Title I A -Improving Academic Achievement

Title I – A provides flow-through funds to local educational agencies (LEAs or school districts) with extra resources to help improve instruction in high-poverty schools and to ensure that poor and minority children have the same opportunity as other children to meet challenging state academic standards.

 

Accountability Systems, Standards, and Assessments – state accountability systems must be based on required standards and assessments and other indicators and must take into account the achievement of all public elementary and secondary school students.

Assessments must be “valid and reliable” for the state’s purposes, aligned with state standards, and designed so that schools receive “itemized score analyses” that allow educators and parents to use them for diagnostic purposes.

Adequate Yearly Progress – States must define “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) in a way that applies to all student groups, results in continuous improvement, and is “based primarily” on the required state assessments. AYP measures must include “separate measurable annual objectives” for economically disadvantaged, disabled, and LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students, and for students from major racial and ethnic groups.

Accountability – The district as well as schools can be identified as needing improvement for failing to make AYP for two consecutive years and must develop plans parallel to those for schools. The state must take corrective action for districts failing to make AYP after two years of technical assistance.

Equitable Services for Private School Students – Local Educational Agencies (LEAs or school districts) must ensure not only that private school students receive equitable services as compared to those offered to public school students, but also that teachers and families of participating private school students have professional development and parent involvement activity opportunities, on an equitable basis.