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Title IV-A Project Planning Toolkit Home
Introduction: How Title IV-A Funding Works
Title IV-A Program Overview
The Needs Assessment
Developing Your Title IV-A Program Activities
Entering Your Application
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Title IV-A Documents Folder
Title IV-A Public Reporting
Understanding Title IV-A Course
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The Needs Assessment

NH Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant Program

This section of the toolkit will guide you through the process of determining your district needs. All Title IV-A funded activities must be connected to a demonstrated need, whether it be through a comprehensive needs assessment, or through other means of demonstrating need. The district allotment determines whether or not your district will need to complete a comprehensive needs assessment. All activities should be developed to produce an outcome that meets a documented need.

Title IV-A Allocation is $30,000 or More

An LEA that receives at least $30,000 in SSAE program funds must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that includes, at a minimum, a focus on the three main Title IV-A program areas of emphasis: a Well Rounded Education, Safe and Healthy Schools, and Effective Use of Technology.

The US Department of Education released a Comprehensive Needs Assessment Tool that Stakeholder Teams may find useful. Within this Tool, LEAs can enter district- and school-level outcome data (i.e., for selected schools identified by the LEA for Title IV, Part A funding). The Tool includes outcome-focused indicators. Collecting and analyzing outcome data during a needs assessment can help LEAs identify where their schools are facing challenges and stay focused on those outcomes as they implement their Title IV, Part A program. These indicators were chosen based on Title IV, Part A requirements, as well as the anticipated availability of data since many of the requested data points are used as part of federal and state reporting. The Title IV-A Comprehensive Needs Assessment tool can be downloaded from the Needs Assessment Folder found in the Documents for Districts Folder in this toolkit.  There is also a Needs Assessment Guidebook in that same folder.

LEAs are also encouraged to take the Future Ready District Assessment Survey to determine your general needs. The Future Ready Framework addresses the target areas necessary for student-centered, personalized learning. A copy of this survey tool is available for download and use in the Title IV-A Resources Folder. Districts who use this survey as their needs assessment will be providing The Title IV-A program with valuable information which the program can use to improve the program and get useful data on where the needs are in our state. Using the Future Ready District Needs Assessment survey will help your team gauge your district's readiness to implement meaningful personalized learning . The survey includes a series of questions, centered around the Future Ready elements necessary for personalized learning that will help you frame where the needs are within your district that inhibit your vision to provide personalized learning for your students. The Future Ready Framework specifies how each of the elements can help align your efforts to provide personalized learning through providing a well rounded educational opportunities, keep your students safe and healthy, and effectively use digital tools and technologies to enhance your students efforts to achieve higher college-and career-ready standards, and understand the type of digital leadership required to stage your district for success. The assessment includes an Introduction plus 8 sections, one for each gear in the Future Ready Framework, and one focused on leadership.

It is suggested that district Title IV-A Stakeholder teams download a pdf copy of the Future Ready District Assessment Survey and work on the assessment as a team, discussing each gear and determining areas of need based on the results of your survey. Teams should consider the determined need and then develop solutions that focus on one of the three main Title IV-A program areas of emphasis: a Well Rounded Education, Safe and Healthy Schools, and Effective Use of Technology. Taking a deep and purposeful look at your districts needs and considering the wide variety of effective activities that are allowable through the Title IV-A program will give your team the opportunity to develop best uses for their Title IV-A allocation and make the greatest impact on your students.

Future Ready Schools also has an ESSA Planning Guide, which is 100% aligned with the USDoE Guidance Document regarding TItle IV-A Planning requirements.   THe page has some plkanning templates which might be useful to your Stakeholder Team.   

A Sample Future Ready District Report based on results of the District Needs Assessment Survey. The report can be used to frame discussions with the Title IV-A team on which of the Title IV-A areas of focus, well rounded educational opportunities, safe and healthy students, effective use of technology, would best help to improve the areas of need as noted on the District Report.

Districts choosing not to use the Future Ready Needs Assessment Survey will be asked to upload their needs assessment results and analysis in the Online Grants Management System in order to demonstrate the connection of activities to determined need, as required by the Title IV-A federal grant program.

Steps in the Process of Determining Need

  1. Develop a Title IV-A Program Development Team. - should include a variety of stakeholders: administrators, teachers, parents, students, community members, school board members.
  2. Discuss and decide on a Needs Assessment to use. - there are advantages to using the Future Ready Needs Assessment, and it is strongly encouraged, but others are available.
  3. Conduct the Needs Assessment. - team members should be involved in taking the assessment.
  4. Analyze the results of the Needs Assessment date collected. - take a look at the determined needs and cross walk those with the three focal areas of the Title IV-A program to determine which combination of uses would est suit your determined needs.
  5. Develop your Title IV-A Program. - develop activities in each of the three focal areas that will reduce your district need in those areas.

Title IV-A Allocation is less than $30,000

Districts with allocations under the $30,000 threshold may choose, but do not have to conduct, a comprehensive needs assessment. However, those districts still must base their Title IV-A activities on demonstrated need and upload accompanying documentation in the Online Grants Management System. For example, logic models or strategic plans are acceptable ways to show the relationship between an existing need and programs or activities.

Title IV-A Resources available on the NH Department of Education Website.

Resource and Reading Links

Resources for developing Well Rounded Educational Opportunities https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRfnjwdm5sgwUjDzHI25rqnuMhGQ950lUQMVOsPoh9t6XWFuyvpombICkn_QhAxgs52ialeDEMMuQvg/pub

Resources for developing Safe and Healthy Schools and Students https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTWw_tyjrUvSwpVKdfSYvBF0lvrtlK7NzHWLpLFCGBPpUCN-o0CxGC9kzTE-0gTgPHmW9zUl8Q_fLTX/pub

Resources for developing the Effective Use of Technology https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR4M-ZI2qSjMddFTaQx82NySdiadqmjH9c3-84wDZJ3ZEqhfCGR8emM8Ws3bB1DaUZ8cYGtAxkE6zAk/pub

Office of ESEA Programs Resource Page on the NHDOE website https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-learner-support/bureau-of-instructional-support/integrated-programs

Future Ready District Assessment tool https://dashboard.futurereadyschools.org/uploads/media/default/0001/01/9c280b79595b2cf58d0142af126c9485a9911c28.pdf

Download Areas in the Arts to Explore in your Needs Assessment

Download Areas in Physical Education to Explore in your Needs Assessment

 

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Last updated April 3, 2023

The Titile IV-A Project Planning Toolkit is supported by New Hampshire EdTech at the New Hampshire Department of Education.