Federal Programs
of Florence City Schools
(Updated August 30, 2007)
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The Federal Programs Department of
Florence City Schools is under the supervision of Dr. Randy J.
Pettus. The Department also oversees the student transportation,
PEPE (Professional Educational Personnel Evaluation) and 504
procedures as well as the coordination of After -School programs
and the Second Chance credit recovery program of Florence City
Schools.
Federal Programs of Florence seeks to
help all schools have a common mission, vision, values and
goals. The goal is to educate all students to the best of their
abilities. The Department seeks to provide and implement systems
for prevention and intervention for learning.
Federal Programs of Florence seeks to promote collaborative
teaming for teaching and learning between regular education
classroom teachers and Title I reading and math teachers and
assistants. Federal Programs uses data-driven decision-making
for continuous improvement.
Federal Programs of Florence promotes active engagement between
family, community, and school. Federal Programs works to build
sustainable leadership to engage all stakeholders in active,
productive education.
The different federal programs are listed below along with a
brief description of each.
Title I, Part A – Assists
qualified students in eligible schools to meet performance
standards in the areas of reading and math. Schools currently
designated as Title I are: Forest Hills Elementary (targeted
assistance), Harlan Elementary (schoolwide), Weeden Elementary (schoolwide),
Hibbett Middle (schoolwide), and Florence Middle (targeted
assistance). The designation of “targeted assistance” or
“schoolwide” refers to who is eligible to receive services. In
targeted assistance schools only the students identified as
Title I-eligible can receive services from Title I teachers
and/or Title I assistants. In schoolwide all students may
receive services from Title I employees and/or utilize any
materials, software, etc. which are purchased with Title I
funds.
Title I funds are also used to
provide reimbursement for teachers and assistants in Title I
schools to achieve the status of “highly qualified.” A Parent
Involvement Specialist is employed to work with all Title I
schools to promote and enhance parental involvement in schools.
A Parent Center is located at Weeden Elementary School and
parents from all Title schools are welcome to check out
educational materials for their children. School Social Workers
are employed to work with each school to provide counseling,
interventions, and assistance to students, parents, and
teachers, as needed. Forest Hills and Florence Middle School are
offering an after school program for Title I eligible students.
The number of students is limited and is by invitation only for
Title I eligible students.
Title I, Part B – Even Start
Family Literacy – This program promotes family literacy,
parenting, and early childhood education in families with a
parent who has no GED or high school diploma and whose youngest
child is below the age of eight. Adult education classes are
taught three days per week and a nursery is available Monday –
Friday for participants. There is no cost for the program and
free breakfasts and lunches are provided for the parents and
children. This program also allows high school or middle school
students to continue to work toward their diplomas in their
schools during the regular school day while children are cared
for in the Even Start Nursery. For further information call
768-3403.
Title II – Improving Teacher
Quality – Title II funds enable high quality professional
development for teachers and provide funds for class size
reduction. It provides reimbursement for teachers in non-Title I
schools to achieve “highly qualified” status.
Title III – Language and
Instruction for English Language Learners (ELL) – Provides
assistance to children who are Limited English Proficient (LEP)
and non-English speaking (NES). Two ELL Teacher/Facilitators are
employed to work directly with such students and ensure that if
special accommodations are needed they are provided.
Title IV – Drug-Free Schools
and Communities – Two part-time Drug Educators are employed to
work in K-12 classrooms throughout the school year.
Researched-based curriculum is used for those classes and
materials to celebrate Red Ribbon Week are purchased with these
funds.
Title V – Innovation Education – Parenting programs are provided
for parents of at-risk students. The program is divided into two
age levels: one for parents of elementary students and one for
parents of secondary students. Classes are held in 7-week
sessions at the schools. Parents may be referred to the class by
the school guidance counselor or by court order.
Title IX – Any complaints
regarding discrimination on the basis of sex may be referred to
the Supervisor of Federal Programs.
Title X – McKinney-Vento
Homeless Education Act – The program funded through this law
provides assistance to those who are homeless or in imminent
danger of becoming homeless, including those in temporary foster
care, shelters, or living temporarily with relatives/friends.
