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Why are we here?

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that each Title I school hold an annual meeting of Title I families in order to:

inform you of your school’s participation in Title I,
explain the requirements of Title I, and
explain your rights as parents and family members to be involved.

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What will I learn?

What is a Title I school?
What are my rights?
What can Title I funds be used for?
How does our school use Title I funds?
What is the SIP?
What are our schoolwide program goals?
How is parent and family engagement funded?
What is the Parent and Family Engagement Policy?
What is the School-Parent Compact?
What curriculum does our school use?
What tests will my child be taking?
How can I be involved?
Who can I contact for help?

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We will also discuss…

Policies for Family Engagement (SCS Parent & Family Engagement Policy & Plan; School
Reporting Pupil Progress
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent & Family Engagement Requirements
Availability of Parent Training
District/School Progress/School Status
School Improvement Plan
Opportunities for additional Parent Meetings
Teacher Qualifications
Parents’ Right to Know
Notice of Title I School Status
School/Parent Compact
Student Code of Conduct

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What is a Title I school?

Title I was passed in 1965 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is the largest federal assistance program for our nation’s schools.
Title I schools receive extra funding (Title I dollars) from the federal government. These dollars are used to:

identify students experiencing academic difficulties and provide assistance to help these students;
purchase additional staff, programs, materials, and/or supplies; and
conduct parent and family engagement meetings, trainings, events, and/or activities.

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What are my rights?

The families and parents of Title I students have a right, by law, to:

be involved in decisions made at both the school and district level;

be provided with information on your child’s level of achievement on tests in reading/language arts, writing, mathematics, and science;

request and receive information on the qualifications of your child’s teacher and paraprofessionals who are working with your child from Kat McRitchie – our Director of Academics – at kat.mcritchie@crosstownhigh.org

request opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of your child. The school is required to respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.

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What can Title I funds be used for?

In general, Title I funds my be used for:

smaller class sizes,
additional teachers and paraprofessionals,
additional training for school staff,
extra time for instruction (before and/or after school programs),
parent and family engagement activities, and/or
a variety of supplemental teaching materials, equipment, and technology.

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How does our school use Title I funds?

In 2025-2026, our school was allotted approximately $194,771.04 in Title I funding.
We developed a Schoolwide Program, which means we plan to spend our funds on the following:

We use our funds for supplemental staff members. Those staff members are:

Restorative Justice Coordinator #1
Restorative Justice Coordinator #2
College & Career Advisor

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What is the SIP?

The SIP is the School Improvement Plan. It includes:

the identification of the school planning team and how they will be engaged in the planning process;
a needs assessment and summary of academic and non-academic data;
prioritized goals, strategies, and action steps to help address the academic and non-academic needs of students;
teacher and staff professional development needs; and
budgets and the coordination of resources.

The school must include family representatives on our school planning team. We have parents and students representatives on our school planning team this year.

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What are our schoolwide program goals?

College & Career Readiness� We will help more students feel prepared for life after high school by:

Building stronger math skills so students are ready for college and careers.�
Offering more opportunities for early college credit and advanced classes.�

Academics – English Language Arts (ELA)� We will:

Use a strong, consistent curriculum in every classroom.�
Support teachers with training to help all students grow as readers and writers.�
Give extra help to students who need it, so more will reach or exceed grade level.

Academics – Math� We will:

Use a strong, consistent curriculum in every math class.�
Support teachers with training to help all students grow in math.�
Give extra help to students who need it, so more will show steady growth each year.�

Safe & Healthy Schools� We will:

Work with students and families to improve attendance.�
Reduce the number of students who miss too many days of school.

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Specific Goals from School Improvement Plan:

College & Career: By May 2026, Crosstown High School will increase the percentage of students who meet ACT college and career readiness benchmarks in math from 12.6% to 18%, by implementing targeted foundational math skill interventions, aligning instruction with ACT standards, and offering additional instructional time and support through adjusted scheduling and reduced student-teacher ratios in key math courses. Develop and expand opportunities for students to access multiple early post-secondary opportunities (EPSO) and advance academic courses while enrolled in high school in order to increase students' college and career
Safe & Healthy Schools: By the end of the 2025-2026 school year, reduce the percentage of chronic absenteeism from 35% to 25% by implementing targeted attendance interventions, including improved communication strategies with families and regular attendance monitoring readiness.
Academics:

