Title I, provides federal financial assistance to meet the individual needs of educationally at-risk students by providing supplemental services and resources to support students identified as failing or most at risk of failing the PA performance Core standards in ELA and Math. The purpose of Title I is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards and state academic assessments. The ultimate goal of Title I is to close the existing achievement gap between high and low performing, economically disadvantaged, and minority students through extended learning time, a high quality curriculum, and instruction by a highly-qualified certified staff. In the Albert Gallatin District all elementary schools are school-wide Title I schools and all teachers are highly qualified. For assistance or additional information regarding the professional qualifications of classroom teachers or staff, parents may contact Lara Bezjak, Federal Programs Coordinator, at 724-564-7190 x8134
ESEA
(Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
TITLE GRANTS
Title I
Title I, Part A (generally known as Title I) was established by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and amended in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
What is Title I funding?
Title I funds programming for students from low-income families. The money must go toward helping these learners meet challenging and relevant academic state standards.
The federal government distributes Title I funds to SEAs using formulas that are primarily based on census data.
Title II
Title II, Part A (generally known as Title II) was established by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and amended in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
What are Title II funds?
Title 2 funding supports teacher, principal, administrator, and staff professional development. The money should be used to boost the amount of qualified educators in the area; this includes teachers who are prepared to teach STEM curriculum in the classroom. Keep in mind, your state may choose to retain Title II funds to finance a state-wide professional development event instead of distributing the money to individual schools. You can find this information through the Title II page of your individual state Department of Education website.
Title II Allowable Expenses
ESSA defines professional development as activities that are “sustained, intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, personalized or based on information from an evaluation or support system, and classroom focused” rather than “PD that stands alone and does not connect to a larger school-wide or individualized plan”. This includes:
Teacher, principal, and staff recruitment
Professional development materials and supplies
Program development or implementation costs, including contracting with programming developers
Stipends or substitute costs to participate in professional development or mentorship initiatives
Title III
Title III was established by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and amended in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
What are Title III Funds?
Title 3 funding is for English language learners (ELL) and immigrant students. Title III requirements are strict; students must qualify as ELs and immigrant students under a specific definition. To receive ESSA funds, an ELL must:
be aged 3 through 21;
be enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;
meet one of the following criteria:
was not born in the United States, or whose native language is a language other than English;
is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas;
and comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency (ELP); or
is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant—and
have difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language, that may be sufficient to deny the individual
the ability to meet the challenging state academic standards;
the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or
the opportunity to participate fully in society.
Title IV
Title 4, the newest of the title funds, was passed in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015.
What are Title IV funds?
The funding emphasizes three focus areas: “ (1) support a well-rounded education by incorporating advanced classes, fine arts, foreign languages, STEAM, and other innovative programming, (2) create safe and healthy schools through the utilization of social-emotional learning and healthy lifestyle habits, and (3) effectively utilize technology through properly preparing staff as well as provide high-quality digital learning experiences for underserved students”.
How can I use Title IV funds?
Title IV programs have far-reaching benefits for students. According to a report conducted by the DOE in 2020, states used Title IV funds to improve professional development around the use of educational technology (33 states) and build technological capacity and infrastructure (30 states). Clearly, STEM learning for both teachers and students is a focus for many states that receive Title IV funds. Other examples of allowable Title 4 expenses include:
Academic enrichment
STEM curriculum
Mental health or career counseling (explore STEM Careers in our free podcast and video series, My STEM Career)
Health and physical education
Integrating technology in the classroom