Erin Derr

1
2014-15 Federal Programs Consolidated Monitoring

• Presented by
• Erin Derr

2
Overview of Federal Programs Monitoring

• Current Priority/Focus list will remain in place
  for 3 years.
• 14-15 Monitoring cycle will include
• All districts with at least one Priority school
  (Title I, Title II, Title III monitoring will not
  be repeated)
• The other half of the districts with at least 1
  Focus school (but no Priority schools) and will
  be monitored for Title I, Title II, Title III)
• All other schools will be placed on a 4-year
  cycle and will be monitored for Title I, Title
  II, Title III for the 14-15 school year and
  beyond.

3
Purpose of Consolidated Program Review

• Ensure compliance with federal laws and
  regulations
• Avoid audit exceptions
• NOT a review of the quality of the Title I
  program, yet..

4
LEA Responsibilities

• Complete the online Fed Monitor instrument at
  least 2 weeks prior to the site visit
• Collect documentation for monitor review
• Monitor will only review current year information
• Contact parents for parent involvement interviews
• Ask at least 5 parents to participate
• No more than 1 employed at the LEA
• Coordinate their visit time/place with the
  monitor

5
After the site visit

• Monitor completes instrument on Fedmonitor,
  ensuring all boxes are checked comments added
  where appropriate.
• Monitor locks document when completed. This
  triggers an email to DFP. LEAs may go back into
  the instrument to review comments, etc. by the
  monitor.
• If LEA disagrees with a finding, contact the
  monitor.

6
After the site visit (cont.)

• Monitor Reports are then reviewed by Regional
  Coordinators in DFP
• If LEA has no citations all programs are in
  compliance
• LEA receives a letter from DFP
• letter states the review/visit was successful
  and LEAs federal programs are in compliance with
  Federal Law

7
After the site visit (cont.)

• If LEA does have citations and all programs are
  not in compliance
• LEA receives a letter from DFP that states which
  program(s) are not in compliance with Federal Law
  provides a Corrective Action Plan for LEA to
  follow.
• LEA is provided a due date for CA to be received
  in DFP.
• Once CA has been completed, LEA receives an In
  Compliance letter.
• Monitors may not revisit the schools.

8
Preparing for the Visits

• Work with the Lead Monitor to prepare the
  schedule.
• Try to assign buildings within the same
  geographic area to monitors.
• Make sure all online documentation has been
  completed
• Consolidated application and funding
  adjustment/amendment
• Online monitoring instrument
• Gather and organize all documentation

9
Online Consolidated Review Instrument

• Link to access Fedmonitor web site
• www.federalmonitor.com/pa/gov
• Reminder
• All requirements responded to with Not Met or
  N/A require a comment.
• When selecting Met, must check off the
  suggested evidence.

10
Spring/Summer of previous year

• Equity Plan prepare or update
• Maintain agenda and sign-in sheets for Equity
  meetings
• Maintain notes on any changes that were made as a
  result
• Required by ALL LEAs and Charter Schools
• Continue 2014-15 nonpublic schools consultation
• If Inter-district or Third-Party Agreement sign
  contract for 15-16 prior to the first day of
  school
• Prepare for start of 15-16 nonpublic school
  services
• Copy of complaint procedures
• Maintain documentation

HANDOUT EQUITY PLAN GUIDING QUESTIONS
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Spring/Summer of previous year

• Distribute Needs Assessment to staff
• Plan PD Activities for 15-16 based on Needs
  Assessment
• Include parents in planning process sign in
  sheets agendas
• Include strategies to eliminate the achievement
  gap
• Maintain copy of results
• If using Title IIA money for Class Size Reduction
• Prepare data to show CSR money will be used
• To lower largest average class size in Priority
  Schools, or in highest poverty schools

12
Spring/Summer of previous year

• Maintain documentation of poverty data to
  determine Title I eligibility
• Free and reduced count
• Direct Certification numbers TANF, SNAP
• Update Schoolwide Plan
• Must update every year
• Agenda/sign-in sheets from meetings parents
  must be included
• Notes on changes made

