Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. Under Section 504, FAPE consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student's individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of nondiabled students are met.

This program is a comprehensive school assessment program through the Arizona Education Foundation that celebrates outstanding schools and brings to light the positive stories and successes happening in public schools every day. Additional Information can be found at: https://www.azedfoundation.org/a-schools

The Arizona Acadmic Standards Assessment (AASA) is the statewide achievement test for Arizona students in Grades 3-8. All Arizona public school students in Grades 3-8 will take the grade level AASA assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics. For more information, please visit:
https://www.azed.gov/assessment/aasa

A comprehensive list of learning objectives developed by the Arizona Department of Education. For more information, please visit: https://www.azed.gov/standards-practices

This is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures that can be used to regularly detect risk and monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Accommodations are used when the student is expected to learn the same curricular content. The student may be taught in a different way, respond or test in a different way or need changes in the environment. A change is made to provide access or equal opportunity to demonstrate skills does not change instructional level, content or performance criteria. It does not change how much of the curriculum the student is expected to learn. It only changes how students access and express knowledge on a daily basis.

Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-241 requires the Arizona Department of Education, subject to final adoption by the State Board of Education, to develop an annual achievement profile for every public school in the state based on an A through F scale. The system measures year to year student academic growth, proficiency on English language arts, math and science, the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners, indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates.
 

The Arizona School Boards Association is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes locally elected governance of public education and continuous improvement of student success by providing training, leadership and essential services to public school governing boards statewide.

Arizona Association of School Business Officials is a professional association that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth, and the effective use of educational resources.

Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association is the professional association for school personnel employees affiliated with AASPA (American Association of School Personnel Administrators).

Arizona School Public Relations Association is a professional organization that provides support to educators involved in school public relations and professional development for school public relations professionals.

Per A.R.S. 15-901 The Average Daily Membership means the total enrollment of fractional students and full-time students, minus withdrawals, of each school day through the first one hundred days in session for the current school year. Average One hundredth day Average Daily Membership is used in the formula to distribute funds to Arizona Public Schools.

Arizona English Language Learner Assessment is a test that comes in two parts, placement and reassessment. The AZELLA Placement is a language screener to determine if a student has a need for language support. It is given to any student that is enrolling in an Arizona school for the first time and has identified a language other than English on their Primary Home Language Other than English (PHLOTE). The PHLOTE is a federally mandated form that every family completes upon enrollment in school. The AZELLA Reassessment test is given to any student who qualifies for EL services based on AZELLA placement or a previous AZELLA Reassessment score. Annual reassessment is federally mandated to determine growth in English proficiency and determine if a student continues to qualify for services. K-2 tests are on paper and grades 3-12 are computer based tests. Both tests assess listening, reading, writing, and speaking proficiency. Students take it within a six-week window in February and March.

Arizona Safety Accountability for Education: Program linked to SAIS which provides educators with information needed to maintain and improve the safety of their schools.

The Arizona Science Assessment (AzSCI) is a state assessment administered to students in grades 5, 8, and 11 and measures student proficiency of Arizona's science standards in physical, earth and space, and life sciences. For more information, please visit: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/sci

Benchmarking provides an opportunity to compare processes and/or current best practices with similar organizations inside or outside the field of education. By comparing results with similar campuses/departments (inside or outside of the district), the team can assess current status within various categories relative to peers and competitors.

Instructional strategies or techniques that consistently have documented outcomes superior to those achieved with other means. Research validated Best Practices refers to a program, activity or strategy that has the highest degree of proven effectiveness supported by objective and comprehensive research and evaluation.

A meeting management system developed specifically for local governments, school boards and other private and public governing bodies to alleviate the enormous task of assembling, printing, distributing and revising agenda items and policies.

A business partner provides a product, service, money, or time in exchange for exposure to the company’s name, product, and/or service to students, staff, and/or parents.

A Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is a set of government financial statements that comply with the accounting requirements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). A CAFR is compiled by district staff and audited by an external certified accounting firm.

A room where a student is placed when he/she is harming themselves or others and needs a place to calm down to get behaviors under control. The calming room is never to be used as a punishment or form of discipline and may only be used in crisis situations. At all times an adult must supervise a student in the calming room. Following placement in the calming room, seclusion documentation must be completed by the campus administrator, school psychologist or special education strategist and parents must be notified of the incident.

Arizona House Bill 2064 requires students, beginning with the graduating class of 2017, to pass a civics test based on the United State Immigration and Naturalization civics questions. Students must score 70% or higher on the assessment in order to graduate. LESD79 makes the Civics Assessment available to our 8th grade students.

Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) are created and agreed upon by an entire group of course or grade-level teachers. For example, all of the seventh-grade science teachers at a school will use the same formative assessments that they collaborated to create; based on the standards and curriculum.

Community Education offers a wide range of academic and athletic programs to the community including preschool/pre-kindergarten, extended day kindergarten, before and after school care, and enrichment classes.

Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive, self-regulation program that integrates social emotional learning, school culture and discipline.  It helps educators build schools based on safety, connection and problem solving.

Conscious Discipline is based on brain research that indicates our internal state dictates our behavior. This program helps adults understand their own brain states first so that they can create safe and loving environments that our children need to access their highest levels of learning.  Next, adults are able to identify the brain states of their children in order to provide the children the appropriate support they need. 

The three core components of Conscious Discipline are:

1. Safety, through self-regulation, enhances adults' and children's ability to recognize and manage emotional upset. 
2. Connection, through creating a strong and healthy school family culture, motivates adults’ and children’s willingness to engage in healthy relationships and help each other be successful.
3. Problem Solving, through changing our response to conflict and developing our social emotional skills increases adults' and children’s resiliency.

Here are some resources to support your child's social emotional learning in the face of a global pandemic.

Talk to your child's principal about free Conscious Discipline training for adults at your child's school.

You can learn more about Conscious Discipline at www.consciousdiscipline.com.

Continuous improvement is a method for identifying opportunities for improving organizational outcomes and streamlining the work.

LESD79’s areas of greatest expertise; the strategic capabilities that are central to fulfilling our mission and prove a competitive advantage in our marketplace: learning organization, data driven culture and commitment to

Core values guide the behaviors and actions of the members of the organization as they pertain to the LESD79 Strategic Plan. They guide decision making of all employees, helping LESD79 to accomplish its mission and obtain its vision. Values drive performance, especially during times of change.

In LESD79, early release days are identified as a 90 minute early release for students on every Wednesday. During this time, teams of teachers, curriculum/professional development teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and principals meet to answer the four driving PLC questions: 1. What do we want students to know? 2. How will we know that they have learned it? 3. What do we do if they didn’t learn it? 4. How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

Students whose first language is not English, and encompasses both students who are just beginning to learn English (often referred to in federal legislation as "limited English proficient" or "LEP") and those who have already developed considerable proficiency is considered an English Language Learner.

Education Finance Resource Group is an educational cost/function modeling system that uses regression analysis to systematically measure the relationship between operating expenditures and educational outcomes.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (Pub.L. 89-10, 79 Stat. 27, 20 U.S.C. ch.70), is a United States federal statute enacted April 11, 1965. It was passed as a part of President Lyndon B Johnson's "War on Poverty" and has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by Congress. The act is an extensive statute that funds primary and secondary education, while explicitly forbidding the establishment of a national curriculum. It also emphasizes equal access to education and establishes high standards and accountability. In addition, the bill aims to shorten the achievement gaps between students by providing each child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional education. As mandated in the act, the funds are authorized for professional development for instructional materials, for resources to support educational programs, and for parental involvement promotion. The act was originally authorized through 1970. However, the government has reauthorized the act every five years since its enactment. ESEA was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, named and proposed by President George W. Bush. In March of 2015, President Obama signed the current reauthorization as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The ESEA also allows military recruiters access to 11th and 12th grade students' names, addresses, and telephone listings when requested.

