Programs & Services
Federal Programs
Contact Info
Federal Programs
English Language Learners (ESL program)
Fayetteville School District celebrates the diversity of its student body. Students from Nepal, Kenya, El Salvador and more than thirty other countries around the globe add a cultural dimension to our schools. We are committed to addressing the needs of these students.
English as a Second Language (ESL) is an acceleration program for students whose primary language is not English. Currently the Fayetteville School District has more than 800 ESL students speaking nearly 50 different languages. The primary objective of the ESL program is to teach the ESL students English. The ESL program is not a bilingual program, nor is it a remedial program. It is an acceleration program designed to help non-English speaking students learn to understand, speak, read and write English as quickly as possible. In addition to fifteen ESL teachers, the Fayetteville School District's ESL program has four highly qualified ESL instructional assistants.
In addition, the Fayetteville school district also provides two district translators and a parent liaison who translates documents, forms, and letters as well as interprets at parent/teacher conferences, parent nights, meetings, etc.
This individual also serves as a liaison between the ELL parents and the Fayetteville schools. They work to increase parental involvement and engagement in each school and the community.
Title I
"Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged"
Title I is the largest federal aid program for our nation's schools. Each year the Fayetteville School District receives over one million dollars in Title I funds. Title I funds are directed to schools with high levels of poverty. The goal of Title I is to assist schools in providing a quality education for every child. The Title I program is designed to serve students most at risk of not meeting the state standards. Services are offered in reading, language arts, and math. Eight schools in the Fayetteville School District are eligible to receive Title I funds. These schools are Asbell, Butterfield, Happy Hollow, Holcomb, Jefferson, Leverett, Washington, and Holt. Asbell, Happy Hollow, Jefferson, Leverett, Washington, Holt, Butterfield, and Holcomb are schoolwide Title I schools. In a school-wide school, all students in the school are eligible to receive Title I services.
Some of the more innovative programs made possible by Title I funds are: looping (wherein a single grade of children stays with a teacher for two or more years or grade levels), reduction in class size, Reading Recovery, Guided Literacy, and the expansion of Early Literacy Learning in Arkansas (ELLA). Title I funds are also used to provide additional support to the Migrant and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Numerous professional development and parent involvement initiatives are funded through Title I. In addition, many of the Arkansas state initiatives in assessment are guided by No Child Left Behind and Title I rules and regulations on accountability.
Schools in school improvement (Owl Creek and Holt Middle) must offer the currently-enrolled students the option of School Choice and Supplemental Education Services (SES). Owl Creek School students are eligible to transfer to McNair Middle School for Grades 6-7, and Open Enrollment Schools Asbell, Happy Hollow, Leverett or Washington Elementary Schools for Grades K-5. Holt Middle School students are eligible to transfer to McNair Middle School. The district is required to provide choice-related transportation with available funds. SES services are additional academic opportunities provided by state approved vendors. Currently, we have 724 students eligible for SES tutoring and 21 students enrolled in SES tutoring for the 2010-2011 school year. These services are designed to increase the academic achievement of the student and services will be provided outside the regular school day. To learn more about services available for your student, we invite you to visit the schools' parental involvement center or the front office for enrollment forms, or click on the link under related materials to see the current list of providers and to print an enrollment form.
In addition to the programs in the public schools, Title I funds provide services to qualifying students at St. Joseph Catholic School and the United Methodist Children's Home for Boys.
Title II
"Improving Teacher Quality"
The purpose of the Title II funds is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and the district as a whole by improving teacher and principal quality and ensuring that all teachers are highly qualified. Title II funds are used to provide professional development opportunities above and beyond what the state provides for educators in all schools, including activities that improve knowledge and skills in core academic subjects and effective instructional practices for teachers, principals and, in appropriate cases, paraprofessionals. In addition, Title II funds support district goals that are designed to improve the quality of the teaching force, such as class-size reduction and innovative professional development programs that train teachers and principals to integrate technology into curricula and instruction to improve teaching, learning, and technology literacy.
Title III
"Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students"
The purpose of Title III is to ensure that students with limited English skills develop English proficiency and meet the same academic content and achievement standards that other children are expected to meet. Title III funds are used to provide supplemental language instruction programs designed to help English Language Learners (ELL) master standards and to provide ongoing assessment of students’ progress toward grade-level goals. All schools are accountable for increasing the English proficiency and core academic content knowledge of ELL students. Title III funds support the efforts across our district to assist limited English proficient students in grades K-12 with learning the English language, involving parents in their children’s education, providing translation services for non-English speaking families and supporting classroom instruction with supplemental resources for building English skills.
Title IV
"Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities"
The activities and programs funded using Title IV funds must comply with the principles of effective schools and foster a safe and drug-free learning environment that supports academic achievement. Title IV funds are used to provide professional development for counselors, teachers, and administrators, including educational programs related to bullying and resisting peer pressure, substance abuse awareness programs, implementing school security plans, and school-based mental health programs. The district works closely with Fayetteville Police Department to support School Resource Officers (SROs) who interact with students at school and during school-sponsored events in order to promote individual and school-wide safety, develop a sense of individual responsibility and respect for the rights of others, and to provide early identification of students in need of assistance. Title IV funds also support the Peer Helper programs at Ramay and Woodland Junior Highs and Project Graduation at FHS.
Migrant Education
The migrant education in the Fayetteville School District is another acceleration program designed to serve children of migrant workers. The migrant program provides dental, medical, vision, and tutorial services to eligible students. Students also receive school supplies and clothing through the migrant education program. Migrant students are offered services in reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies; however, the primary focus of instruction is in reading and math. More than three hundred students are served in the Fayetteville Migrant Education Program.
Instructional services are provided by highly qualified paraprofessionals. Many of these paraprofessionals are bilingual, providing much needed support in the student's native language. In addition to the services provided by the paraprofessionals, our district benefits from the services of a migrant education clerk and translator.
Career Education
The goal of Career Education in Fayetteville is to empower students for effective participation in an international economy as world-class workers and citizens. Currently 66% of the student population in grades 7-12 is enrolled in a career and technical education program of study.
Career Education (CE) begins with a focused exploration of the self in relation to the world of work. Students discover their interests, talents, aptitudes, and abilities. They also learn which careers might suit them best. The workforce has evolved into a world where skills and academics go hand in hand. CE classes have also evolved over the years to incorporate industry standards, academic standards (reading, writing and mathematics), career standards, and life skills. Aligning community college and university curriculums is a focused goal so that students begin planning and earning college credit while still in high school.
Fayetteville Schools offer Career Education courses through the following programs of study:
National School Lunch Act (NSLA)
NSLA funding is expended for eligible program(s) or purpose(s) that are research-based and aligned to the Arkansas Content Standards for improving instruction and increasing achievement of NSLA identified students at risk of not meeting challenging academic standards either existing or new. It can be presumed that a district’s use of NSLA funds will be evaluated by improvements in student academic performance including growth, performance and Adequate Yearly Progress. Evidence of program effectiveness is included in the district’s Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP), which also includes each category of student special needs funding.
The following district software purchased with NSLA funds supports improving instruction and increasing student achievement: Lexia, Read180, System 44, Waterford and Successmaker.
The following district staff who are at or above requirements for hire by the Standards of Accreditation are funded through NSLA: Certified Counselors, Nurses, Licensed Social Workers, Math Instructional Specialist, Literacy Instructional Facilitators, Reading Teachers, English as a Second Language Teachers and partial salaries for directors in the Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Accountability Department.
NSLA Expense Report School Year 2009-2010 