ESSA/ESSER Newsletter

Welcome to a brand new year! We hope your holiday was peaceful and full of happy times with your favorite people! Our newsletter has some resources and updates to help you get 2024 off to a smooth start. Be sure to reach out if we can help you!

- Tami Knight, Mercedez Rassi, and Monica Diaz

We checked with TEA for an estimated date for 22-23 carryover and 23-24 ESSA final amounts. TEA advises that the timeline should be about the same as last year. This means that we can anticipate receiving carryover and final amounts mid to late February.

If you're part of our ESSA Support Contract, someone from our team will reach out to you to amend your application after final amounts are released. You may want to get plans ready for how you will spend those funds, especially if your carryover will be a significant amount. If you're not part of our contract, be aware that you will need to amend your 23-24 ESSA Consolidated Grant Application to include your final amounts when they are released.

Your 22-23 Federal Report Card is now available. Each LEA that receives Title I-A funding must disseminate the state, LEA and campus-level report cards to 1) all LEA campuses, 2) parents of all enrolled students, and 3) the general public via widely available public means such as posting on the Internet, distribution to the media, or distribution through public agencies.

At a minimum, the LEA must—

• Post direct links to the State, LEA, and campus report cards on its web site;
• Notify parents of all students about the availability of the report cards and the options for obtaining them;
• Provide appropriate translation (either oral or written) upon request;
• Make hard copies available to parents upon request; and
• Make hard copies available for viewing in public locations.

As per recent guidance from the US Department of Education, each LEA shall have the federal report cards posted on its website for a minimum of 3 years.

More guidance and sample notification letters are located on TEA's website. LEAs are not required to use this letter but they must make the federal report card information readily accessible to the public, and LEAs must notify parents of the availability of the federal report card information no later than Monday, March 4, 2024.

As a reminder - the data collection tool for the USDE ESSER report is now live. You have between now and Friday, February 16 to complete your reports. We strongly encourage you to get started now as it will allow for time for hiccups in data collection that may arise.

Getting Started:

• Make sure the right people have access to the USDE ESSER Reporting WorkApp .
• Reporting dates - include funds with the ER "request date" that falls between 9/1/22 - 8/31/23
• Year Four ESSER Reporting Planning Workbook - this tool was developed by TEA to assist you in preparing for data entry

NEW! Instructional Videos:

Our friends at Region 12 have given us permission to share their amazing USDE ESSER Reporting instructional videos. There are two highlight videos about the report that are 10 minutes in length for each. Click the links below for the overview videos of the USDE ESSER Year 4 Report:

• Click for Walk-Through Intro Video (10 minutes)
• ESSER I Walk-Through Video (6 minutes)
• ESSER II Walk-Through Video (10 minutes)
• ESSER III Walk Through Video (10 minutes)
• CROSSACT & Schools Walk Through (10 minutes)

Thank you to Region 12 for allowing us to share these awesome resources with our districts!

In order to help schools implement compliant programs, TEA has published frequently asked questions for various program areas.

ESSA:

• Title I-A FAQ (06/23)
• Title II-A FAQ (06/23)
• Title IV-A FAQ (06/23)
• ESSA Private Nonprofit Equitable Services (07/23)

ESSER:

• ESSER FAQ
• ESSER Side-by-Side Comparison

Are you new to the Title I-A program? Are you a Title I-A veteran, but would like a refresher? TEA has something just for you! TEA and the Statewide Title I-A Capacity Building Initiative is launching a newbie virtual training series! These sessions are geared to help you absorb the basics and set yourself up for success in dealing with the world of federal grants. There is no cost for the training.

Session 1: Title I-A Who's Who and What's What

New to the Title I, Part A program? Feeling overwhelmed by all the jargon, acronyms, key players and resources? Join us as we navigate through who and what you need to know and which resources are a must to get you through the year!

Presenter: Jamie Goodwin, Statewide Title I, Part A Capacity Building Initiative

Registration Link: Connect 20 Session ID 99947

The team expects to offer a new session every month during the year. Stay tuned for additional information!

The PFE Summit has undergone a thoughtful rebranding to better align with its enhanced purpose. The transition from the PFE Summit to the Title I Academy marks a strategic evolution in the event's focus and format. The shift reflects a move away from a traditional summit-style gathering towards a dynamic workshop environment.

The Title I Academy is designed to foster active learning and collaboration, emphasizing practical applications that can be immediately integrated into participants' professional spheres. This transformation underscores the event's commitment to facilitating meaningful experiences where theoretical knowledge seamlessly translates into actionable takeaways, bridging the gap between theory and practice for attendees. The Title I Academy represents a forward-thinking approach, ensuring that participants leave not only with enhanced understanding of ways to improve parent and family engagement in schools, but also with tangible skills and strategies that can be applied in real-world contexts. Register now for this school-changing event

Each year, the Parent and Family Engagement Statewide Initiative accepts applications from districts and/or schools who are implementing practices that yield high parent and family engagement. These practices are rated on: the goal of the practice, evidence of increased student outcomes, and if all stakeholders are involved in the data collection, planning collaboration, and the evaluation processes.

Once the application window closes, all entries are reviewed by a committee, rated using a rubric, and then 3-4 of the top rated are selected to receive an award at the Annual PFE Statewide Conference held each year in October. In addition to receiving the award, selected schools/districts are invited to present their practice at the conference, as well as recognized on the PFE Statewide Initiative’s website and in our newsletter.

Click here to apply!

Friendly reminder to seek out more parents, families, and schools to complete the survey before January 20th.

I have provided links to the Parent and Family Engagement Initiative school staff survey, along with the English and Spanish parent survey. The QR Code is for school districts in Region 15.

• These surveys would be great to post on your social media pages to encourage more schools and parents to provide us with feedback.

Conference attendance survey - ESC & LEA version

Conference attendance survey - Parent/family version (ENG)

Conference attendance survey - Parent/family version (SP)

Email: federalprograms@esc15.net
Website: www.esc15.net/titlei
Location: 612 South Irene Street, San Angelo, TX, USA
Phone: 325-658-6571
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region15ESC
Twitter: @Region15ESC