Program Overview

Title I programs are supplemental instructional services, in the areas of reading and mathematics, which are funded by the Federal Government. Connellsville Area School District is able to provide these programs based on our poverty rate. The purpose of Title I is to improve the academic achievement of the disadvantaged. 

 

Connellsville Area School District operates a Schoolwide Title I Program. Buildings which have a 40% poverty rate qualify for Schoolwide Programs. Since all of the buildings in the Connellsville Area School District meet that requirement, all students who are in buildings which have a Title I Program may receive Title I services. Title I services are provided to children who are identified as failing, or at most risk of failing, to meet the state’s challenging content and student performance standards. 

 

Connellsville Area School District’s Intervention Specialists (formerly known as Title I Staff) are PA certified elementary and/or reading specialists.

 

Students in our district are identified through a variety of means, including DIBELS reading and math (K-2), PSSA (Grades 3 - 5), Study Island Benchmark Assessments or CDT Testing (Grades 3 - 5), and other appropriate measures (K-5). Students are identified using multiple, objective, and electronically related criteria. Students move in and out of the program as their needs change. Student levels of achievement are continuously monitored by the Intervention Specialists and Data Teams in each building. Individualized attention increases student motivation and confidence. 

 

Services may be delivered as in-class support or pull-out support. Emphasis is placed on providing in-class services as much as possible. This requires cooperative planning on the part of all teachers. Title I services supplement regular classroom instruction. Students work in small groups. Students who were not identified for Tier II or Tier III Interventions may be given assistance by the Intervention Specialists. 

 

Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTII) was introduced during the 2010-2011 school year in grades K-3. An Intervention Period of 35 minutes is scheduled five days per week, for each K-3 teacher. During Intervention, the identified Tier II and III students work in small groups with the Intervention Specialists on various skills which specifically target the students’ areas of weakness in reading. Areas of focus include: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Title I services are considered to be a Tier II Intervention on the RTII Spectrum of services. Struggling students in math are also provided with supplemental instruction, but RTII is only provided for reading.

 

The Grades 3-5 Title I Reading and Math Program is a supplemental program designed to improve student skills in relation to grade level PA Common Core. The program focuses on the needs of adolescent learners and is designed to help students grow and support their regular education instruction. Instruction is delivered in addition to the regular education curriculum using a variety of materials and strategies. 

 

Title I services are required to begin before October each year and end near the beginning of May. This allows time for the Intervention Specialists to complete the mandated paperwork.

 

Children have a better chance of achieving success in the classroom when parents become partners in their child’s learning experience. During the school year, all parents of students in our Title I buildings will:

• Be given a parent/teacher/student compact which outlines responsibilities.
• Be provided a parent policy for the district and the child’s building.
• Be invited to attend workshops and parent meetings.
• Be invited to parent/teacher conferences.
• Receive regular updates regarding the child’s progress.

Title I is:

• Supplemental instruction
• Delivered by PA Certified Teachers
• Designed to increase student achievement for those at risk of failing.

 

• A program for students with behavior problems
• A program for students who have trouble paying attention and do not have academic need
• A program to help with make-up work and tests
• A service to provide aides in the classroom.