Title I

Schools are ranked according to the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Schools with 75% of students in poverty are automatically allocated Title I funding. Schools with 35% or more students qualifying for free and reduced lunch are eligible to receive Title I funding; however, it is the discretion of the school division as to the number of schools to serve.

Title I funds are used to hire additional staff, purchase instructional materials, and provide professional development to support students identified as low achieving in reading and math so that they are able to show proficiency on reading and math state assessments.

Title I schools that do not meet all federal Annual Measureable Objectives (AMO) in reading and math are required to create, implement, and monitor a school improvement plan. AMO targets in reading and math for all student subgroups have been established by the Arizona Department of Education. These AMO targets increase each year to ensure continued improvement.

Each Title I school is required to develop a parent engagement policy that specifically outlines how the school will support parents with their students’ learning.

Each Title I school is required to host workshops/trainings for parents that focus upon the academic needs of the students. While many of these workshops/trainings occur during daytime hours, others are held in the evenings. Additionally, these workshops/trainings are repeated, based upon attendance and parent requests. Interpreters (for Spanish speaking parents) and childcare are often available.

Schools must have 40% poverty or greater to implement a Schoolwide program. Funds are used to improve the overall academic program of the school. A Title I Schoolwide team must annually develop a Schoolwide plan that includes the following:

• Comprehensive needs assessment
• School wide reform strategies
• Provision for instruction by highly qualified professional staff
• Strategies for increasing parental involvement
• Plans to facilitate transition from preschool to elementary school and elementary to middle school
• Measures for including teacher input to improve student performance and the overall instructional program
• Provision of assistance to struggling students

Currently, PUSD has 4 Title I schools, all of which operate the Schoolwide Program: Abia Judd, Lincoln, Taylor Hicks, and Granite Mountain.

If a school is eligible for Title I, but ineligible for the Schoolwide Program, they may choose the Targeted Assistance Program. In this program, individual students are screened using multiple assessments and must meet certain academic criteria to be eligible to receive Title I services. Title I students work with a Title I teacher in either a pull out or push in model to accelerate their progress in reading and or mathematics. The academic growth made by Title I students is tracked and reported to parents.
Parents of Title I students are invited to participate in activities that support the learning at home.

Currently, none of PUSD's schools run the Targeted Assistance Program.

United States Department of Education-Parent Resources
This web site contains links to many tools for parents relating to the education of their child/children. These include resources for helping children with homework, getting students prepared for college, options for parents under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which can include Supplemental Educational Services and Public School Choice, answers to common educational related questions, and much, much more.