The Board of Education elects to augment the educational program of educationally disadvantaged students by the use of Federal funds and in accordance with Title I of the Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Act of 1965. The District Administrator shall prepare and present to the Department of Public Instruction a plan for the delivery of services which meets the requirements of the law, including those described below. The plan shall be developed by appropriate staff members and parents of students who will be served by the plan.

A. Assessment:   The District shall annually assess the educational needs of eligible children, as determined by Federal and State criteria. Such assessment shall include performance measures mandated by the Department of Public Instruction as well as those determined by the District professional staff, that will assist in the diagnosis, teaching, and learning of the participating students.

B. Scope:   Each school shall determine whether the funds will be used to upgrade the educational program of an entire school and/or to establish or improve programs that provide services only for eligible students in greatest need of assistance. The program, for an entire school and/or a Targeted Assistance School shall include the components required by law as well as those agreed upon by participating staff and parents.

C. Participation:   The Title I program shall be developed and evaluated in consultation with parents and professional staff members involved in its implementation. Appropriate training will be provided to staff members who provide Title I services. Parent participation shall be in accord with Board Policy 2261.01 and shall meet the requirements of Section 1118 of the Act.

D. Comparability of Services:   Title I funds will be used only to augment, not to replace, State and local funds. The District Administrator shall use State and local funds to provide educational services in schools receiving Title I assistance that, taken as a whole, are at least comparable to services being provided in schools that are not receiving Title I assistance. The determination of the comparability of services may exclude, in accordance with Federal regulations, State and local funds spent on compensatory education programs, bilingual education programs, and programs for educationally-disabled students. The determination of comparability will not take into account unpredictable changes in student enrollments or personnel assignments.

In order to achieve comparability of services, the District Administrator shall assign teachers, administrators, and auxiliary personnel and provide curriculum materials and instructional supplies in such a manner as to ensure equivalence throughout the District.

E. Professional Development:   The District Administrator shall develop administrative guidelines whereby members of the professional staff participate in the design and implementation of staff development activities that meet the requirements of Section 1119 of the Act and:

1. involve parents in the training, when appropriate;
2. combine and consolidate other available Federal and District funds;
3. foster cooperative training with institutions of higher learning and other educational organizations including other school districts;
4. allocate part of the staff development to the following types of strategies:

a. performance-based student assessment b. use of technology c. working effectively with parents d. early childhood education e. meeting children's special needs f. fostering gender-equitable education

1. provide opportunities for paraprofessionals to work toward certification as professional educators.

F. Simultaneous Services: In accordance with law, a school offering Title I services may also serve other students with similar needs.