ESSA reauthorizes the 50 year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a national education law and commitment to opportunity for all students. President Obama signed ESSA on December 10, 2015. The previous version of the law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was enacted in 2002. Each state must submit a plan for implementing the law at a state level. Additional information can be found at: https://www.ed.gov/essa

The Executive Cabinet is composed of the district’s Senior Department Leaders who work closely with the Superintendent to ensure the implementation of districtwide goals and initiatives, as well as manage the day-to-day activities required to successfully support and operate campuses.

The permanent removal of a student from school and school activities through the Expulsion Hearing process as referenced in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Special education and/or related services that are provided beyond the school year or the school day for the child’s grade level. These services are not enrichment programs, summer school programs or compensatory services and are not just an extension of time or duplication of regular school year services. ESY services are determined by the IEP team to provide the student educational benefits gained during the school year that are significantly jeopardized by a break in service. ESY is necessary when the lack of ESY services would thwart the goal of maintaining the meaningful progress gained during the school year which could affect FAPE (free appropriate public education).

The Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to identify schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) for overall low student achievement or low graduation rate and Targeted Support and Improvement Schools (aTSI/TSI) for low subgroup achievement. Schools are identified every three years.

The extent to which any program or plan is implemented in the way in which it was designed.

Assessments and assessment procedures used by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student achievement. Formative assessments help the teacher understand what the student already knows and what the student still needs to learn. From this information, the teacher can adjust the instruction for the individual student or group of students. Also see: Summative Assessment.

Special Education and related services are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; meet the standards of the state education agency, including the requirement of this part; include an appropriate preschool, elementary school or secondary school education in the state involved; and are provided in conformity with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that meets the requirement of 300.320 through 300.324 of the IDEA.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Government Accounting Standards Board aims to ensure greater accountability and well-informed decision making through excellence in public-sector financial reporting.

General education teachers are licensed/certified to teach. They may be certified to teach specific grade levels (i.e., elementary education) or in subject areas such as math or reading.

The General Operating Fund is the district’s primary source of money for operating the schools. It accounts for all financial resources and expenditures except the maintenance and operation of the school. The principal sources of revenue include local property taxes and state funding. Expenditures include costs associated with the daily operations of the school.

Government Financial Officers Association reviews government audits for excellence in reporting.

A gifted student is a child or student who performs or shows potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment.

Governing Board members are elected by voters within the school district, or occasionally are appointed. School board elections are part of the general election in even-numbered years. Governing Boards derive their power and authority from the state. In compliance with state and federal laws, the Board establishes and approves policies and regulations and is responsible for employing the superintendent, approving and providing guidance in the development of the budget, approving purchases, curriculum materials, the school calendar, personnel actions based on the superintendent’s recommendation, closing or constructing schools, assessing board effectiveness, and monitoring progress towards goals. See Arizona State Statute (ARS) 15-341 http://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00341.htmhttp://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00341.htm

Methods to reach goals. Which strategies are chosen depends on coherence, affordability, practicality, and efficiency and should be research-based.

Individualized Education Plan: Legal document mandated by IDEA that defines the individualized goals of a child who has been found to have a disability, as defined by federal regulations.

Intergovernmental Agreement – A contract between two governmental entities that must be approved by the Governing Board and legal counsel.

A web-based assessment and data platform used to create classroom and district-wide standards-based assessments, and to view, analyze and report assessment data.

Incident Management System: An Arizona mandated computer system developed to collect, track and report school safety and discipline incident data.

Inclusive Practices include structuring collaborative classes, extracurricular activities, and small group activities so that students of all ability levels, with and without disabilities, are educated together. Instruction is differentiated to meet the needs of every student. Accommodations and modifications are made for equitable access to grade level curriculum. (See LRE).

