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Widefield School District 3
Federal Programs
Title Programs
Title I
Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA) provides financial assistance to local education agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.
Resources:
Title II
The purpose of Title II, Part A is to increase the academic achievement of all students by helping schools and districts improve teacher and principal quality. This includes teacher preparation and qualifications of new teachers, recruitment and hiring, induction, professional development, and retention. In addition, Title IIA funds may be used to improve the skills and knowledge of principals for effective school leadership.
Resources:
Title III
Title IV
Provides students with a well-rounded education including programs such as college and career counseling, STEM, arts, civics and International Baccalaureate/Advanced Placement. Supporting safe and healthy students with comprehensive school mental health, drug and violence prevention, training on trauma-informed practices, and health and physical education. Supporting the effective use of technology that is backed by professional development, blended learning and ed tech devices.
Resources:
Title IX Part A
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the McKinney-Vento Act ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness including the following: right to immediate enrollment, right to attend school of origin, right to receive transportation, rights to services comparable to those received by household schoolmates including educational services, and the right to attend school along with children not experiencing homelessness.
Surveys & Feedback
- WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Community Members
- WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Licensed Staff
- WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Building Administration
WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Community Members
What is Going Well
- Supporting Every Student: Families appreciate that teachers understand students learn in different ways and use classroom activities and technology to help students succeed.
- Extra Help: Families are grateful for tutoring and extra academic support available outside of regular school hours.
- Advanced and Career-Focused Opportunities: Families value honors, Advanced Placement courses, and Career and Technical Education electives that help students prepare for college, careers, and future goals.
- Good Communication: Families value when teachers call, text, or send updates to share student progress and celebrate student success.
- Use of Digital Tools: Families noted that schools use online tools to help keep students and families connected to learning.
Opportunities for Growth
- Weekly Learning Updates: Families would like to know what topics their child is learning each week so they can help them practice and stay on track at home.
- Better Feedback on Assignments: Families want clearer feedback on assignments inside online school portals, such as Accelerate, so they can better track their child’s progress.
- More Advanced and Hands-On Learning: Families would like to see more challenging assignments, creative projects, and real-world learning experiences.
- Flexible Meeting Times: Families would like more evening events or recorded video meetings they can watch at any time because family work schedules vary.
WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Licensed Staff
What is Going Well
Elementary & Preschool
- Strong Teamwork: Staff value working together in teams, including Professional Learning Communities, to plan lessons and make sure grade levels are focused on the same core skills.
- Focus on Essential Skills: Elementary staff shared that collaboration around essential standards helps teachers focus on the most important skills students need to learn.
- Excellent Reading Support: Staff feel well-supported by reading programs, including Science of Reading work, and value having reading specialists in their buildings.
- Fast Responses: Staff shared that most teachers respond to parent emails and phone calls in less than 24 hours during the school week.
- Consistent Classroom Updates: Staff use regular updates and reminders to help keep families informed about classroom learning and important information.
Secondary
- Strong Teamwork: Secondary staff value working together in subject-area teams and Professional Learning Communities to align instruction and focus on key skills across grade levels.
- Use of Student Data: Staff noted that short assessments and classroom data help teachers identify what students missed and adjust future lessons.
- Consistent Digital Presence: Secondary staff use online platforms and email to keep families informed about classroom updates, grades, and student progress.
- Fast Responses: Staff shared that they work hard to respond to family questions and concerns within a reasonable timeframe, often within 24 hours during the school week.
Opportunities for Growth
Elementary & Preschool
- More Math and Writing Tools: Staff shared that while reading resources are strong, they need more textbooks, intervention programs, and instructional tools for math and writing.
- Math Intervention Resources: Staff identified a need for stronger math intervention tools to better support students who need additional help.
- Additional Classroom Support: Staff shared that more classroom support would help with small group instruction, individual student needs, and behavior support during lessons.
- Clearer Communication Time: Staff noted that it can be difficult to respond to family messages during the school day because of classroom responsibilities and full schedules.
Secondary
- More Math and Writing Tools: Staff identified a need for stronger math and writing resources, including intervention tools designed for older students.
- Age-Appropriate Intervention Tools: Staff shared that secondary schools need stronger reading and math intervention tools designed specifically for older students who are behind academically.
- Classroom Behavior Support: Staff shared a need for additional tools and training to support classroom behavior so learning time is protected.
- Subject-Specific Professional Development: Staff would like more professional development focused on high-level writing, math, and content-area instructional strategies for older students.
- Communication Workload: Staff noted that full teaching schedules, daily duties, and high email volume can make it challenging to respond to families during the school day.
WSD3 Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Building Administration
What is Going Well
Elementary & Preschool
- Strong Instructional Training: Building leaders shared that recent training on lesson planning and core teaching standards has helped improve classroom instruction.
- Strong Student Support Programs: Administrators noted that elementary schools have strong emotional and behavioral support programs, including school counselors, social workers, and positive behavior systems.
- Timely Family Communication: Administrators shared that staff work hard to return parent and family messages within one business day.
Secondary
- Graduation and Credit Tracking: Administrators shared that secondary schools use data systems to identify students who may be at risk of falling behind and provide credit recovery options to support graduation.
- Strong Mental Health Teams: Secondary schools have strong teams of counselors, social workers, and psychologists who support students through check-ins, groups, and other resources.
- Useful Subject-Specific Training: Administrators shared that professional development is most effective when teachers can choose training connected to the subject they teach.
Opportunities for Growth
Elementary & Preschool
- Math Coaching and Lesson Support: Administrators identified a need for specialized coaching and stronger lesson supports for elementary math.
- Additional Instructional Support: Administrators noted that additional staff support would help schools better meet student academic and behavioral needs.
- Family Communication Systems: Administrators shared that schools continue to work on making communication systems easier and more consistent for families.
Secondary
- High School Intervention Gaps: Administrators identified a need for stronger systems and resources to support older students who need additional help in reading and math.
- Support for Adapting Instruction: Administrators noted a need for additional training to help teachers adjust high-level course content so more students can access and understand the material.
- Communication Volume: Administrators shared that the number of emails and messages received by secondary staff can be overwhelming, making it difficult to balance communication with school leadership and daily operations.