Title I, Part A Programs
The Title I Part A Program makes it possible to expand the basic educational programs schools and districts offer with services and interventions that support struggling learners. Title I, Part A is one of many programs governed by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or ESEA. There are two kinds of programs that schools can fund through Title I, Part A — school-wide and targeted assistance.
• Schoolwide means that all students—based on academic need—are eligible to receive the additional instruction this federal program will fund.
• Targeted assistance makes it possible to provide the same benefits but only to selected students based on academic need.
Siren Schools are Schoolwide Title 1 schools.
Your Right to Know
ESEA directs schools and districts to notify parents about the following key requirements of a Title I, Part A program.
1. Professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals who instruct
2. Notification if your child’s teacher is not highly qualified
3. Individual report card that lets you know how your child is progressing
4. DPI issues ESSA Accountability Reports annually. These reports explain ESSA identifications and their calculation and also compare school and student group performance to that of other schools and student groups statewide. Public ESSA and district summary reports are posted here.
Your Right to Know —Professional Qualifications of Teachers
Parents of children, who attend schools that receive Title I, Part A funding, have the right to request and receive information about the qualifications of the educators who teach their children core subjects—reading, English language arts and mathematics. The same applies to paraprofessionals who instruct. At a minimum, the information you receive must explain these 3 essential components of an educator’s qualifications.
1. Whether or not the teacher met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject(s) he or she is teaching,
2. Whether or not the teacher has an emergency or conditional certificate by which state qualifications were waived.
3. What undergraduate and graduate degree(s) the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration.
Your Right to Know—Qualifications of Paraprofessionals Who Instruct
Districts employ paraprofessionals to provide instructional support— consistent with the instruction provided by the classroom teacher or teachers. In schools that operate a schoolwide program, all paraprofessionals who instruct must have special qualifications. In schools that operate a targeted assistance program, the paraprofessionals who instruct students served by the Title I, Part A program must also have earned these same qualifications.
1. Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education, or
2. Obtained an associate’s or higher degree, or
3. Meet a high standard of quality either through a) the ETS ParaPro Assessment, or b) an paraeducator apprenticeship program approved by Wisconsin.
Notification If Your Child’s Teacher Is Not Highly Qualified.
ESEA directs schools to send timely notice to parents and guardians IF their child has been assigned to, or taught for more than four consecutive weeks by—a teacher of a core academic subject—who is not highly qualified.
Report Card for Every Student
You have a right to know how well your child is progressing. Schools that operate Title I, Part A programs must generate a report card for every student that explains how well that student scored on the state assessment in, at least, reading, English language arts and mathematics.
State Report Card
The Office of Public Instruction—Wisconsin’s education agency—publishes a State Report Card online. Use this website to find important information about your school and district, such as the results of state testing, enrollment numbers, facts and figures about the teachers in your school and much more.
Ask Us About Title I, Part A Programs & Your Right to Know