A program of planned activities, designed to increase the competencies in job related professional responsibilities. Such training would occur within the normal "service hours" (school hours) and could count toward recertification. The activities could focus on any job related task.

An assistant to the teacher in the regular education classrooms, appropriately trained and supervised in accordance with state law, regulations, or written policy.

The directing of instruction in the area(s) of concern that is in addition to regular classroom instruction. Interventions are designed to meet the identified needs of an individual and are monitored on a regular and frequent basis. Changes in instruction, for the area of learning difficulty, are designed to improve learning and to achieve adequate progress.

Local Education Agency (LEA) is a commonly used synonym for a school district.

Learning requirements are what students need to know and be able to do as a result of being in this class, course, or program.

Limited English Proficient (LEP), as defined by Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) percentage proficiency, includes both Redesignated English Language Learners (RELL) who exited English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) within the previous two years and current ESOL students. LEP participation rate includes only ESOL students. For 2011, RELL students include those who exited ESOL after June 1, 2009.

Monthly publication of district events, news and celebrations that is emailed to all District employees and posted on the ParentSquare portal.

Lexile ratings measure how difficult a book is to comprehend and how well a student can read. This measurement is used to determine how well that student will likely understand a particular book. The Lexile Text Measure indicates the reading demand of the text in terms of semantic difficulty (word frequency) and syntactic complexity (sentence length).

Least Restrictive Environment refers to the mandate in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), which states that children with disabilities are to be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with non-disabled peers. “Each public agency shall ensure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who are nondisabled and that special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the [general] educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in [general] classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 34 CFR 300.550. The level of special education services indicated on the IEP is reported yearly to the state through the state Student Accountability Information System (SAIS).

Long Term Suspension - Any suspension from school with a duration of more than 10 days.

Maricopa County Education Service Agency – The county body of government responsible for more than 100 mandates related to education in Maricopa County.

A mission statement expresses the organization's purpose in a way that inspires support and ongoing commitment. It motivates those who are connected to the organization and is articulated in a way that is convincing and easy to grasp. LESD79 Mission: Connect, Educate, Empower our Litchfield Elementary School District Family and Community

Arizona’s Move on When Reading legislation is designed to provide students with evidence-based reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade in order to position them for success as they progress through school, college, and the workforce. The heart of the legislation focuses on early identification and intervention for struggling readers, especially in kindergarten through second grade. Each school district is required to submit to the State Board of Education a literacy plan for improving the reading proficiency of their K-3 students.

The Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) is a comprehensive assessment system designed to promote increasing higher academic outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities in preparation for a broader array of post-secondary outcomes. The MSAA is designed to assess students with significant cognitive disability and measures academic content that is aligned to and derived from your state’s content standards. This test contains many built-in supports that allow students to take the test using materials they are most familiar with and communicate what they know and can do as independently as possible. The MSAA will be administered in ELA and Mathematics in Grades 3-8 and 11, and Science in Grades 5, 8, and 11.

A Multi-Tiered System of Supports is an evidence based model of instruction and intervention that uses data-based problem solving in the area of academics and behavior. These interventions occur at various intensities to meet the needs of all learners, struggling to advance, with the outcome of accelerating student performance to meet and/or exceed proficiency.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. NAEP has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP informs the public what American students know in various subject areas and compares achievement among states, large urban districts, and various student groups. NAEP is a congressionally mandated program administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) oversees and sets policy for NAEP. Please take a moment to view the video: NAEP - The Nation’s Report Card https://youtu.be/J6Zml8b_EKI

National Board Certification (NBC) is a voluntary, advanced teaching credential that goes beyond state licensure. NBC has national standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The National Board certifies teachers who successfully complete its rigorous certification process.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. More information can be found here: https://nces.ed.gov/

National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), and National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) are the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serve to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character (and Citizenship for NJHS). These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since their beginnings in 1921 and 1929.

