SMCSC Title I

Title I logo

Title I Schools:  East Elementary and Maple Ridge Elementary

Two South Madison schools are identified as Title I Schoolwide Schools: East Elementary and Maple Ridge Elementary. These schools have the highest concentrations of poverty (based on the direct certification number of students enrolled at the school). Title I is staffed by two Instructional Coaches and Paraprofessionals in each elementary.

What is the purpose of Title I?

Title I was originally enacted to help the most disadvantaged students through the War on Poverty program of 1965.  Title I, Part A is the largest federal investment in elementary and secondary education.  The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s education law, a longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.  

Title I provides financial assistance to school districts and schools with a high percentage of low-income families. Title I funds are used to improve teaching and learning and to help students meet challenging state academic standards.  South Madison’s Title I program focuses on early intervention at the elementary schools, parent engagement, and improvement of instruction.   

On December 10, 2015, the bipartisan law, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was reauthorized and signed by President Obama.  This law built upon the critical work states and districts were undertaking in recent years.  This law allows for the opportunity to broaden the definition of educational excellence and yet maintain the critical civil rights for all students.  ESSA enables schools to focus on providing students a diverse, integrated curriculum and learning experience that is necessary for a well-rounded education. Under ESSA, the SW program is a key tool for schools to improve the use of Title I funding to improve academic achievement and enable the school to more effectively leverage Federal funds to upgrade its entire educational program.  Through this update, schools with less than 40% poverty may opt into a schoolwide program by completing a comprehensive needs analysis and developing a schoolwide plan. 

What does Title I funding provide at South Madison?

East and Maple Ridge’s Title I  programs serve students in kindergarten through sixth grade.  The goal of Title I is to enable all students to be on grade level and to meet state and local standards.  The primary focus of both programs is in the areas of reading and mathematics.  The program provides supplemental instruction for students in need with a goal to accelerate students’ progress toward reaching grade-level performance.  The staff is committed to the shared effort of closing the achievement gap for all students and to providing high-quality, engaging instruction that will motivate students to become lifelong learners.  Title I expenditures include an Instructional Coach at both East and Maple Ridge to support teachers, additional Instructional Aides to support instructional programming, professional development for the certified staff and instructional aides, family programming, and supplementary intervention tools.

The Instructional Coach guides the intervention program and provides family engagement events. In 2019, the Instructional Coaches earned their reading certification to meet the State requirement for dyslexia and provide oversight of the state-required dyslexia screening and programming. 
Professional development aligns to the school improvement plan and curricular needs. Specific professional development currently underway includes Professional Learning Communities, data analysis, reading, and mathematics.
Family programming includes family events and curriculum newsletters.


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