Federal Programs
Lisa Gahagan, Federal Programs Director
5738 US Highway 25/70
Marshall, NC 28753
Phone: 828-649-9276 Ext. 10105
For information on all our Federal Programs please see the tabs below.
- Homeless Services
- Madison Teamwork
- MCS Title I Schools
- MCS Title IX Rights
- NC School Report Card
- NCLB & School Improvement
- Parent Involvement
Homeless Services
Mrs. Marshay Huskins, MCS Homeless Liaison
5738 US Highway 25/70
Marshall, NC 28753
Phone: 828-649-9276 Ext. 10127
Lisa Phillips, NC State Homeless Coordinator
336-315-7491
Information for Homeless Students and their Families
To identify a student who may qualify for McKinney-Vento services – or for information –
please contact the following people at your child's school:
Brush Creek Elementary School - Crystal Meadows
Hot Springs Elementary School - Michael McGuire
Mars Hill Elementary School - Katie McDevitt
Madison Middle School - Kristina Dixon
Madison High School - Hailey Davis
Madison Early College High School - Michael McGuire
Or
contact the Madison County Schools Homeless Liaison, Mrs. Marshay Huskins
On December 10, 2015, the President signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Under the previous version of ESEA (the No Child Left Behind Act), the education of homeless children and youth was included in Title X, Part C. Under ESSA, homeless education is included in Title IX, Part A.
Who Qualifies?
The term “homeless children and youth”—
(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and,
(B) includes—
- children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
- are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations;
- are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals;
- children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
- children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and,
- migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described above.
McKinney-Vento Educational Rights
Information for Parents
Vaya aquí para la información en español.
When a child is identified as eligible for services, s/he has the right to:
- Go to school, no matter where you live or how long you have lived there. They must be given access to the same public education, including preschool education, provided to other children.
- Continue in the school they attended before you became homeless or the school they last attended, if that is your choice and is feasible. If a school sends your child to a school other than the one you request, the school must provide you with a written explanation and offer you the right to appeal the decision.
- Receive transportation to the school they attended before your family became homeless or the school they last attended, if you or a guardian requests such transportation.
- Attend a school and participate in school programs with children who are not homeless. Children cannot be separated from the regular school program because they are homeless.
- Enroll in school without giving a permanent address. Schools cannot require proof of residency that might prevent or delay school enrollment.
- Enroll and attend classes while the school arranges for the transfer of school and immunization records or any other documents required for enrollment.
- Enroll and attend classes in the school of your choice even while the school and you seek to resolve a dispute over enrolling your children.
- Receive the same special programs and services, if needed, as provided to all other children served in these programs.
Parents, when you move, you should do the following:
- Contact your child’s school social worker or the Youth in Transition Coordinator for help in enrolling your child in a new school or arranging for your child to continue in his or her former school.
- Contact the school and provide any information you think will assist the teachers in helping your child adjust to new circumstances.
- Ask your child’s school social worker or Youth in Transition Coordinator, a shelter provider, or another charitable organization for assistance with clothing and supplies, if needed.
Additional Information Concerning McKinney-Vento Rights and Services Links
North Carolina Homeless Education Program: http://center.serve.org/hepnc/about.php
National Center on Homeless Education: http://center.serve.org/nche/index.php
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth: http://naehcy.org/
https://nche.ed.gov/downloads/briefs/introduction.pdf
2020-21- Madison County Schools served 20 students identified as McKinney Vento eligible
2021-22- Madison County Schools served 23 students identified as McKinney Vento eligible
2022-23- Madison County Schools served 32 students identified as McKinney Vento eligible
Madison Teamwork
OBJECTIVES: The program objectives are:
- to enhance the basic educational skills of youth and additional higher skilled educational programs
- to provide school completion (graduation) or enrollment in alternative school programs
- to provide exposure to the world of work
- to enhance the citizenship skills of youth
- to provide youth with meaningful work experience
- to instill positive work habits and attitudes
- to provide income to help youth meet their needs
- to provide an opportunity to establish a good work record
- to instill the importance of a post-secondary education
- to enhance the work-related performance, communications and interpersonal skills of youth
Helpful Links
MCS Title I Schools
Title I, the cornerstone of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is the largest federal education program. Its intent is to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach proficiency on challenging State academic content and performance standards.
Title I began with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which provided federal funding for high-poverty schools to help students who are behind academically and at risk of falling behind. Services can include hiring reading specialists, tutors, technology assistants and additional teachers to reduce class size; purchasing instructional equipment, materials and supplies; providing parental training sessions; extending the school day and providing professional learning.
