What is Title I?
Title I is a federally funded program that is part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which provides funds to communities based in part upon the number of students that are eligible for free or reduced lunch.
The funds are intended to help close the achievement gap of students in the schools in these communities by providing supplemental services. Any student may be eligible for Title I services regardless of family income. That is because funds are targeted for students who are in greatest educational need based upon the results of school-wide assessments.
Participation in Title I requires parental permission which is sought by the school once a child qualifies for the services.
Title I instruction must be in addition to regular class instruction. Therefore, it takes place during our school's RtI blocks for reading and math, when each student gets what he or she needs to learn. Title I instruction takes place out of the regular classroom. Title I does not work on current classwork or homework during this time.
Children work in small groups for 45 minutes with a certified teacher in either reading or math, and a child may participate in both subjects if needed.
Most children enjoy the extra attention they receive in a small group. Skills may be taught using printed material, learning activities, games, or technology.
Reading Skills:
Did you know that learning to read is a challenge for almost 40 percent of kids? The good news is that with early help, most reading problems can be prevented. The bad news is that nearly half of all parents who notice their child having trouble wait a year or more before getting help. Unfortunately, the older a child is, the more difficult it is to teach him or her to read. (Reading Rockets)
Here at IHGMS, the Reading Title I Specialists use practical skills of instruction in conjunction with a comprehensive reading program called LLI. (Leveled Literacy Intervention by Fountas and Pinnell) Some of those instructional skills include, but are not limited to, selecting programs and lessons appropriate to the students’ instructional levels, give corrective feedback and design lessons based on students’ needs, identify reading materials for students' independent reading levels, use repeated readings, alternate and choral reading, and self-timing strategies to provide practice for fluency, and use several kinds of assessments to track change over time and for the purposes of instructional planning and student grouping.
Parents, teachers, caregivers, and members of the community must recognize the important role they can play in helping children learn to read. The research shows that what families do makes a difference, what teachers do makes a difference, and what community programs do makes a difference. It's time for all those who work with children to work together to ensure that every child learns to read. It is our shared responsibility. (Reading Rockets 2011)
Math Skills:
No matter the grade, the Title I specialists like to review several skills at the beginning of each school year. The specialists always go over place value of whole numbers and decimals, rounding, estimating, math facts, multi digit by multi digit multiplication, and the process of division. We encourage good math habits such as- writing neatly, double checking work, and having a positive attitude.
As the year progresses, the specialists start to see students’ challenge areas and build lessons around those areas of need. Specialists will not focus on what your child is doing in their math class. The purpose of Title I is to go back and build on those foundational skills. Therefore, while we might review a current class topic- we cannot do the actual class assignment or any homework.
We continue to work on math fact fluency throughout the year through various techniques.
Helping Your Child At Home:
Reading activity to try at home: Visit your local library. This time of year libraries often host seasonal events including special story hours, crafts, games and snacks. Think about donating books your children have outgrown. Many libraries sell gently used books for $.25 to $.50. You can replace the books you donate with more age appropriate books for very little money.
Have you ever just wanted information about how to better help your child learn to read? The following are a few free web sites that answer questions, give helpful advice, and provide materials to help parents.
Words For Life
http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/7-11
Words for Life is the National Literacy Trust’s website for parents.
Family Education
https://www.familyeducation.com/school-learning/reading-language-arts
Explore the world of words with your kids! Encourage them to love reading and help them improve their language arts skills with these games, printables, and activities.
PBS Parents
PBS Parents is a trusted resource that’s filled with information on child development and early learning. It also serves as a parent's window to the world of PBS KIDS, offering access to educational games and activities inspired by PBS KIDS programs.
Reading Resource
https://www.readingresource.net/
This website is dedicated to helping children learn to read. For anyone who cares about reading and helping those with dyslexia and reading difficulties, ReadingResource.net is for you.
All About Adolescent Literacy
Resources for parents and educators of kids in grades 4-12
Math:
There are quite a few awesome, free websites that help students understand math concepts.
SplashMath.com
For 5th and 6th graders- Splash Math is a great website.
Students work through 5th grade content to achieve mastery in each skill. They work from topic to topic. I would not use this website with older students, as it can seem a bit young.
KhanAcademy.org
Every grade can, and should, use Khan Academy at home. This website provides video tutorials on topics that students might be struggling with. This is a free website and students work at their own pace. They can use the search function to find the topics they need help with or keep reviewing skills on their grade level mission.
XtraMath.org
Each student in Title I Math has an account. We practice our multiplication and division fact fluency through this site. Students are given three seconds to show mastery of facts.
There are some fun ways to practice math without using worksheets or technology! These are real life scenarios on when you would use math- which will help your child understand the importance of math.
While at the grocery store:
Ask your child to estimate how many of something is in a box/bag. Then check by multiplying a serving size by how many servings there are.
Ask your child if you only have a $5 bill- how much change you might get back if you bought a candy bar?
Ask your child is estimate how much everything will cost. In addition, have them come up with different ways they could pay for the items. For example, if the total was about $135- a hundred dollar bill, a twenty dollar bill, a ten dollar bill, and a five dollar bill.
While at home:
Have your child help you bake/cook. Recipes are full of measurements, fractions, and adding items together!
Do you use something to collect loose change? Have your child count it for you one day.
They can group coins into different ways to make a dollar.