504 – Any student who needs
special classroom accommodations must have a 504 Plan. The
guidance counselor works with the parent, student and a
committee to set up and oversee the accommodations needed. A 504
Plan does not apply to English Language Learners needing special
accommodations because of their level of English proficiency.
Head Start – A comprehensive
pre-school program for low-income children is offered. Head
Start offers a strong parent involvement component, encouraging
parents to begin early in being involved with all aspects of
their child’s education.
21st Century Learning Grant –
Florence City Schools are in the fourth year of a five year 21st
Century Learning Grant. After-school programs at Harlan and
Hibbett are offered for students who need additional tutoring.
Homework help, remediation skills, as well as special fun
activities are offered five days per week. A small fee is
charged. During the summer, Title I, Part A and the 21st Century
Grant are used to conduct an elementary summer school.
A program entitled “Second Chance”
is offered for high school students who need a credit in order
to graduate on schedule. Classes are held Tuesday and Thursday
nights on a semester basis. A fee is charged and students are
held to a very rigorous attendance and behavioral policy.
Weeden Elementary School also has a 21st Century Learning Grant,
which is in its fifth year of operation. After-school tutoring
and a summer program are offered.
In the past three years, Florence
City Schools, under No Child Left Behind standards, have made
vast gains in educational strategies. Weeden Elementary, Hibbett
Middle School and Florence Middle School have all been in School
Improvement due to scores on state wide assessments. However,
this year, 2007/2008, all three of these schools came totally
out of School Improvement status. Test scores revealed that
Florence High School and Florence Freshmen Center did not make
AYP in Reading for the subgroup of students in free and reduced
lunch category. Also, the Graduation Rate at Florence High
School and Florence Freshman Center fell under the State and
National average of 80%. The score received from FHS and FFC was
69%. This gives a challenge to both these schools as well as the
system to improve these two areas before the next school year of
2008-2009 to avoid School Improvement status.
We laud and celebrate the tremendous
hard work of principals, teachers, students, parents, and school
personnel in making these huge strides.
Below is a small sampling of what we are doing to achieve and
maintain AYP in our schools. All schools have developed a plan
for improvement for 2007-2008. These plans include administering
monthly tests to the students to monitor their progress toward
mastering content standards of the SAT10 (Standard Achievement
Test) and ARMT (Alabama Reading and Math Test).
Each school has seven-month scope and
mastery plan for testing and monitoring these tests. Students
who fall under the benchmark are remediated and given extra help
with mastering these skills. Students are divided into smaller
groups for specialized instruction in all subgroups as defined
by NCLB. These subgroups are: White, Black, Hispanic,
Asian/Indian/Pacific, Male, Female, Free/Reduced Lunch, Special
Education, and ELL (English Language Learners).
The mission of FCS is to set high
expectations; provide equal educational access for diverse
learners; maintain a safe, orderly environment that is
intellectually challenging and physically, emotionally, and
socially stimulating; develop healthy, productive citizens adept
in academic and life skills who are accepting of themselves and
others; and to ensure that students are environmentally aware,
technically competent, and capable of lifelong learning.
Federal Programs and FCS seek to
provide all students with the best tools and strategies to
achieve a quality education. In order to do this, we must all
work together and keep our focus on what is best for all
children in the Florence City System.
For more information on any of
these programs contact:
Dr. Randy Pettus, Federal Programs
Supervisor at 256-768-3033 or
rpettus@fcs.k12.al.us
Mrs. Diane Wesson, CPS/CAP,
Secretary/Bookkeeper at 256-768-3025 or
dwesson@fcs.k12.al.us
FEDERAL
PROGRAMS
HOME, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY
FUELING THE FLIGHT FOR HIGHER GROUND
Title I Parental Involvement is
ongoing participation of a primary caregiver in the education of
his or her child. Parents are invited to Title I parenting
events as outlined in their school’s plan.
Goals of these events are to work
toward the six National Standards of the National P.T.A.:
1. Communicating
2. Parenting
3. Student Learning
4. Volunteering
5. School Decision Making and Advocacy
6. Collaborating with Community
Grandparent/Relatives Support Group
is a monthly event for grandparents/relatives who are rearing or
actively involved in their grandchildren’s or relative’s
education. Grandfamilies are invited to the Board of Education
(Richards Center) on the second Friday of each month (September
– April) at 8:30 a.m. for the group meeting. In May grandparents
and children participate in a field trip or recreational
activity.
