West Virginia Department of Education s3

West Virginia Department of Education Guidance Document for the Creation and Use of the West Virginia Percent Needy Report

September 2014

Background

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) provides public data on the socioeconomic status of children in West Virginia annually through the production of the West Virginia Percent Needy Report. This report is generated using school enrollment data and National School Breakfast and Lunch Program data collected through the West Virginia Education Information System (WVEIS). The West Virginia Percent Needy Report is the state’s official public reporting of the percent of economically needy children by public school and school district which is used to determine school level Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I, Part A funding allocations. It is based on certified data collections made on the first day of October for each school year.

While the West Virginia Percent Needy Report is the WVDE’s official annual report of socioeconomic status by public school and school district, other reports are generated and shared with school district personnel who manage the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. These reports may present different results for number and percentage of economically needy students by public school and school district because of the difference in data collection dates. This guidance will explain the calculations and intended uses for the West Virginia Percent Needy Report as well as the additional report that is generated for use by the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.

West Virginia Percent Needy Report

The West Virginia Percent Needy Report utilizes various data elements collected annually through the October 1 Certified Student Data Collections (or through other collections where specified). Various sets of data elements are used to calculate specific information for schools that administer one of the following United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (NSBLP):  A Traditional National School Breakfast and Lunch Program (NSBLP) utilizes family income forms collected by the school food authority (SFA) to determine which students will receive free or reduced price meals. These schools are referred to as “Non-CEP” in the following data tables.  A National School Breakfast and Lunch Program under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) provides free breakfast and lunch to all students. USDA reimbursement is determined based on the number of students identified, by the school food authority (SFA), to receive free meals without an income application. These schools are referred to as “CEP” in the following data tables.

1 The following data elements are used to calculate specific information for each type of NSBLP as follows:

Data Elements Data Source Included for Included for Non-CEP CEP Schools Schools School CEP Status Child Nutrition CEP Approval – June Yes Yes 30 # of students enrolled 2nd Month Certified Collection – Yes Yes October 1 # of students receiving free and 2nd Month Certified Collection – Yes No reduced price meals October 1 # of identified students (direct Child Nutrition Identified Students – No Yes certification) October 1 USDA Approved CEP multiplier USDA Guidance for CEP (subject to No Yes (currently 1.6) change annually) – June 30

The following sample demonstrates how these data elements are used to generate the report:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Co Perce CEP: m nt Percent m NSBLP Need of un Count y Identifi ity Non- E CEP: Used to Used ed Eli CEP: n CEP: Applic Calculate to Student gib Numb r Num ation Within Rank s Used ilit er of Presidential ol ber of of District Scho to y Free & School District l Identi USDA Title I ols Determ Pr Reduc Schools m fied Appro Allocatio for ine ovi ed e Stude ved ns 1 Withi Title I sio Price n nt Multip (must be n Rank n( Stude t lier ≤ Distri for CE nts Enrollme ct Schools P) nt) Alloc at 100% St ation Needy at s 2 3 us Lincoln Y 425 N/A 400 1.6 425 100% 94% Washington Y 500 N/A 297 1.6 475 95% N/A Adams Y 600 N/A 350 1.6 560 93% N/A Jefferson N 450 400 N/A N/A 400 89% N/A Madison N 400 200 N/A N/A 200 50% N/A Monroe N 500 100 N/A N/A 100 20% N/A 1NSBLP Count for a Non-CEP school is equal to column 4. NSBLP Count for CEP schools is equal to the lesser of (a) column 5 X column 6 or (b) column 3; the NSBLP number may not exceed the school’s total enrollment.

2 2Percent Needy equals column 7 / column 3. 3 CEP: Percent of Identified Students equals column 5 / column 3. The NSBLP count must be ≤ the # of students enrolled. This may cause one or more CEP schools to have 100% needy. If this occurs, the LEA may provide equal per pupil Title I allocations to each school with 100% needy or the LEA may use the actual Percent of Identified Students (column 9) to rank the CEP schools with 100% needy and allocate per pupil amounts accordingly.

The Percent Needy data for all West Virginia public schools is compiled into the following two distinct reports:

West Virginia Percent Needy Report Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve – The Percent Needy calculations in this report are used for the purposes of determining school Title I rankings within each district and to calculate each Title I school allocation. The timeline for this report is intended to provide information to determine staffing needs for the following school year in time to meet the state deadlines for personnel transfers and reductions in force (RIF).

Pre-kindergarten enrollment is removed from this process because of the manner in which many pre- kindergarten collaborative program students are enrolled into the WVEIS data base. These students are typically all enrolled into one public elementary school within the district which does not accurately represent the residential attendance areas in which the students live or where they are actually receiving educational services. Because Title I allocation processes are calculated by attendance areas, the pre-kindergarten enrollment data is eliminated from this report so that the Percent Needy by attendance area is not misrepresented when determining Title I eligibility and calculating school allocations.

West Virginia Percent Needy Report All Grades – The Percent Needy calculations in this report are used for the purposes of determining school-wide socioeconomic status for school and grade level demographic reporting. The information in this report includes all students enrolled in each West Virginia public school and can be utilized for a variety of purposes.

National School Breakfast and Lunch Program Community Eligibility Provision Report Based on April 1 Enrollment and Direct Certified Data

On April 1 of each year, the WVDE Office of Child Nutrition provides each district Child Nutrition Director with a report of the Identified Student Percentage and the CEP school claiming percentage. Districts utilize this information to determine which schools in the district will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision for the following school year. The deadline for this decision is June 30 of each year. For this report, each school’s eligible meal reimbursement percentage will be calculated as follows:

1. Uses data results for current school enrollment (collected on April 1) and Identified Students (collected on April 1). Identified students are students that are eligible to receive free meals WITHOUT completing an income application. These eligibility reasons include directly certified (DC) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, DC Temporary Aid to Needy Families, DC Foster, Homeless, Migrant, Runaway, Head Start, and Residential Child Care Institution.

3 2. Uses the following formula to calculate the eligible meal reimbursement percentage by school –

Step 1: # of Identified Students / # of students enrolled = Identified Student Percentage (ISP) Step 2: Identified Student Percentage *1.6 (USDA approved multiplier) = % needy

Note: The 1.6 USDA approved multiplier is subject to change based on regulatory changes in the Community Eligibility Provision.

Example: Step 1: 40 Identified Students / 80 students enrolled = 50% ISP Step 2: 50% ISP *1.6 (USDA approved multiplier) = (80% needy)

3. Includes this calculation in a report distributed by the WVDE Office of Child Nutrition to district Child Nutrition Directors which includes the following data elements – District Name, School Name, Number of Enrolled Students, Number of Identified Student, and Identified Student Percentage.

For more information on these reports, contact the following:

Data Accuracy and Calculation Issues with the West Virginia Percent Needy Report –

Randall Kirk, Executive Director - Office of Information Systems and Data Analysis [email protected] 304-558-8869

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I Issues –

Melanie Purkey, Executive Director – Office of Federal Programs [email protected] 304-558-7805

USDE Guidance on CEP and Selected Requirements of Title I, Part A (ESEA) – January 2014 http://wvde.state.wv.us/federal-programs/faqs.html

National School Breakfast and Lunch Program Issues –

Richard Goff, Executive Director – Office of Child Nutrition [email protected] 304-558-2709