Office of Civil Rights

Onboarding is the process of acclimating and welcoming new employees into an organization and providing them with the tools, resources, and knowledge to become successful and productive. While orientation prepares someone for their first day of work, onboarding is a broader, long-term process that helps new employees acclimate smoothly, and become engaged part of the organization.

Performance gap generally refers to the academic performance of specific student populations relative to the general population (Gen Ed). Specific gaps monitored and targeted for improvement are the Special Education/Gen Ed gap, English Language Learners/Gen Ed gap, and Title I/Gen Ed gap.

LESD79’s intranet website for staff.

PBIS is a decision-making framework that emphasizes the use of data for informing decisions about the selection, Integration, implementation and progress monitoring of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices. PBIS comes directly from the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). PBIS is interchangeable with SWABS, which is short for School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports.PBIS is a three tiered, systematic approach to establishing the social, cultural and behavior supports needed for all children in a school, to achieve both social and academic success. These systems and supports have been found to significantly reduce in-school suspensions (ISS) and out-of-school suspensions (OSS). PBIS has been found to positively impact the school environment as well as positively impact students’ perception of safety on campus.

A program of planned activities, designed to increase the knowledge and competency related to professional responsibilities.

Credit shall be granted for graduate hours earned at a college or university and approved through the Human Resources Department and/or offered by LESD79 and approved through Human Resources.

A systematic process for assessing and charting progress being made toward goals.

Preschool (age 3-4) assists children to grow academically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally in a literacy rich, play based environment. This program is Department of Health Services (DHS) licensed and is tuition based.

A reading intervention program in wide use by students in Grades 4–12 who read at least two years below grade level. It is the most thoroughly researched and documented reading intervention program in the world. It is built on more than a decade of scientifically-based research and the collaboration of reading experts. Developed in clinical and classroom settings, the program is uniquely positioned to address the needs of struggling readers.

Services needed to help a student with a disability benefit from specialized instruction in order to access the general education curriculum. The IDEA, Individuals w/Disabilities Education Act specifically includes transportation, speech- language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation (including therapeutic recreation), early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes, school health services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training. The law also specifies that it includes any other service an IEP Team determines is needed for a student to benefit from special education.

A Research Based Strategy is one where an array of research studies that document the effectiveness of the teaching and learning strategies are used to improve student achievement.

RTI has three main parts: 1) using a three tier model of instructional or behavioral support, 2) using a
problem-solving method for decision-making, and 3) using data to inform educational decision- making (IL Board of Education, 2009). Response to Intervention is used to help students manage their behavior through the practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention matched to student need, monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about change in instruction and goals, and applying the student’s response data to important educational decisions.

School Resource Officer is a law enforcement officer with a sworn authority to maintain public order with an assignment to a school or schools within the Litchfield Elementary School District #79.

The presentation of a mixture of performance measures within a single concise report. Ideally there will be multiple data points for each measure so trends can be identified. LESD79 generates scorecards at the school level and a rolled-up District Balanced Scorecard.

Any suspension from school with a duration of 10 or less days.

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, Time-bound goals. Students and employees develop SMART goals to achieve desired learning and organizational outcomes.

Adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of a child with a disability and ensure the child has access to the general curriculum, so that he or she can access the educational standards that apply to all students.

SPED – Special Education (SPED) means a free appropriate Public Education (FAPE) by providing specifically designed instruction and related services, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including: (1) instruction conducted in the general education classroom, special classes, in the home, special school, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and has been replaced with (2) instruction in physical education.

A federal reporting category that refers to the appropriate amount of time a student receives special education services. It is not a “place”.

All individuals that are affected by organizational actions and success. In DVUSD we recognize and gather input from seven stakeholder groups: students, staff, parents, business partners, community members, post-secondary education and governing board members.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education. For additional information go to www.stemcoalition.org

Assessments at the completion of a learning process which summarizes the development of learners after a period/unit of learning. An assessment of learning that has taken place.