The goals for the Support Group are:
-
To help grandfamilies
acknowledge the ambivalent feelings that may accompany
changing roles and children adjusting to living with
grandfamilies.
-
To help those who have moved
into a parenting role feel more confident, comfortable, and
informed about community resources.
-
To provide a forum for
discussion about sensitive issues and information about
mental health resources.
Fathers’ Initiative Programs are designed to support and
strengthen the roles of fathers in education. The Department of
Health and Human Services recognizes that all fathers can be
important contributors to the well being of their children.
These programs are extended to our kindergarten through fourth
grade population. Programs are scheduled three times during the
school year. In the absence of a custodial father, an adult
brother, uncle, cousin, or neighbor will be welcome.
Goals are to extend an extra courtesy to fathers and foster a
special educational bond between father (caregiver) and child.
Fathers are always welcome to the school for classroom
visitation, lunch and to share their expertise in other academic
areas.
Contact Rena. R. Roy, SSWS,
rroy@fcs.k12.al.us
or call 768-3027 for specific topics, dates and times for any of
the programs listed above.
Transportation
Daily, at least 357,000 students are
transported to and from schools in Alabama by buses. Of this
number, less than ½ of 1% are involved in all of Alabama’s
traffic accidents.
Transportation is provided by the Florence City Board of
Education under the state-sponsored transportation program.
The following regulations govern the
transportation program:
-
To be
eligible a student must live within the city limits of
Florence.
-
To be
eligible a student must live more than two miles from a
school that serves his/her grade or be caused to attend a
school more than two miles from home by Board assignment.
-
It is not
practical to provide transportation to every school from a
given location within the city. However, the Board will
establish transportation routes which will assure that
service is available to all grades (K–12) to serve a given
neighborhood as needed.
-
All
requests for school transportation must be approved by the
Supervisor of Transportation.
-
Under state
law, funds may not be spent to transport students who live
less than two miles from a school serving their grade.
-
Under
federal law, students who need special transportation must
have their special transportation needs specified within
their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504
Plan.
-
Students
are assigned seats on every bus.
Any student who continuously engages
in disruptive behavior while being transported may be suspended
from the bus until behavior improves. Images recorded by video
cameras which are mounted on buses may be used to substantiate
disruptive behavior by students. Students with disabilities who
exhibit disruptive behavior while riding a bus must have said
behavior addressed through the IEP or Section 504 process.
Terms Every Parent
Should Know!!
Title I - This is the part of
No Child Left Behind that supports programs in schools and
school districts to improve the learning of low-functioning
children. The U.S. Department of Education provides Title I
funds to states to give school districts based on the number of
children from low-income families in each district. Title I
serves these students and reading, math and, in some areas,
language instruction.
State Assessments - This
refers to the tests adopted by the State of Alabama that your
child will take every year in grades 3-8 and at least once in
high school. The State requires students in grades 3-8 to be
tested, but Florence City also tests students in grade 2. Using
these tests, the state will be able to compare schools to each
other and know which ones need extra help to improve. These
assessments are:
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) - This is the term No
Child Left Behind uses to explain that your child’s school has
met state reading and math goals. Your school district’s report
card will let you know whether or not your child’s school has
made AYP.
School In Need of Improvement - This is the term No Child
Left Behind uses to refer to schools receiving Title I funds
that have not met state reading and math goals (AYP) for at
least two years. If you child’s school is labeled “In School
Improvement”, it receives extra help to improve. If your child
is in a school that is labeled “In School Improvement” and there
are other schools in the district that are not in School
Improvement, you have the option to transfer to one of these
schools as space is available. If there is not another school in
that grade span not labeled “In School Improvement” your child
may qualify for free tutoring services called SES.
Supplemental Educational Services (SES) - This is the
term No Child Left Behind uses to refer to the tutoring and
extra help with school work in subjects such as reading and math
for those children who are Title I eligible. This help is
provided free of charge and takes place after school.
Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) - This is the term No
Child Left Behind uses for a teacher who proves that he or she
knows the subjects they are teaching, has a college degree in
that area, and is state-certified. No Child Left Behind requires
that your child be taught by a HQT in core academic subjects of
English, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
