Need-to-Knows about State and Federal Report Cards

Schools are all about grading, but sometimes the schools are graded themselves. This is the case with the Federal Report Cards. 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 Card (FRC). Usually, CSS distributes this tip with … Read More

Title I School Improvement Grant and Comprehensive Ratings

Update: The Title I School Improvement grant is now open in eGrants. For campuses with Comprehensive Progress or Comprehensive Reidentified ratings, you should see the grant in eGrants if eligible. Please read below for CSS’ previous tip from November. The Legislature can’t seem to get enough of Austin, and the A-F ratings are tied up … Read More

Title I Parent & Family Engagement Policy

Education is a partnership between the school and the home; however, building effective partnerships can be a challenge. Schools must consciously reach out and plan for ways to engage families. For Title I schools, it can be a bigger challenge with parents facing barriers related to poverty. For these reasons, having a comprehensive plan and … Read More

Title I School-Parent Compact

You’ve probably heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” The same is true about educating a child.  When schools and parents work together, we see greater student success. Parents and schools agree that we want our students to be successful.  One of the ways to help our students achieve academic success … Read More

Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant Application 

Summertime means it’s time to prepare and submit your charter’s 2023-2024 Special Education Consolidated (Federal) Grant application.  These funds (also known as IDEA-B) provide supplemental resources to help LEAs ensure that eligible students (ages 3-21) with disabilities are provided with a free appropriate public education as required by federal statute.   At CSS, we are working … Read More

Beginning of Year Activities for Federal Programs

Summer is breezing by, and it’s time to get organized for the pending school year. There are many things you must remember to do, so CSS has created a federal checklist to help keep you organized. Start checking them off today to start your year off calm, cool, and collected! The CSS Federal Programs Team … Read More

ESSA Consolidated Grant Application

While others are off enjoying summer vacation, federal staff are busy planning and writing grants to receive funds for the upcoming school year. At CSS, we have been working with our clients to help them understand the changes in the grant application.  The ESSA Consolidated Grant Application is the TEA-required application for LEAs and charters … Read More

Real Property Survey Due July 21, 2023

Surprises can be nice, but not when they come in the form of an unexpected report! TEA Grant Compliance announced a new survey requirement that is due July 21, 2023. The last time this survey was done was Oct 2019! It’s been a while, so you will have to do some digging to complete this … Read More

Basic Grants Management

Grants can be a great way to add funds to your school budget, but dealing with grants is not simple. The payoff of receiving grants can be worth it if you are cognizant of the regulations and rules of the grant. Before you venture too far into the grant waters, take the time to understand … Read More