As summer approaches, many staff will plan to attend professional development to get ready for next year! If you are considering funding travel for PD out of federal grant funds, please read today’s article to refresh or familiarize yourself with the rules for paying travel out of federal grants. You can avoid mishaps with reimbursements … Read More
Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan
Would you travel to a destination without a plan or a road map? Probably not. And just like a road map, your Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan (CIP) provides your team with a pathway to define your goals, create evidence-based strategies to target the goals, and determine how they will be monitored and … Read More
Title I Paraprofessional Requirements
Hiring season is quickly approaching! As you look to acquire new talent, please be aware of the qualifications that Title I-funded instructional paraprofessionals must possess. The “highly qualified” requirements for Title I-funded instructional paraprofessionals were retained when NCLB was reauthorized as ESSA, and TEA has forms to complete when hiring Title I instructional paraprofessionals. Today’s … Read More
Federal End of Year Activities for Charter Districts
Welcome to our handy end of year checklist! It contains all things federal that you need to finish up the activities for year! The purpose of this document is to keep you informed of all the documents that are required this time of year and the deadlines that they are due to TEA. This will … Read More
ESSA Required Meetings for 2023-24
A few weeks ago, CSS published an article about the Collaborative Comprehensive Needs Assessment. Today’s article is closely related to this topic as it involves preparations for next year’s federal grants. The focus for this week will be the end of year meetings that are required for ESSA so that you can plan your grants … Read More
Indirect Cost Rate Request for 2023-24
If you are interested in money for your Charter, today’s tip is for you! Did you know you can claim indirect costs on your federal grant awards and keep the money? To do so, Charter Districts must first request an indirect cost rate, and today’s article is about how to go about obtaining one. Indirect … Read More
District Accreditation Status for 2022-23
The grace period from COVID is over, and, after two years of accreditation statuses being on hold, TEA has resumed issuing ratings. On January 26, 2023, TEA issued a memo announcing the release of ratings on February 9, 2023. For the previous two years, all LEAs were rated “Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster;” however, … Read More
Title III Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Requirements
Charter districts are often in shared service arrangements (SSAs) for Title III federal funds. Whether you are in a SSA or receive the Title III funds directly, you are required to provide parental engagement activities specifically targeted towards your Emergent Bilingual learner families. Today’s article will assist LEAs with understanding what qualifies as parent, family, … Read More
Mid-Year Federal Grants Review (ESSA & IDEA-B)
Check ups are important! They keep us on track. The middle of the school year is a good time to check up on your federal grants by conducting a mid-year review. How would I go about doing that you ask? CSS has an excellent training resource in our Mid-Year Federal Grants Review Online Course – … Read More
Need-to-Knows about State and Federal Report Cards
Turnabout is fair play, and it’s your turn to get your grades! This spring, your schools report cards will be published, and it’s time to complete public dissemination requirements. Please be aware that the Texas Education Agency produces TWO types of report cards annually – the School (State) Report Card (SRC) and the Federal Report … Read More