An Overview of the Title I Program
by Tera Taylor
September 10, 2007
Personnel:
The Title I program currently consists of two full time teachers
(Tera Taylor and Jami Garber), one part time teacher (Gayle
Stumpf), two full time aides (Dawn Phillips and Alice
McAdams), and a parent coordinator (Erin Goetten) who works
10 hours per week.
Class Structure:
Classes are 30 minutes in duration. Some are pull-out classes where
the students (maximum of six) are removed from the classroom for
small group and individualized instruction. Other classes fall into
the push-in category with the Title I teachers going into the
classroom and working with the classroom teacher and the entire
class. Research and our own experiences have indicated that in
kindergarten through second grade more progress is shown by working
with small groups in the clinic. All classes meet five days a week.
St. John’s students also participate in the Title I program. These
students in grades K-5 are bused to and from the elementary school
for classes.
Student Testing:
Students in grades 1-6 are tested at the beginning of the school
year on a standardized test. Currently all kindergarten students
are tested individually at the beginning and end of the year. The
test includes letter recognition, color recognition, letter-sound
relationships, basic vocabulary, and concepts of print. Classroom
teachers using these tests and classroom observations recommend
students for the Title I program. Once students are enrolled in
Title I classes, additional testing may be done by the Title I
teacher. This may include, but is not limited to, auditory
discrimination, visual discrimination, word recognition, individual
reading tests, and screenings to determine the most effective
learning modality.
Teaching Methods:
Title I uses a structured
multisensory approach to teaching. Because a number of our students
are ADD or ADHD, it is important to maintain a structured
environment so that students are able to feel organized and
anticipate activities. Often our students are those whose learning
styles are not compatible with the one emphasized in the classroom.
For this reason, we attempt to present material in ways that
address all three modalities.
We combine instruction in phonics skills with a literature based
approach. All students spend one half hour period per week using
the Title I computers. Programs used reinforce the skills that have
been presented or allow for improvement of writing skills. K-3
students are given flashcards or word lists to learn each week. One
set is kept in the Title I classroom and one set is sent home for
practice. Incentives are given to each student that has mastered
his/her list each Friday.
Skills being covered in the classroom are reinforced when possible.
Often the skills being presented in the regular classroom
presuppose a mastery of skills that our students have not achieved.
In these instances, we work with the students at their level rather
than continue trying to teach skills for which they are not
ready.
Title I teachers coordinate the push-in classes with material that
teachers cover in the classroom. Title I teachers and classroom
teachers plan together the theme units and materials that will be
covered each semester.
Parent Communication:
Since we have had a parent coordinator, we have had 100% parent
participation each year. This participation has included one, some,
or all of the following:
notes returned with parent
signatures
parent(s) attendance at conferences, open house, Title I meeting or
activities
parent books or materials checked out
student materials checked out by parents
phone calls to Title I teachers or parent coordinator
watching and commenting on videos of their child’s
class
Title I teachers send home frequent individual notes. Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students also take home several book bags containing reading activities to do at home. Students are given incentives for reading books or pages based on their grade level. Summer activities are also sent home with Title I students and for those students in push-in classes. Each pull-out class is videotaped at least once and the tape is sent home to the parents of students in the class.
Student Folders:
Individual files for each Title I student are maintained in the
Reading Clinic. Files include a list of materials covered at each
grade level, copies of progress reports, copies of teacher grades
(where available), test scores, and samples of student
work.
Exit Criteria:
Students are removed from the Title I program when a written parent
request is received, when standardized test scores are above the
44th percentile, or when referral points do not indicate that, the
student is most in need of services. Students may also be removed
due to lack of attendance.
Conclusion:
The Title I staff wants the best education possible to meet each
child’s individual needs. To this end, we encourage parent contact
with all staff and welcome requests for materials from our parent
coordinator.
