TITLE I

Title I is a federal program to help students in our nation's schools. Over 90% of the schools in the nation receive Title I funding. The goal of Title I is to help all children get a good education.

Caseyville, Collinsville Intermediate, Caseyville, Kreitner, Twin Echo and Webster Schools are using their Title I funding to help all children in the school, which is called a schoolwide program. Schoolwide schools do not have to identify students for service, but provide service to all students as appropriate. Schoolwide schools must address needs of low-achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state student academic achievement standards.

These schoowide programs will use effective methods and instructional strategies based on:

• Standards - for each grade, the school district or state decides what students should know, what students should be able to do, and how well the students should know a subject or perform a skill
• Attention to diversity - learning the traditions and values of different cultures
• Goals - help students reach the standards, challenge students to be the best they can be and prepare students for the world of today
• Community Support - use the help of parents, community groups, and local businesses
• Well-trained staff - teachers will receive training to better meet the needs of all students in the school
• Progress you can measure - the school will look at things such as portfolios, test scores, student grades and attendance records

As part of the No Child Left Behind Legislation, school districts are being required to provide information to parents regarding school programs, especially those that are federally funded.

As a parent of a student at Caseyville, Collinsville Intermediate, Hollywood Heights, Kreitner, Twin Echo or Webster Schools, you have the right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers who instruct your child. Federal law allows you to ask for certain information about your child's classroom teaches, and requires us to give you this information in a timely manner if you ask for it. Specifically, you have the right to ask for the following information about each of your child's classroom teachers:

• Whether the Illinois State Board of Education has licensed or qualified the teacher for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.
• Whether the Illinois State Board of Education has decided that the teacher can teach in a classroom without being licensed or qualified under state regulations because of special circumstances.
• The teacher's college major; whether the teacher has any advanced degrees, and if so, the subject(s) of the degrees.
• Whether any teachers' aides or similar paraprofessionals provide services to your child, and if they do, their qualifications.

Currently, all of the teachers at the above mentioned schools are licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education in the area or grade level that they are teaching.

If you would like to receive any of this information, please call Mrs. Julie Brown, Director of Human Resources, at 346-6350.

As a parent, you can play a big part in your child's education. Please make sure that you review school work and help your child on a nightly basis.