Title I
Title I is a federal program that was established to narrow the gap in academic achievement between low-income students and their peers by providing supplemental funding to school districts. This is an effort to ensure that all students have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education.
Title I is included as part of the larger Every Student Succeeds Act. The Fort Payne City School district uses Title I funding for a variety of purposes at all four of the district's schools. Teachers providing supplemental instruction are employed for each of the district's Title I schools. The funds are also used to purchase supplemental programs, materials, supplies, as well as, additional staff to help close the achievement gaps.
All four schools in the district receive Title I assistance. These schools are classified as school-wide schools. In a school-wide school, all students enrolled at the school may receive benefits from Title I services. The Fort Payne City School district maintains a Consolidated Plan for the district.
As a requirement for receiving Title I funds, each school must develop a Continuous Improvement Plan. This is a detailed plan of how the faculty, administration, parents and students will utilize the Title I funds to improve the academic achievement of the school. The plan is based upon a comprehensive needs assessment at each school. This allows the school's Continuous Improvement Team to address the most critical needs at the school. The local school budget for the Title I funds is developed by the team at the school to meet accountability standards and improve student achievement. This is known as school-wide authority. The CIP for each school can be found at the school or at the Fort Payne City Schools' Board of Education.
Title I schools are also required to take measures to improve parental involvement in the educational process. Studies have shown what all good teachers know- having a parent take an active part in a child's education yields improvement in the academic achievement of the student. A portion of the Title I funding awarded to the district is set aside for use in supporting activities to improve parental involvement.
Parent and Family Engagement
Research has consistently shown that parents are instrumental in the academic success of their children. Parent and family engagement in the educational process is key to increased student achievement. All Title I schools have a Parent and Family Engagement plan. This is how the school plans to involve parents as partners in the student's success.The district also maintains a plan for increasing parental engagement. A condensed version of this plan is sent home each year in the fall. The full plan can be found HERE.
Parental and Family Engagement Plan Synopsis-English
Parental and Family Engagement Plan Synopsis-Spanish
Parents' Right to Know
The Fort Payne City School district receives federal funds for the Title I programs that are part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). We strive to employ the most qualified teachers for the students in our system. Parents at Title I funded schools, in accordance with the law, have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teacher(s).
If you request this information, the district will provide you with the following as soon as possible:
- If the teacher has met state qualification and licensing requirements for the grade level and subjects in which the teacher is providing instruction;
- If the teacher is under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualifications or licensing criteria have been waived;
- If the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher; and
- If your child is receiving Title I services from paraprofessionals and, if so, his/her qualifications.
If you would like to receive this information, please contact your local school principal and ask for the form "Parents Right to Know". You may also download the form HERE. Your request will be processed as soon as possible.
The Fort Payne City Schools' Parents' Right to Know Plan can be found HERE.
If you have questions or would like additional information regarding the Title I programs in Fort Payne City Schools, you may email Paula Muskett (pmuskett@fpcsk12.com) for more information.
Title I, Part C
Title I, Part C provides educational services to migrant children who face unique challenges due to frequent relocations caused by their parents' seasonal or temporary employment. The primary goal of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) is to ensure that these students receive the support they need to succeed academically despite interruptions in their schooling. The program addresses issues such as interrupted education, language barriers, and disparities in school quality by providing academic support (tutoring, after-school programs, and summer school), language services (e.g., ESL programs), and curriculum support. It also engages parents through outreach efforts to increase family involvement in education and offers extended-year programs to mitigate learning loss during long breaks.
The program operates through identification and recruitment efforts at the local level, where school districts or state agencies identify eligible migrant children--from birth to 19 who have moved within the past 36 months due to their parents' migratory work and experienced interruptions in their education. Funds are allocated to states, which then distribute them to local educational agencies or migrant education programs. These services are coordinated with other federal education programs, such as Title I, Part A and Title III, to ensure comprehensive support. The Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) tracks student progress across districts, providing continuity in education despite frequent moves.
State and local programs focus on improving academic achievement and closing achievement gaps, with regular reporting and evaluation to track the effectiveness of services. The program's benefits include reducing educational gaps, ensuring continuity in education, and strengthening community partnerships, although challenges remain in tracking student movement and allocating resources effectively. Ultimately, Title I, Part C plays a critical role in ensuring migrant students have access to the same educational opportunities as their peers.
Questions regarding Title I, Part C may be directed to Jessica Hayes (jhayes@fpcsk12.com).
Title II
Title II contains funding for teacher and principal training and recruitment efforts at the state and local level, as well as teacher training at institutions of higher education. Title II monies are designed to rectify the problems of large numbers of students being taught by teachers with inadequate content knowledge and preparation in the subjects they are teaching.
Title II replaces the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. Title II supports professional development activities designed to prepare, train, recruit and retain high-quality teachers and professionals. Title II is also used to employ high-quality teachers to reduce class sizes.
The Fort Payne City School district uses its FY2023 Title II funding to pay professional development for teachers and administrators throughout the district as well as employ additional teachers to reduce class size.
Title III/English Learner
Title III is a federally funded program that provides monies to school systems and is designed to be used for English Language Learners.
It is the intent of the Fort Payne City Board of Education that every student in the city who has a primary home language other than English and who is identified as a Language Learner (EL) be provided with the opportunity to participate in an English as a second language (EL) program. English Learners (ELs) must be identified at the point of enrollment. All enrolling students are given the “Home Language Survey” which identifies students that have another language other than English as their major language. The student’s language proficiency is accessed using the W-APT (WIDA-ACCESS on-line placement test). The EL committee meets to determine the level of English proficiency and to facilitate appropriate instructional and program placement decisions. The goal of EL instruction shall not be to replace or to negate the students’ primary home language. Rather, the EL program strives to enable the EL student to become competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing in the English language. This instruction shall emphasize the acquisition and mastery of English to enable EL students to participate fully in the benefits of public education.
ACCESS 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) for ELs is administered annually to all English language learners in Alabama. It is a secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment administered to Kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). The ACCESS 2.0 assessment will assess the language students need to process or produce in various school contexts. Each assessment item and task will target at least one of the five WIDA ELD Standards:
- Social and Instructional Language
- Language of Language Arts
- Language of Mathematics
- Language of Science
- Language of Social Studies
EL student’s composite score on the ACCESS 2.0 must be a 4.8 or higher to exit the program.
For additional information, you can access the Fort Payne City School System EL plan HERE.
Questions regarding the English Learner program may be directed to Jessica Hayes (jhayes@fpcsk12.com).
