Student Selection for Title I Services

In a targeted assistance program, Title I law requires that selection of Title I students be based on objective, uniformly applied criteria given to all students at each grade level and documented on a student selection worksheet. Listed below are specific points to keep in mind regarding the student selection process.

The criteria for eligibility for Title I services must be objective, education-related, and uniformly applied.

·   Selection criteria for students in grades three and above must be objective. However, the law does allow for subjective criteria to be used for grades K-2 (i.e., teacher referral).

·   You must have a worksheet that you use to compare and document student data for selection of who will receive services. The students must be ranked in priority order according to greatest need for services

·   The selection criteria should be applied to all students in any particular grade.

·   Examples of criteria used for student selection could include: test scores, report card grades, etc.

·   The student selection worksheet must list each of the criteria you use so that it is easy to see that students were selected uniformly and objectively.

·   You must use multiple criteria to determine eligibility.

·   Economically disadvantaged, learning disabled, LEP, and migrant students must be selected on the same basis as all other students. Professional staff cannot exclude them just because they are receiving other services.

·   If a new student moves into the district, they must be selected and ranked in the same way as the other eligible students receiving services. Even if they received services in another school, they must meet your school’s criteria before receiving services.

·   The average caseload for a Title I teacher is 25-35 students. A caseload above 45 students is too many for one teacher to oversee. However, very small caseloads may indicate a need to widen the selection criteria to make more students eligible for the program.

·   The basic rule of thumb is that only students who have been found to be eligible for Title I and whose parents have been informed, should receive Title I services. Title I services are not meant to be general aid to the classroom. The purpose is to give identified students additional services above and beyond the primary instruction they receive in the classroom.

·   Incidental inclusion allows Title I personnel to work with non-Title I students randomly or periodically but should not occur on a regular basis. For example, it is illegal for Title I staff to regularly work with a particular reading group on a regular basis. The Title I teacher should provide supplementary or additional services beyond what a classroom teacher may provide during reading groups and should only work with non-Title I students on a non-regular basis.