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Two of Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 elementary schools are set to receive more than $100,000 to provide greater academic services, including broader science-based activities and extra math and reading tutoring.
The district received $498,413 in total Title I funding, with about $101,055 sent to Bristol Grade School and Yorkville Grade School.
“Any time we can put additional resources or services in our students and families hands, we’re happy to do that,” said Kathleen Melton, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. “Our focus is seeking to meet their needs, to prepare them for what’s next in their educational journey. We really view our kids as unique individuals and we work to meet those needs that arise.”
As part of their school improvement plans, District 115 approved at their Sept. 23 school board meeting “schoolwide program” plans for Bristol Grade School and Yorkville Grade School. Federal Title I funding is allocated to schools to implement such across-the-entire-school programs if 40% or more of their student population meets low-income criteria.
The low-income criteria are defined by families currently receiving state benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Medicaid. The programs, designed by both the Teaching & Learning Department and the schools’ principals, focus on helping students achieve their targeted goals in mathematics, English language arts and school culture and engagement.
To help students achieve their targeted math goals, one new math paraprofessional will be hired for each school. These paraprofessionals will provide students supportive math tutoring and partner with each school’s existing math instructors. Paraprofessional salaries are expected to range from $21,000 – $24,000.
To better meet English language arts goals, the federal funding will help grow children’s access to books through building home libraries. The home libraries will be paired with school-based literacy events, designed to engage entire families. Yorkville Grade school will host events where parents attend with their children and read together.
The schools’ current reading specialists will guide the new curricular reading resources.
The funds are also being used to increase after-school activities for students to explore STEAM fields, which are science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The activities are designed to encourage innovative thinking, student resilience, and passion for a growing mindset. At Bristol Grade School, the activities will be paired with a themed recognition program to celebrate student achievement as they engage with the fields.
“The important part is we continue to evaluate and re-evaluate,” Melton said. “It’s a cyclical process where we continue to come back together to assess what works, what we might want to change, and where we’re seeing those successes.”
Melton said their targeted goals for the students are the same across the district. Benchmarks on the state level come from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, which has the same proficiency measures regardless of what school students attend.
Within Bristol Grade School and Yorkville Grade school, grade level teams will review student progress and assessment data throughout the year. Melton said each school will review student participation in the new engagement initiatives created through the schoolwide programs.
No other schools within the district currently meet the low-income criteria for implementing schoolwide programs using federal funds.
Autumn Creek Elementary School is receiving Title I funding for target assistance programs, designed to meet the needs of individual low-income students, including adding two new math paraprofessionals in the larger school.