to hire only teachers who hold Pennsylvania certification to teach the grade levels and subjects to which they are assigned. Parents of CV students may, at any time, request information relating to the professional qualifications of any of his/her child’s classroom teacher(s) and any paraprofessional providing instructional support services to his/her child. At this time, every (100%) CV teacher holds a valid Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate to teach the subject(s) he/she is currently teaching.

ESSA Federal Report