All students at Armona Elementary School and Parkview Middle School will now benefit from the Armona Union Elementary School District's recent decision regarding Title 1 funds.

Previously, the district had used Title 1 funds -- which are awarded to a school district based on its low-income student population combined with low scores on standardized tests -- in a targeted assistance manner that allowed the funds to only be used on serving the 88 percent of the student population who were classified as Title 1. But trustees approved in June new plans for each school that will use the Title 1 money for 100 percent of the 935 students.

"It just makes sense," said Steve Bogan, superintendent of the Armona school district. "It makes it simpler."

That transition isn't the only simplification the district's officials are making. By making a schoolwide Title 1 plan, the district can combine other funds and services -- including English Learners services and benchmark assessments -- so the schools can work with all students in one concentrated direction. The combination of categorical funds will allow for $262,842 to be spent at Armona Elementary School and $224,446 at Parkview Middle School -- all funding the execution of one plan.

Xavier Pina, assistant principal at Armona Elementary who worked on the Title 1 plans for both schools, said the simplified plans will allow for easier continual updating as district officials assess what is working and what is not.

The baselines for each school's plan are the results of the California Standards Test and the California English Language Development Test, Pina said. Each plan outlines specific goals in regards to the tests -- like having 30 percent of all Parkview students score at or above proficient in English Language Arts on the CST for '08-09 -- which will be updated with the release of each year's test results.

In addition to a planned increase in test results, the Title 1 schoolwide plans will allow for "the students to get the benefit of having a better instructional program delivered for them," Pina said.

Also included in the Title 1 plan are the results of a survey handed out to parents in '06-07. The survey results for Parkview indicated that 21 percent of then Title 1 parents would be interested in some training on how to help their children learn and 79 percent of parents would not be interested in receiving training.

Pina said the district will host a Title 1 meeting in the fall, at which district officials will introduce parents to the programs and services that are now available to every student. Pina said that through meetings like that, he hopes parents will recognize the importance of their being involved in their child's education and those percentages will turn around.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2424.

(July 19, 2008)