Title 1

The US Department of Education ensures equitable services to private school children. Under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (see Appendix A), local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide services for eligible private school students, as well as eligible public school students. In particular, Sec. 1120 of Title I, Part A, requires a participating LEA to provide eligible children attending private elementary and secondary schools, their teachers, and their families with Title I services or other benefits that are equitable to those provided to eligible public school children, their teachers, and their families.

Students are screened for Title I Language Arts and Math services based on recommendations from teachers or parents. Standardized scores are also analyzed for lower than expected performance in these areas. If a student qualifies for services, a permission form is sent to the parents to have their child attend one-on-one or small group remediation to assist the child in catching up with his or her classmates.

Act 89

Act 89 is a state financed program designed to “provide auxiliary service to students attending nonpublic, nonprofit schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Eligible nonpublic schools may choose from the following Act 89 services:

• Resource Teacher Services

• Speech and Language Services

• Elementary Counseling Services

• Psychological Services, Instructional Support

• Standardized Testing

• Technology Services

• DIBELS NEXT (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Screening

• Challenge of Champions / Team Problem-Solving Competition

The amount of service a school is entitled to is governed by the PA student enrollment in that school from the prior year.

Counseling

A certified counselor is available for students who need such services. Students can elect to see the counselor or may be recommended to the counselor by teachers, the principal or their parents. The counselor will provide a permission form for a parent to sign. Students may request to see the counselor one time without a signed permission slip. Any additional sessions will occur if a signed form is returned to the counselor.