Federal Program Monitoring

MISSION: To ensure that federal and state education funds contribute to the goal of all students meeting or exceeding rigorous state standards.

What is the focus of our work?

The Federal Program Monitoring and Support Division supports approximately $651,000,000 in federal funds provided to districts and schools each year. The primary role of the Division is to provide grants administration, program monitoring, data collection and reporting, and to facilitate the necessary technical assistance to ensure not only compliance but quality programs for students. Compliance is the first step toward program quality; monitoring is the springboard to providing technical assistance.

Why do we monitor?

  1. Building Relationships — We're in this together.
    The Department of Public Instruction’s main objective is to raise student achievement for North Carolina’s public school children. Through cooperative assessment of the federal programs between the State and the local education agencies (LEAs), the quality of services to students will be strengthened and improved.

  2. Technical Assistance — We're here to help.
    State monitoring team members provide technical assistance during the review visit and beyond. It is not the State's intent to tell the LEA how to run its title programs, but rather to answer questions, facilitate dialogue, and exchange ideas and information for program improvement while, at the same time, meeting all federal requirements.

  3. Compliance — It's the law.
    Monitoring federal programs helps ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. Compliance monitoring is intended to be a collaborative partnership between the State and LEAs and public charter schools to ensure compliance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

How can we help?

The Federal Program Monitoring and Support Division provides oversight for a number of programs and initiatives that contribute to the success of students in North Carolina each year. If you have questions about any of these programs or initiatives, please let us know.

Federally Funded Programs

  • Title I, Part A - (Improving Basic Programs Operated by LEAs)
  • Title I, Part C - (Education of Migrant Children)
  • Title I, Part D - (Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk)
  • Title II, Part A - (Supporting Effective Instruction)
  • Title III, Part A - (English Language Acquisition)
  • Title IV, Part A - (Student Support and Academic Enrichment)
  • Title IV, Part B - (21st Century Community Learning Centers) 
  • Title V, Part B - (Rural Education Achievement Program) - REAP
    • Subpart 1 - (Small Rural Schools Achievement Program) - SRSA
    • Subpart 2 - (Rural and Low-Income Schools) - RLIS
  • McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program

Federal Initiatives

  • National Title I Distinguished Schools Program
  • Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
  • Comparability Reporting
  • Prayer Certification
  • Ed-Flex Authority
  • Consolidated Federal Data Collection System (CFDC)
  • Migrant Student Interstate Exchange Initiative (MSIX)
  • Profile and Performance Information Collection System (PPICS)
  • Committee of Practitioners (COP)
  • Section 504
  • Family and Community Engagement
  • Graduation and Outcomes for Success for Out of School Youth (GOSOSY) 

State Initiatives

  • Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports  (ELISS)

Every Student Succeeds Act

The U.S. Congress approved the latest reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act in December 2015 — the Every Student Succeeds Act. This is the law that provides most of the federal programs in support of K-12 education. The December 2015 action replaces the 2002 No Child Left Behind law, and begins the rule-making process at the federal level and the planning process in North Carolina and all other states.

Selected Links

NEW Title I Resource

NEW Title I Resource

The Title I, Part A Handbook Revised 2017

Tools and Tips for Title I Directors is intended to assist Title I Directors in managing their Title I programs throughout the school year. The technical assistance documents in the Title I, Part A Handbook are intended to provide an overview of the authorizing statute and should be used in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education (USED) policy guidance.  PDF | Word file (Last updated Sept. 21, 20170

Other Resources

Early Learning and the Every Student Succeeds Act in North Carolina

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in December 2015, bolsters federal support for early learning and provides the opportunity to strengthen the birth-through-third grade continuum — a critical strategy to improve third-grade reading proficiency. In September 2017, North Carolina submitted its state plan to comply with the federal law. Now, North Carolina Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are preparing their district ESSA plans for the 2018-19 academic year.

As LEAs build their district ESSA plans, they will be required to engage early learning stakeholders. Stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, Head Start, Title 1, Smart Start, elementary school principals and teachers, childcare administrators and teachers, Child Care Resource and Referral, Exceptional Children, McKinney Vento, NC Pre-K Committee, family engagement professionals, community college system, community organizations supporting dual language learners, health care providers, existing early childhood collaboratives (e.g., Campaign for Grade-Level Reading), higher education and others.

The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) is partnering with the Office of Early Learning and the NC Head Start Collaborative Office at the Department of Public Instruction to support LEAs and early childhood community leaders in collaborating to develop the early learning components of the LEA's ESSA district plans.

Please visit here for additional information and/or contact:

  • Carla Garrett, Title I Preschool Consultant, Office of Early Learning, NC Department of Public Instruction
  • Karen McKnight, M.Ed., Director, NC Head Start State Collaboration Office

Arts and Title I Funds

Environmental Science using ESSA Funding

NEW!! ESSA and School Counseling

Spring Regional Meeting Resources/CCIP Revisions 2018-2019

Parent and Family Involvement Guide

This guide underscores the importance of parent and family involvement as it relates to student achievement and includes suggestions and resources for program enhancement.

NC Title I Directors by LEA

This spreadsheet provides contact information for Title I directors across North Carolina. (Last updated Aug. 24, 2018)

Federal Guidance

Click on a topic below for guidance from the US Department of Education.

Comparability Resources

The Comparability Handbook is designed for Title I program administrators. The purpose of this handbook is to provide assistance for completing comparability reports to ensure that expenditures from local and State funds distributed for curriculum materials and instructional supplies to Title I schools are comparable to the funds distributed to non-Title I schools. Title I program administrators should use this handbook when completing the comparability report.

Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care

Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care

NEW!! Educational Stability of Children in Foster Care under Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), contains key protections for children in foster care that require state and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) to collaborate with child welfare agencies (CWAs) to ensure the educational stability of children in foster care. These provisions, which took effect on December 10, 2016, require SEAs and LEAs to work with CWAs to ensure that children in foster care experience minimal educational disruption as the result of their foster care placement and receive the same educational opportunities as their peers.

At the state level, staff from the Division of Social Services (DSS) at the North Carolina Department of Human and Health Services (DHHS), the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), and the SERVE Center at UNCG have identified state-level POCs for both education and child welfare and collaborated to develop clear procedures to serve foster children.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the SEA Foster Care Point of Contact at 1-800-352-6001 or by email.

MOA — Title I and Child Nutrition

MOA — Title I and Child Nutrition

MOA — Title I and Child Nutrition (Last updated August 8, 2019)

Student Support and Academic Enrichment

Student Support and Academic Enrichment

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a number of provisions that promote equitable access to educational opportunity, including holding all students to high academic standards, ensuring meaningful action is taken to improve the lowest-performing schools and schools with underperforming student groups, and providing more children with access to high-quality preschool. The Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program, authorized under subpart 1 of Title IV, Part A of the ESSA, is intended to help increase the capacity of local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and local communities to: 1) provide all students with access to a well-rounded education; 2) improve school conditions for student learning; and 3) improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.

NCDPI Webinar

USED Non-Regulatory Guidance Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants

For more information, email Timothy Dryman or call at 919-807-4049.

Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports (ELISS) Competitive Grant Program

Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports (ELISS) Competitive Grant Program

For the 2017-18 school year, the General Assembly of North Carolina appropriated six million dollars ($6,000,000) from the At-Risk Student Services Alternative School Allotment for the Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports (ELISS) Competitive Grant Program [Session Law 2017-57]. The purpose of the Program is to fund high-quality, independently validated extended learning and integrated student support service programs for at-risk students that raise standards for student academic outcomes.

Nonprofits and nonprofits working in collaboration with local school administrative units may participate in the ELISS program.  Programs must serve one or more of the following student groups:

  1. At-risk students not performing at grade level as demonstrated by statewide assessments
  2. Students at-risk of dropout
  3. Students at-risk of school displacement due to suspension or expulsion as a result of anti-social behaviors.

Grant participants are eligible to receive grants for up to two years in an amount of up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) each year. Grants must be matched on the basis of three dollars ($3.00) in grant funds for every one dollar ($1.00) in non-grant funds. Matching funds shall not include other State funds. Matching funds may include in-kind contributions. Matching funds may include in‑kind contributions for up to fifty percent (50%) of the required match.

2017-2018 Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports Grant Program Recipients

Extended Learning and Integrated Student Support Grant Program Technical Assistance Webinar

Power Point Presentation  |  Power Point Presentation 2

Training on the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP)

The Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) is a unified grants application and verification system that consists of two parts: the Planning Tool and the Funding Application. A valid NCID is required to access CCIP. If you do not have one, please CLICK HERE and register as a “Business” entity (required for nonprofit corporations).

For organizations that have NOT been trained on the system, training will be offered on September 12th, 14th, 19th and 21st, 2017.* To register for a training session, click here. Training is offered ONLY for organizations that have not been trained previously.  After attending the hands-on training, you will receive a CCIP Access Request Form.  You will then be made “known” to the system, by submitting NCID usernames (NO password) and roles to NCDPI.  Additional information will be given at training.

Excerpt from Session Law 2017-57

Program Overview and Tentative Timeline

How to Apply

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, contact Jennifer Smith at 919-807-3949.

Federal Data Collection

Federal Data Collection

PowerSchool — Federal Modules
PowerSchool collects data for federal programs under the Program Monitoring section. 

How to register for the Federal data collection modules
Access to the Federal data collections within PowerSchool is managed by the LEA/charter Power School Administrator. Please contact your local administrator to request access.

2019-20 Federal Program Monitoring Data Collection Schedule
19-20 Data Collection Schedule

Terminology used in schedule:

  • USED = U.S. Department of Education
  • CEDARS = Common Education Data Analysis and Reporting System, NC's PreK-13 State Longitudinal Data System. The system is composed of various DPI source data collection systems, a student and staff identification system, a centralized data repository, and associated reporting and analysis (or "business intelligence") tools.

PowerSchool-Eligible Schools Summary Report
PowerSchool-ESSR system collects Title I School eligibility and program model information to determine poverty percentage.  The school data is also used for the Title I grant application in the FPM grants management system, CCIP. ALL LEAs and charter schools, both those that receive Title I funds and those that do not receive Title I funds, must report ESSR data through this PowerSchool module. In PowerSchool menu, found under Federal – Title I.

PowerSchool-Targeted Assistance Schools
PowerSchool -TAS system collects information on students who are eligible and those who receive services under TAS. All LEAs and charter schools with Title I Schools implementing a TAS program must report TAS data through this PowerSchool module. In PowerSchool menu, found under Federal – Title I.

PowerSchool-Student Participation 
PowerSchool-Student Participation collects count by grade level of children served with Title I Part A funds in private schools, neglected, and delinquent facilities during the school year. It includes October headcount. In PowerSchool menu, found under Federal – Title I.

PowerSchool-Homeless
PowerSchool-Homeless collects information on homeless students and services provided by Local Education Agencies (LEAs). All LEAs and charter schools must report Homeless data through this module, even if there are no homeless children to report. In PowerSchool menu, found under Federal – Title X.

PowerSchool-Neglected or Delinquent October Head Count

For more information, email Anita Harris or call 919-807-3234

Title I - Eligible Schools Summary Report (ESSR)
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