	Introduction

Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorizes federal aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children. Title I-A grants provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving and other pupils attending schools with relatively high concentrations of pupils from low-income families in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. 107-110 . Among other provisions, this act builds upon Title I-A provisions adopted initially in the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994, which required states to adopt curriculum content and pupil performance standards, and assessments linked to these, at three grade levels in reading and mathematics; initiated steps toward identifying low-performing schools and LEAs; attempted to increase targeting of funds on high-poverty LEAs and schools; and increased flexibility. ESEA programs are authorized through FY2008, and it is generally assumed that the 110 th Congress will actively consider legislation to amend and extend the ESEA. Major ESEA Title I-A amendments adopted in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ( P.L. Relevant aspects of this Initiative are discussed below, at the end of the report section on Pupil Assessment. In addition to the requirement for assessments at three grade levels in reading and mathematics, all participating states will be required to implement assessments, linked to state content and academic achievement standards, for all public school pupils in each of grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics by the 2005-2006 school year. States will also have to develop and implement assessments at three grade levels in science by the 2007-2008 school year. P.L. All states receiving Title I-A grants are required to participate in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests in 4 th and 8 th grade reading and mathematics administered every two years, with costs paid by the federal government. These include the following. The AYP state standards will also have to incorporate a goal of all pupils reaching a proficient or advanced level of achievement within 12 years. If a Title I-A school fails to meet AYP standards for a third year , pupils from low-income families in the school must be offered the opportunity to receive instruction from a supplemental services provider of their choice, in addition to continuing to offer public school choice options. One or more of a specified series of additional "corrective actions" must be taken with respect to Title I-A schools that fail to meet AYP for a fourth year . Title I-A schools that fail to meet AYP standards for a fifth year must be "restructured." Allocation Formula Provisions

ESEA Title I-A has four separate formulas—Basic, Concentration, Targeted, and Education Finance Incentive Grants (EFIG)—for the allocation of funds to states and LEAs. Targeting on High-Poverty LEAs Under the Four Title I-A Formulas

For the last several years, the primary issue regarding the Title I-A allocation formulas has been the extent to which funds are targeted on high-poverty LEAs. Finally, according to the authorizing statute, LEAs participating in Title I-A must have a plan to ensure that all of their teachers are "highly qualified" by the 2005-2006 deadline.
Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorizes aid to local educational agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children. Title I-A grants are used to provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving and other pupils attending schools with relatively high concentrations of pupils from low-income families. Title I-A has detailed provisions regarding pupil assessment, program improvement, allocation of funds, school selection, fiscal accountability, and parental involvement, but very few constraints on such matters as the specific resources for which funds are used.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-110, builds upon Title I-A provisions adopted in 1994 that required participating states to adopt curriculum content and pupil performance standards, and assessments linked to these, at three grade levels in reading and mathematics; initiated steps toward identifying low-performing schools and LEAs; attempted to increase targeting of funds on high-poverty LEAs and schools; and increased flexibility.
Highlights of the Title I-A provisions of P.L. 107-110 include the following: (1) participating states are required to implement standards-based assessments for pupils in each of grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, and to implement assessments at three grade levels in science by the 2007-2008 school year; (2) states receiving Title I-A funds are required to participate in National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics every two years; (3) adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards, with a goal of all pupils reaching a proficient or advanced level of achievement on state assessments within 12 years, must be developed by states and applied to each public school, LEA, and state; (4) pupils at schools participating in Title I-A that fail to meet AYP for two consecutive years must be offered public school choice options, and if a Title I-A school fails to meet AYP for a third year, pupils from low-income families must be offered the opportunity to receive instruction from a supplemental services provider of their choice; (5) "corrective actions" must be taken with respect to Title I-A schools that fail to meet AYP for a fourth year, and those that fail for a fifth year must be "restructured"; (6) Title I-A allocation formulas are modified to increase targeting on high-poverty states and LEAs under the Education Finance Incentive Grant formula, move Puerto Rico gradually toward parity with the states, and increase state minimum grants; (7) states must ensure that all of their teachers in core subject areas are "highly qualified," and that all paraprofessionals paid with Title I-A funds have completed at least two years of higher education or met a "rigorous standard of quality" by the end of the 2005-2006 school year; and (8) the authorization level for Title I-A is specified for each year, rising to $25 billion for FY2007. ESEA programs are authorized through FY2008, and it is generally assumed that the 110th Congress will actively consider legislation to amend and extend the ESEA. This report will not be updated.