13
fall

• Maintain documentation of all PD provided by
  district
• Agenda
• Sign-in sheets
• Time certification forms completed
• All Federally funded staff MUST complete time
  certification
• Partially funded monthly PARs
• Fully funded from single cost objective
  semi-annually
• Based in time spent on an activity, not the
  percentage for funding source

14
fall

• Right-to-Know teacher qualification letter to
  parents
• Evidence of distribution date
• Translated copy for LEP parents
• Prepare draft Right-to-Know letter to notify of
  Non-HQ status of teachers
• Must have a copy on record
• If used, keep dated copy
• Translate for non-English speaking parents

15
Fall

• Hold Title I Parent Meeting
• maintain agenda/sign-in sheets
• Discuss
• How Title I works in the school
• Student achievement and how parents can monitor
  it
• How to work with teachers to improve student
  achievement
• Update district and school parent involvement
  policies
• Must be updated annually with parent input
• Maintain agendas sign in sheets
• School policy must be aligned to the district but
  unique to the schools
• Charter schools must have both
• Document method of distribution

16
Fall

• Update student-parent compact
• With parent input agendas sign in sheets
• document method of distribution
• Parent Resource Center
• Not a requirement to have one
• Must notify parents it exists
• During staff in-service training work on how to
  communicate and build ties with parents
• Maintain agenda/sign-in sheets

17
fall

• Principal Attestation forms on file in all Title
  I buildings
• PDE form 425
• Report Staff and Student Data to PIMS
• Due October
• Submit Comparability Report to DFP
• Due November

18
winter

• LEAs notified of upcoming consolidated review
  (January)
• Letter from DFP with monitor information and
  Fedmonitor log in password
• Update Consolidated Application Funding
  Adjustment/Amendment
• Make sure nonpublic assurances are based on
  latest funding amounts
• Update business office with latest building
  allocations

19
Spring

• Hold Spring Title I Parent Meeting
• Only 1 Annual Title I parent meeting required
• Materials and Training to help parents improve
  childs achievement (e.g. literacy or technology)
• Distribute parent surveys to gauge effectiveness
  of Title I program
• Collate results and maintain
• Agenda and sign-up sheets

20
Spring

• Create Transition Plan for 2015-16
• Required for ALL schools
• Head Start Program and other Pre-school Programs
• Transfer of records
• Holding joint meetings for parents with preschool
  teachers
• Meeting with parents to discuss needs of
  particular students
• Maintain
• Meeting agenda and sign-in sheets
• Training materials
• Evaluation forms
• Calendar of events

21
Spring

• Targeted Assistance building
• Work with Business Office to prepare statements
  of building allocations and building level
  expenditures
• Invoices
• Schoolwide building
• Work with Business Office to prepare statement of
  federal and non-federal building-level
  expenditures for past two years.
• Equipment Inventory
• Physical inventory done within past 2 years
• Include Small and Attractive items

22
Spring

• Parent Involvement activities
• If Title I allocation exceeds 500,000
• Building-level Parent Involvement expenditures
• If less than 95 of Parent Involvement funding
  was spent at the building level, meeting minutes
  showing parents agreed

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REAP

• If your LEA receives Rural and Low Income Schools
  funding
• Prepare statement of allocations and expenditures
• Include copies of invoices and purchase orders

24
1 month before site visit

• PIMS system
• Collect Teacher Qualifications Report
• Collect Low Income data report
• Prepare list of instructional paraprofessionals
  and their HQ status
• Paid in whole or in part with Title I funds
• Working in a Schoolwide school

25
1 month before site visit

• Quarterly reports for federal programs
• Two latest Single Audit Reports (federal programs
  only)
• Waiver approval letters
• Carry-over - more than 15 from Title I
• Ed-Flex Schoolwide waiver for schools less than
  40 poverty
• Addendums for Inter-district Agreements
• Schoolwide Plan