Funding supports Title I School-wide programs and Targeted Assistance programs, depending on the level of students that receive free- and reduced-price lunch in the school and how the school wants to function. School-wide programs are in schools that have at least a 40% poverty level, based on the number of children receiving free- or reduced-price lunch. These schools have also gone through a one-year planning process. School-wide programs have flexibility in using their Title I funds, in conjunction with other funds in the school, to upgrade the operation of the entire school. School-wide programs must conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, identify and commit to specific goals and strategies that address those needs, create a comprehensive plan and conduct an annual review of the effectiveness of the School-wide program that is revised as needed.
School-wide Programs:
- plan for comprehensive, long-term improvement
- serve all students with highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals
- provide continuous learning for staff, parents and the community
- use research-based practices to develop and implement enriched instruction for all students
- use inclusive approaches to strengthen the school’s organizational structure
- consolidate resources to achieve programs goals
- engage in continuous self-assessment and improvement
Targeted Assistance Programs:
- use Title I funds to focus on helping eligible students identified as having the greatest educational need
- use multiple criteria to target these students
- allow school staff to determine which services and activities will be provided to which student
- limit funding to eligible (targeted) students and the teachers who work with them
- provide professional development and parental involvement activities to the staff and families of the targeted students
Components of a Title I School:
- All Title I schools must complete a comprehensive needs assessment that drives all aspects of school operations.
- School reform strategies must be implemented to address the identified needs.
- All instructional staff, including paraprofessionals must be highly qualified according to the criteria set by NCLB.
- There must be high quality and ongoing professional development for staff to address the needs of the school.
- There must be strategies in place to recruit highly qualified teachers and place them in areas of greatest need.
- Parent involvement is a critical and integral part of day-to-day operations in a Title I school.
- Strategies are in place to aid in the transitions between academic grade levels, as well as school levels, i.e., pre-school to kindergarten and elementary to middle school.
- Teachers are actively involved in the use of assessments and instructional decisions are driven by data analysis.
- Title I schools develop specific instructional activities for students identified with the greatest needs.
- Title I schools coordinate and integrate resources and services from federal, state and local sources.
Additional Information Links
MCS Title IX Rights
Lisa Gahagan, Title IX Coordinator
5738 US Highway 25/70
Marshall, NC 28753
Phone: 828-649-9276 Ext. 10105
Important LinksTitle IX Rights
NC School Report Card
For more information on Madison County Public School District's Report Card, please follow this link- NC School Report Card
NCLB & School Improvement
What is Adequate Yearly Progress or AYP?
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the measure for school and district achievement is referred to as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This is the minimum level of academic improvement schools and districts are expected to meet. Achievement is tracked for the school as a whole, as well as each of the following subgroups within a school:
- Asian
- Hispanic/Latino
- Multi-Racial
- Native American/Pacific Islander
- White
- Economically Disadvantaged (Free- or Reduced-Price Lunch)
- Limited English Proficient
- Students with Disabilities
For a school to make AYP, each subgroup and the school overall must AYP in both reading and math. In addition, the school must test at least 95 percent of the students in each subgroup. Elementary and middle school measures also look at attendance; high schools are evaluated on graduation rates. All of these factors together determine if a school makes AYP.
If even one subgroup doesn’t meet one of these goals, then the entire school does not make AYP.
For more information on Adequate Yearly Progress, Please follow this link- DPI AYP.
School Improvement Status
Because a major component of NCLB focuses on improving education for disadvantaged students, Title I schools that do not make AYP for two or more consecutive years are identified as in need of school improvement. These schools receive technical assistance and face sanctions. The ultimate goal of these sanctions is to improve academic achievement of students; however, the strategies to do so are more restricted and directed by authorities at the district and state levels. These sanctions range from offering parents the choice to transfer the children to another school in the district to completely restructuring a Title I school that repeatedly does not meet its AYP goals.
Parent Involvement
Title I schools are required to notify parents of their rights to receive certain information. Parents may request information concerning the professional qualifications of their child’s teacher (s) including the degrees held, certifications held, and whether the teacher is certified in the area he/she is teaching. Title I schools must notify parents if their child has been assigned or has been taught for at least four consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet the “Highly Qualified” definition. Parents also may request information concerning whether or not their child is receiving instruction by teacher assistants, and if so, their qualifications.
The law states that parents in Title I schools:
- Must be a part of developing a written parent involvement policy that is distributed to all parents and to the local community and announced at an annual meeting.
- Have a right to be involved in the planning and implementation of the parent involvement program in their school.
- Can receive materials and training for parents and staff to foster greater parent involvement.
- Must have the opportunity to jointly develop, with school staff, a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards.
In addition, parents have the right to know:
- the qualifications of their child’s teacher
- information on the level of achievement of their child
- if their child is being taught by someone who is not “highly qualified” and will be in that position for 4 or more weeks
- the school’s parent policy and have a right to have input in the decisions that are in the policy
Helpful Links
Parent Involvement in Education
NC Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC)