Anonymous wrote:Both are garbage

Just don't complain your kindergarten has 28 kids. Mine had 14. A couple were learning English but none were spoiled and entitled.

Both receive funding for smaller class sizes - Title 1 from the feds, focus from the County. Title 1 schools get additional funding for staff such as parent resource specialists, reading and math specialists, etc. As PP mentioned, Title 1 is determined by FARMS rate the % changes every year based on funding. When our elementary school lost Title 1, we lost some staff and funding for summer programs and field trips. However, since we are still a focus school class sizes are smaller than other MCPS schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both are garbage

Why are they garbage?

Yes, please clarify.

Anonymous wrote:Both are garbage

Why are they garbage?

Both are garbage

Anonymous wrote:A title I school has at least 40% of families that receive free or reduced price meals. Thy receive extra title I finding from the federal government.
A focus school has a large gap in test scores between different groups - e.g., different races/ethnicities, kids who receive free/reduced price meals vs those who don't.
- in MCPS, schools that are either title I or focus have lower class sizes than ones that are neither.

In MCPS there are 25 (or 26) Title I elementary schools. It's based on FARMS but without a hard and fast percentage cutoff. MCPS received funding for a set number this year, and the poorest 25/26 schools get it. The lowest FARMS Title I school is Clopper Mill with 68.4%. The highest FARMS non-Title I is Viers Mill at 67.1%. I was teaching at Viers Mill when they lost Title I two years ago, and it was due to the county receiving funding for two fewer schools. If the county got funding for one more school next year, Viers Mill would likely get it back.

The differences I experienced between Title I and Focus were resources. For Title I, all class sizes were reduced due to increased allocations. Some principals may opt to use the funding for additional reading or academic support teachers to do interventions. There is increased funding for para educators, and the schools are the most protected from budget cuts. For example, many counselors were cut to .5 positions, but Title I schools kept a full time counselor. With Focus funds, class sizes are reduced in K-2, but not 3-5. They are also not as protected from the cuts, and the resources are slowly reduced year after year. Focus funds are local, Title I is federally funded.

Anonymous wrote:I thought Title 1 was a federal thing and focus was mcps

Focus is actually a federal designation. But it looks like all focus schools must be title I from this:

https://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/demonstrating-meet-flex-definitions.pdf

Anonymous wrote:PP - Are you sure? Because I think Title I schools are designated by the district rather than having a hard cut-off. The only Title I schools in MCPS are REALLY poor, like with FARMS rates of over 75%.

On the flip side, my kids' schools have FARMS rates of around 40 or 50 percent and are Focus but not Title I.

Yes, the district designates, but schools with 40% or more FARMs are eligible. not designating it means losing out on federal funds.

Here is the list of Title I schools for 2016-2017. If you look up the individual schools, they have FARMS rates of way over 40 percent. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/dtecps/title1/schools.aspx

I think the district gets the Title I block of funds and determines how to spend it. I know that it can be an issue when a school gets cut from that list but still has a high needs student population. That's where Focus funds come in, but they don't make up for the lost Title I funds in full.

I thought Title 1 was a federal thing and focus was mcps

PP - Are you sure? Because I think Title I schools are designated by the district rather than having a hard cut-off. The only Title I schools in MCPS are REALLY poor, like with FARMS rates of over 75%.

On the flip side, my kids' schools have FARMS rates of around 40 or 50 percent and are Focus but not Title I.

A title I school has at least 40% of families that receive free or reduced price meals. Thy receive extra title I finding from the federal government.
A focus school has a large gap in test scores between different groups - e.g., different races/ethnicities, kids who receive free/reduced price meals vs those who don't.
- in MCPS, schools that are either title I or focus have lower class sizes than ones that are neither.

Can someone explain to me what the difference between the two are or are they the same thing?