Biddeford Schools

Biddeford School Department accepts funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, amended in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and amended in 2015 as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Title IA supports programs and resources for disadvantaged students. Title IA funding is designed to aid districts in closing the achievement gap by placing highly qualified teachers in classrooms and by providing supplemental services to students. Funds are available to school districts and schools based on a measure of poverty. Title IA identified schools can operate school-wide Title IA programs (SWP) or Title IA targeted assistance programs (TAS). In Title IA school-wide programs, Title IA funds can be combined with state, local, and other federal funds to serve all students in the school. In Title IA targeted assistance programs, Title IA staff provides research-based supplemental instruction to serve students who have been identified as most at risk of not meeting state standards. Biddeford has three schools that operate a school-wide program: JFK, Biddeford Primary School, and Biddeford Intermediate School.

Federal law requires that a portion of Title IA funds be set aside to engage parents as partners in education, provide services to homeless youth, ensure that all teachers of core subjects meet the federal definition of highly qualified, and provide equitable services to eligible youth in private schools within the district.

Parent Involvement: Parents are encouraged to participate in regular and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring that parents
- play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
- are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; and
- are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child.
Homeless: The district must reserve funds for homeless children who do not attend participating Title I schools and may, for instance, provide support services to children in shelters and other locations where homeless children live. Services provided with these funds assist homeless students in effectively taking advantage of educational opportunities.
Private Schools: Title IA funds are set aside to provide Title IA eligible students at eligible private schools the educational services deemed equitable to services they would receive in their neighborhood public schools. Biddeford School Department is the fiscal agent for St. James school in regards to ESEA funding.

Title IIA provides resources for improving teacher and principal quality focused on preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers and principals. Additionally, equitable resources must be provided to eligible private schools to address the professional learning needs of the staff. St. James School also receives funds to provide staff training to enhance teachers’ content knowledge and instruction.

Title III provides resources to assist school districts in increasing English proficiency and student academic achievement of children who are limited English proficiency; and providing high-quality professional development to classroom teachers, principals, and administrators involved in their education.

Title IV provides funding to improve students' academic achievement by increasing the capacity to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning and improve the use of technology in order to improve academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.

Details of where to report suspected abuse, waste, mismanagement, or violation of the laws or regulations involving US Department of Education Funds or programs.

ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)