Federal Programs

The purpose of federal programs is to provide opportunities will enhance students' educational accomplishments beginning as early pre-kindergarten. These programs are designed to promote student achievement as each student acquires the knowledge and skills as outlined in the Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards in the areas of language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as enhance the character education and drug-free curriculum that is addressed in all schools.

These allocations, combined with state and local funds, supplement the programs that are currently in place within the district to improve student achievement. Schools with seventy percent (70%) or more children from low-income families qualify to provide schooled services to all students. Currently, all schools in the Holly Springs School District meet this criterion and operate schoolwide programs. Federal Programs in the Holly Springs School District also provide equitable services to qualifying students at Holy Family Elementary School and other non-public/private schools. The three federal programs utilized in the district are Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; and Title IV, Part A.

Title I, Part A (Basic) provides federal financial assistance to public schools with the highest number or percentages of low income students to help ensure that all students meet challenging Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards. These special populations include, but are not limited to, minority students, English Learners (ELs), students with disabilities, migrant students, immigrant students, and homeless students.

Title II, Part A (Effective Instruction) provides federal financial assistance to increase academic achievement by improving teacher and principal quality; increase the number of highly qualified teachers in the classrooms; improve the skills of principals and assistant principals in schools; and increase the effectiveness of teachers and principals by holding LEAs and schools accountable for improvements in student academic achievement.

Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment - SSAE Program) provides federal financial assistance to public schools to improve student achievement by providing all students with access to a well-rounded education' improving school conditions for student learning; and improving the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.

Title V, Part A (Rural Education Achievement Program - REAP) is designed to address the unique needs of small, rural local education agencies (LEAs) that frequently lack the personnel and resources needed to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and receive formula grant allocation under other programs in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes.

Section 1112(e)(1)(A-B)

Qualifications: At the beginning of each school year, a Local Educational Agency (LEA) that receives Title I funds must notify parents of each student attending any Title I school that the parent may request, and the agency will provide the parents upon request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including at a minimum the following:
• Whether the teacher has met State qualifications for grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other professional status that the State has waived;
• Whether the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher; and
• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and if so their qualifications.

Additional Information: A school that receives Title I funds must provide to each individual parent:
• Information on the level of achievement and academic growth the child, if applicable and available, has made on each of the State academic assessments required under this part; and
• Timely notice that the parent’s child has been assigned or taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet the applicable State certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.

Section 1112(e)(2)(A-B)

Testing Transparency: At the beginning of each year, a Local Educational Agency (LEA) that receives Title I funds shall notify parents of each student attending any school receiving funds may request (and in a
timely manner), information regarding any State or local educational agency policy regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111(b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

Additional Information: Each LEA that receives funds under this part shall make widely available through public means (including by posting in a clear and easily accessible manner on the LEA’s website and, where practicable, of each school served) for each grade served by the LEA, information on each assessment required by the State, and where the information is available and feasible to report, and assessments required districtwide by the LEA including:
• The subject matter assessed
• The purpose for which the assessment is designed and used
• The source of the requirement for the assessment; and
• Where such information is available—
o The amount of time students will spend taking the assessment, and the schedule for the assessment; and
o The time and format for disseminating results.

Format: The notice and information provided to parents under this section shall be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that the parent can understand.