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1 month prior

• Program Approval letter showing date district was
  allowed to start spending funds
• Previous years (6) federal program records
  location
• Prepare monitoring visit schedule
• Complete monitoring online instrument through Fed
  Monitor using login and password assigned
• Line up parents, principal, business manager, etc
  for date of site visit

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TOP 10 MONITORING FINDINGS 2013-14

• Annual Title I meeting Highly Qualified
  Paraprofessionals Parent Right-to-Know letters
  (5 LEAs)
• Title I annual meeting - to discuss the Title I
  program with Title I parents
• For compliance only need one meeting annually
• Sign in sheets and agendas
• Instructional paraprofessionals are HQT
• In TA all Title I paid must be HQT
• In SWP all instructional paras must be HQT
• Show list of qualifications
• Right-to-Know teacher qualification letter to
  parents
• Evidence of distribution date
• Right-to-know Non-HQT letter to parents
• Must have a copy even though letter was not sent
• If sent, must have a dated letter

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Top 10 Monitor Findings, cont.

• Parent-School Compacts updated annually and
  distributed to parents (6 LEAs)
• School-parent compact updated annually with
  parent input distributed
• Sign in sheets agendas
• Parent involvement assessment (parent surveys) (6
  LEAs)
• Distribute surveys to parents to assess the Title
  I program
• Must have a copy of the surveys and the results

29
Top 10 Monitor Findings, cont.

• Coordination of parent involvement programs with
  public
• preschools, early childhood programs, Head
  Start, etc. to
• encourage and support parents in more
  fully participating
• in the education of their children and
  parents have
• participated in the development of a
  Transition Plan (6
• LEAs)
• Transition Plan ALL schools
• Schools Parent Involvement Policy updated
  annually and distributed to parents (7 LEAs)
• School PI policy updated annually with parent
  input distributed
• Must be aligned with the LEA but unique to the
  school
• Sign in sheets agendas

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Top 10 Monitor Findings, cont.

• Instructional staff, with parent assistance, have
  been educated in the value and utility of the
  contributions of parents, how to reach out to and
  communicated with parents as equal partners and
  implement and coordinate parent programs that
  build ties between parents and schools (8 LEAs)
• Value and utility of parent contributions
• How to reach out to and communicate with parents
• How to work with parents as equal partners
• How to implement and coordinate parent programs
• LEA Parent Involvement Policy updated annually
  and distributed to parents (8 LEAs)
• Sign in sheets agendas
• Copy of the LEA PI policy
• Methods of distribution

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Top 10 Monitor Findings, cont.

• Equitable distribution of experienced (more than
  3 years) and Highly Qualified teachers between
  and within the districts schools to ensure that
  low-income and minority children are not taught
  at a higher rate by inexperienced and/or
  out-of-field teachers (Equity Plans) (9 LEAs)
• See document
• Parents are involved in the planning of staff
  Professional Development activities (10 LEAs)
• Sign in sheets agends
• Can be done through surveys
• Must have a parent on your needs assessment team

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Top 10 Monitor Findings, cont.

• All core content teachers in ALL district schools
  are Highly Qualified (certified in area in which
  they are teaching) (11LEAs)
• All core content teachers language arts, math,
  science, foreign languages, civics and
  government, economics, arts, history and
  geography must be highly qualified
• Use PIMS report to show evidence
• If all teachers are not HQT, must show plan as to
  how they will become HQT

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Desk audit

• No on site visit with a monitor.
• Do to the high level of monitoring, more LEAs
  will be assigned a desk audit.
• This will be indicated in your monitoring letter.
• LEA responsible for uploading required documents.
• Documentation does not need to uploaded for all
  questions, ONLY when upload files button appears

HANDOUT FOR INSTRUCTIONS
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Questions?
35
DFP Contacts for Monitoring Information

• Karen Trissler
• ktrissler_at_pa.gov
• 717-787-7278
• Kelly Iorfida
• kiorfida_at_pa.gov
• 717-783-6543
• Erin Derr
• jder_at_pa.gov
• 717-787-7815