ELA: By Spring 2026, through the implementation of a standards align core curriculum in each ELA classroom, students will receive a high quality and equable education. Teachers and school leaders, through a comprehensive professional development program will build their pedagogy in reading, writing, and Language Arts TN standards and differentiation to align with instructional shifts. Students struggling to meet academic proficiency will receive targeted intervention and supports throughout the school year based on their identified area(s) of need. By Spring 2026, Crosstown High will increase the percentage of economically disadvantaged students scoring on track or mastered on the Language Arts EOC usage standards by 5 percentage points (from 24% to 29% for economically disadvantaged students).
Math: By Spring 2026, through the implementation of a standards align core curriculum in each Math classroom, students will receive a high quality and equable education. Teachers and school leaders, through a comprehensive professional development program will build their pedagogy in Math TN standards and differentiation to align with instructional shifts. Students struggling to meet academic proficiency will receive targeted intervention and supports throughout the school year based on their identified area(s) of need. By Spring 2026, Crosstown High will increase the percentage of economically disadvantaged students showing growth on Math as evidenced by TVAAS math growth increases by 5% (from 0.3 to 0.315).

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How is parent and family engagement funded?

Any district with a Title I allocation exceeding $500,000 is required by law to set aside 1% of it’s Title I allocation for parent and family engagement.
Of that 1%, 10% may be reserved at the district for system-wide initiatives related to parent and family engagement. The remaining 90% must be allocated to all Title I schools in the district.
You, as Title I parents and family members, have the right to be involved in how this money is spent.

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What is a Parent and Family Engagement Policy?

These plans address how the district and school will implement the parent and family engagement requirements of ESSA. Components should include:

how parents and families can be involved in decision-making and activities;
how parent and family engagement funds are being used;
how information and training will be provided to families; and
how the school will build capacity in families and staff for strong parent and family engagement.

You, as a Title I parent or family member, have the right to be involved in the development of these plans.

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What is a Parent and Family Engagement Policy?

The Parent and Family Engagement Policy can be found on our website at

www.crosstownhigh.org
The school Parent and Family Engagement Policy will be shared throughout the first quarter through parent square.

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What is a School-Parent Compact?

A school-parent compact is a written commitment that outlines how the entire school community – teachers, families, and students will share the responsibility for improved academic achievement.
The compact must describe how the school will:

provide high-quality curriculum and instruction;
hold parent-teacher conferences, annually in elementary schools;
provide parents with reports on their child’s progress;
provide parents reasonable access to staff.
provide parents opportunities to volunteer; and
ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and staff, to the extent practicable, in a language family members can understand.

You, as a Title I parent or family member, have the right to be involved in the development of the compact.

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What is a School-Parent Compact?

The School-Parent Compact can be found on our website at:

www.crosstownhigh.org
The school School Parent Compact will be shared throughout the first quarter through parent square.

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What curriculum does our school use?

The Tennessee Academic Standards provide a common set of expectations for what students will know and be able to do at the end of a grade for each subject area.
Tennessee's academic standards form the framework for everything taught at Crosstown High
For more information about Tennessee’s academic standards, see:

https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/education/instruction/academic-standards.html

Additionally, we are a project based learning school and a competency based learning school. Both of these types of learning are woven within our curriculum and Tennessee’s academic standards, as well as national standards.

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What tests will my child be taking?

State Testing (April 2026): TN Ready testing will occur in
Benchmark Testing (Throughout the Year): iReady benchmark testing will occur throughout the year (at least 3 times per year, sometimes more for specific students)
AP Testing (May 2026): Students who are enrolled in AP courses will take AP exams in May 2026.
ACT Testing (October 2025 & March 2026): 11^th & 12^th graders will take a state required ACT test during the year. 9^th graders have the option to take the Pre-ACT. 10^th Graders are all required to take the Pre-ACT. All ACT testing, minus 11^th grade, occurs in October. 11th Grade ACT testing is in March
PSAT Testing (October 2025): All students have the option to take the PSAT and SAT.

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How can I be involved?

We need you! Research has proven that family engagement in education has more impact on student achievement than any other factor.
Come to our school wide events this year! Use our public calendar to join events.
To get involved with the SIP, reach out to Mrs. Johnson at erin.johnson@crosstownhigh.org
To get involved with the Parent and Family Engagement Policy, reach out to Ms. Williams at jasmine.Williams@crosstownhigh.org OR Mrs. Johnson at erin.johnson@crosstownhigh.org
To get involved with the School Parent Compact, reach out to Ms. Baier at mbaier@crosstownhigh.org or reach out to Mrs. Johnson at erin.johnson@crosstownhigh.org

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