The Superintendent’s Advisory Council is comprised of representatives from all LESD79 schools.The Council meets monthly for an hour. The purpose of the project is to educate and empower school staff about meaningful topics and then to empower those staff members to go out and do something with the information they received that will impact their school community.

The unduplicated count of the number of students suspended divided by the June 30 total enrollment.

A specific, quantifiable outcome that defines what would constitute success in a particular area of intended improvement, within a designated period of time.

The teacher of record is legally responsible for ensuring the required subject matter is taught and the student’s grades are recorded and reported.

The adoption of new curriculum resources (textbooks). If we plan to implement new curriculum resources, the process actually starts the preceding year with a team of educators and community members identifying needs, specific criteria for the resources, and alignment to standards. Once resources have been narrowed down a 60- day public review occurs in various locations in the district. The public review asks educators and community members to provide feedback about the various resources. After that, the team reviews public comments and a choice is selected to bring forward to the governing board for approval. We work to provide pre-implementation at a few of our schools during the spring to identify possible challenges and professional development needs. Professional development occurs throughout the summer for teachers who will implement the new resources. The new textbook is implemented in the fall of the next school year.

The universal instruction and curriculum that all students are guaranteed to receive, which includes data driven interventions for learners at every level. Teachers will deliver positive behavior and academic interventions in the classroom through whole and small group instruction. Tier I interventions are research-based strategies that instructors put in place at the first sign that a student is struggling academically or behaviourally. Approximately 80-85% of students will respond to high-quality Tier l differentiation and intervention as evidenced by data.

Academic and behavioral interventions are individualized and intensified through additional time (15- 30 minutes, 3-5 days per week, FITT). Tier II interventions are monitored using 3 data points collected over a 2- 3 week period. If no significant growth is demonstrated, implement a new strategy or higher intensity within Tier II. These interventions occur in the classroom and are delivered by the classroom teacher. This additional instructional time is reserved for students who have failed to respond to Tier I strategies. In most cases, Tier II research-based strategies may be similar to those deployed within Tier I, but occur more frequently and intensely. Approximately
10- 15% of students require Tier II interventions.

Tier III academic and behavior interventions are the most intensive support available in a school and are generally reserved for students with significant needs. These interventions are concentrated, aligned with Tier II, require a reduced student/teacher ratio, and an increase in time (15-30 minutes in addition to the Tier II intervention time, FITT). Approximately 5% or less students required Tier III interventions. In most circumstances, this time is accomplished outside of the general education classroom. Tier III is not exclusively special education nor an automatic referral for assistance.

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides funding for high poverty schools to help students who are behind academically or at risk of falling behind. The purpose of Title I is to help all children achieve the state’s academic standards. This is accomplished through supplemental programs that consist of instructional services, instructional support services, school wide reform efforts, and increased involvement of parents in their children’s education (ADE, 2012).

The purpose of Title II is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts improve teacher and principal quality and ensure that all teachers are highly qualified.

The purpose of Title III is to help ensure that children and youth who are limited English proficient attain English language proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet.

The Litchfield Elementary School District receives federal financial assistance and is therefore prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sex by Title IX. No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, be treated differently from another person or otherwise be discriminated against in any interscholastic sport or intramural athletics offered by LESD79. The district must provide equal participation opportunities to members of both sexes, both in terms of the selection of sports and levels of competition

A trend is determined by data (at least three data points) and can be used to help understand the past and project what may happen in the future.

The Trip Reduction Program is mandated by Maricopa County for any work site that has 50 or more employees. LESD79 is required to complete a plan each year to show a conscientious effort to reduce air pollution by allowing incentives for employees who choose to walk, carpool, ride a bike, take a bus, or vanpool an average of at least one day per week.

A brief assessment of all students to identify those students at risk. This is generally done three times a year (fall, winter, and spring). The assessment is norm-referenced and standardized.