In December 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), an updated version of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), President Bush’s 2002 effort to provide updated standards and school accountability. Through annual grants, the federally funded Title I program supports children who are low achieving or at risk of failing to meet state education standards, especially in the areas of reading and math.
States were given a year to plan how they would comply with the new law. Michelle Kernan, Director of Federal Programs and Academic Services for the school district, presented updated job descriptions for the Title I supervisor and program coordinator. Additionally, job descriptions have been written for new specialist and coach positions that are federally funded.
“Specialist” is a term for a coach at the district level, Kernan said. The positions will provide support to schools under the Title I program in the areas of literacy (reading/writing), STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), and technology. “Coach” is the term for Title I staff providing direct support to students in the school. Kernan said that data is showing that some schools under an improvement plan require “content specific support.”
Implementing the ESSA will require new positions. One will be designated “Supervisor of Federal Programs and Professional Development,” which is a combination of the Title I supervisor position (currently empty) and a Title II professional development position. Another position, Coordinator of Federal Programs and Compliance, will encompass the federal programs under the new law.
Parents will receive additional support with the new positions of Teacher on Special Assignment – Parent Academy. Six non-instructional positions were approved last year, but only three were filled. For 2016-2017, those three non-instructional positions will become teachers on assignment so that the Parent Academy can provide more specific help to parents. Plans include content development and grade level trainings, with the goal of creating consistent language from the classroom across the website.
The positions are paid through federal grants which may be renewed annually. However, if the federal grant is not approved, the position will not be funded. Individuals hired for those positions are made aware that the funding is available for one year at a time.
Gina Michalicka, Deputy Superintendent, stated program evaluations for the Title I coaches and the reading programs reflect the gap is closing between Title I and other schools. Documentation shows how well the schools are being supported by the Title I program.