What is Title I?

Dear Parent/Guardian/Caregiver,

Your child attends East York Elementary, which receives Federal Title I funds to assist students in meeting state achievement standards.  Throughout the school year, we will be providing you with important information about this law and your child’s education.  This letter lets you know about your right to request information about the qualifications of the classroom staff working with your child.  

At East York Elementary, we are very proud of our teachers and feel they are ready for the coming school year and are prepared to give your child a high-quality education. As a Title I school, we must meet federal regulations related to teacher qualifications as defined in ESEA. These regulations allow you to learn more about your child’s teachers’ training and credentials. We are happy to provide this information to you. At any time, you may ask:

• Whether the teacher met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject he/she is teaching,
• Whether the teacher received an emergency or conditional certificate through which state qualifications were waived, and
• What undergraduate or graduate degrees the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration.

 You may also ask whether your child receives help from a paraprofessional.  If your child receives this assistance, we can provide you with information about the paraprofessional’s qualifications.  

Our staff is committed to helping your child develop the academic knowledge and critical thinking he/she needs to succeed in school and beyond. That commitment includes making sure that all of our teachers and paraprofessionals meet applicable Pennsylvania state requirements.

If you have any questions about your child’s assignment to a teacher or paraprofessional, please contact Betsy Bedell at East York Elementary School at 717-885-1240 or at bbedell@yssd.org.

Because we care deeply about our children, please review the following in how we show our shared dedication and continued commitment to student learning.

East York Elementary understands the importance of the school experience for every student and our role as educators and models. Therefore, the school agrees to carry out the following responsibilities to the best of our ability.

Administrators, educators, and paraprofessionals will:

• provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment to enable your child to meet the challenging state academic standards.
• strive to be aware of the individual needs of your child.
• ensure communication between school and parents with you regarding your child’s progress on an ongoing basis through parent-teacher conferences, periodic progress reports, access to staff via email, and opportunities to volunteer or visit your child’s classroom as conditions allow.
• treat your child with dignity and respect in a safe, positive, and healthy learning environment.

The student realizes education is important. They are the ones responsible for their own success. Therefore, they agree to carry out the following responsibilities to the best of their ability.

I will do my best to follow BRAVE rules by:

• being responsible for my own behavior, showing a positive attitude towards learning, and understanding that education is important to my life.
• being a cooperative learner, following directions, and being supportive of others.
• completing my class work and homework on time and to the best of my ability whether in school or online.
• paying attention, being an engaged learner, and asking for help when needed.

The parent(s)/guardian(s) understand(s) that participation in their student's education will help their achievement and attitude. Therefore, the parent(s)/guardian(s) will continue to carry out the following responsibilities to the best of their ability:

I/We will continue to:

• provide a quiet place for my child to study, participate in virtual classes, or complete homework and assist as necessary.
• make sure my child gets an adequate night’s sleep and arrives ready to learn on time.
• make an effort to spend time each day with my child and help him/her study.
• teach my child to respect all members of the school community and school property.
• review and respond to school communications, attempt to attend parent/teacher conferences, and consider attending school events or visiting school sites that would support my child.

The Title I Parent and Family Engagement section of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 1116 requires each Title I school to develop a written parent and family engagement policy that describes the means for carrying out the requirements of Section 1116. The policy below was developed with Title I parents to meet these guidelines. It will be distributed on an annual basis and will be translated for parents as needed. A copy of this policy will remain in the district’s Title I files for review.

• Parents will be involved in the planning, review and improvement of the school’s Parent Involvement Policy through Title I Parent Committee meetings and through annual questionnaires. Questionnaires should be made available through email as well as paper copies.
• An annual meeting will be held to inform parents of the school’s Title I program and to explain the program and the parents’ right to be involved. This meeting will be held in the fall of each year. A brochure describing the Title I program will be posted/distributed to parents each fall.
• Parent meetings and conferences will be offered at different times during the day including morning, afternoon, and evening.
• Title I funds may be used to pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parent involvement activities. This may include transportation, child care, home visit expenses, literacy supplies, books, snacks, and games.
• Parents will be involved in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I program through a meeting of the Title I Parent Committee, surveys, Talking Points, and phone conversations with Title I staff.
• East York has become a Title I schoolwide program having involved parents in the joint development of the School-wide Program Plan under ESSA Section 1116.
• If East York would become a Title I school in school improvement, it would involve parents in the joint development of the School Improvement Plan under Section 1116.
• East York will provide parents with timely information about the Title I program through the school/district newsletters, progress reports distributed two times during the year that contain an update on student progress, and an annual brochure/posting.
• East York will provide parents a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet through a Standards based progress report, East York newsletters, and a Title I pamphlet/posting.
• East York will provide assistance to parents in understanding the State’s academic content standards and student achievement standards, local academic assessments and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children through the standards based progress report, Title I progress reports that contain annual goals.
• East York will provide, if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. This will include parent/school conferences and home-school communication.
• A school-parent compact will be jointly developed with parents and the compact outlines how parents, the entire school staff and students will share in the responsibility for improved student achievement. The compact will be reviewed at Title I Parent Committee meetings and distributed when children enter the program.
• East York will provide materials and training to help parents, guardians, and foster parents to work with their children in grades 3 - 5 to improve their children’s achievement through Title I family events, materials from the Title I teachers, and newsletters. The activities will be developmentally appropriate for students in grades 3 - 5.

Reapproved by parent/school committee 5/2025

The Literacy League is composed of the reading specialists and paraprofessionals of East York Elementary. Under our schoolwide Title I program, we are able to flexibly serve students as needs arise.

We believe:

• Language arts instruction should be integrated, meaningful, and authentic.
• Reading and writing promote critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving.
• Reading and writing instruction should be research based.
• Flexible grouping structures and varied teaching techniques are required to meet individual needs and interests of all students.
• Assessment should be on-going and guide instruction.
• Parents are partners in the literacy development of their child.

Examples of services provided:

• Intensive phonics and/or phonemic awareness instruction in small group
• One on one or small group fluency instruction/practice
• Comprehension support in small group or classroom setting
• Reading response/writing support
• Facilitation of book clubs/ELA stations
• Organization and facilitation of Bound Together, our school wide book club
• Fostering a love of reading school wide
• Whole group instruction with targeted support
• Any combination of the above as is appropriate to student needs

We strive to help students to:

• Develop strong foundational skills in reading and writing.
• Explore the purpose of literacy in their lives.
• Build a wide and deep vocabulary.
• Develop inferential, analytical, and evaluative skills.
• Communicate clearly through speaking and writing in a variety of media

Building toward larger transfer goals of using their learning to:

• Pursue a deeper understanding of themselves and the world by examining various perspectives and settings
• Communicate clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences, settings, situations, and purposes
• Engage others in dialogue about critical, relevant, and/or compelling issues

Determination of services:

• Assessments (Ex: Acadience, phonics screenings) and classroom performance will be taken into account
• Some students may remain in services longer while others may just need a targeted intervention for a specific skill
• Specialists may push into classrooms and work with a wide range of students
• Our goal is to move students to independence.

Contacts

Julie Stover, Reading Specialist
 jstover@yssd.org
717-885-1240

Dianne Maxwell, Reading Specialist
dmaxwell@yssd.org
717-885-1240

Rachel Fry
Paraprofessional

Hannah Miller
Paraprofessional