Title IV, Part A — Student Support and Academic Enrichment

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, established Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant Program (SSAE). The overarching goal of Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, is to increase the capacity of state education agencies, local educational agencies (LEAs), campuses, and communities to meet the following three goals:

  1. Provide all students access to a well-rounded education

  2. Improve school conditions for student learning (safe and healthy students)

  3. Improve the use of technology to improve the academic outcomes and digital literacy of students

Recommended Uses of Funds for School Safety

TEA recommends Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, federal grant funds be prioritized to implement school safety on campuses, counseling, and mental health programs, addressing ways to integrate health and safety practices into school or athletic programs, disseminating best practices and evaluating program outcomes relating to any LEA activities to promote student safety and violence prevention. 

LEA Special Data Collection for Public Reporting

As per the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, sections 4104(a)(2) and 4106(e)(1)(E), TEA is required to collect and publicly report how all LEA Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1 funds are being expended per content areas by Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) and the degree to which progress has been made toward meeting program objectives and intended outcomes.

All LEAs that applied for Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1 program funds are required to report the information requested.  LEAs can access the following resources related to the LEA Special Data Collection.

Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Resources

Training Opportunities

Statewide Title IV, Part A LEA Special Data Collection Requirements Training (2022-2023 and 2023-2024)

10/17/2023 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am Central Time  or
10/19/2023 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Central Time

Attendees will learn about requirements for the Federal Fiscal Year's (FFY) 2022 and 2023 (SY 2022-2023 and 2023-2024) Title IV, Part A LEA Special Data Collection (SDC) for Public Reporting and the Federal Program Compliance (FPC) TIVA WorkApp submission process. All LEAs with a Title IV, Part A subgrant in FFY 2022 and FFY 2023 must attend; even if the LEA selected 100% REAP and/or Funding Transferability option(s) each FFY. The 2 October dates are duplicate training sessions.

LEA training sessions will cover the following Title IV, Part A SDC requirements due by December 1, 2023, to TEA:

  1.  2022-2023 Title IV, Part A, LEA Initial Progress on Program Objectives and Intended Measurable Outcomes (submitted in March 2023)
  2.  2022-2023 Title IV, Part A, LEA Expenditures by Service and/or Content Area(s)
  3.  2023-2024 Title IV, Part A, LEA Program Objectives and Intended Measurable Outcomes

Q&A Session: Title IV, Part A LEA Special Data Collection Requirements (2022-2023 and 2023-2024)

11/14/2023 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am Central Time  or
11/29/2023 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Central Time

Participants will have an opportunity to submit questions regarding the Title IV, Part A data requirements, data collection, and the data submission process prior to finalizing information in the WorkApp on December 1, 2023.
It is best to view the Title IV, Part A LEA Special Data Collection Requirements Training session (October 17 or 19) prior to attending the Question and Answer (Q&A) session. Participants must register in advance to attend.

Selected participant questions will be added to a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document which will be posted for guidance. The Q&A session will not be recorded.

Federal Fiscal Year 2022 Resources

 

LEA Requirements

  1. LEAs must complete and submit to TEA the ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application to receive ESSA Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, program allocations.
  2. An LEA may, if it chooses, apply for funds in consortium with one or more surrounding LEAs and combine funds each LEA receives.
  3. LEAs receiving $30,000 or more shall conduct a comprehensive needs assessment with Title IV, Part A required stakeholders on access to, and opportunities for, a well-rounded education for all students; school conditions for student learning; and access to personalized learning experiences supported by technology. 
  4. LEAs receiving less than $30,000:
    • are to consult with required Title IV, Part A stakeholders;
    • are not required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and;
    • are only required to focus on one of the 3 Title IV, Part A, content areas: 1) well-rounded education, 2) safe and healthy students, and 3) effective use of technology.
  5. LEAs may not use more than 15 percent of the portion of funds identified for the effective use of technology to purchase technology infrastructure, regardless of LEA allocation amount.
  6. LEAs may transfer Title IV, Part A, funds to another federal allocation. For guidance, see Non-Regulatory Guidance: Fiscal Changes and Equitable Services Requirements.
  7. Additional LEA program are in the TEA ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, Program Guidelines and the ESSA Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, Program-Specific Provisions and Assurances.

Statewide Title IV, Part A Use of Funds Data

Section 4104(a)(2) requires public reporting on how funds made available under this subpart are being expended by local educational agencies.

2021-2022

Content Area # of LEAs Amount Expended
Well-Rounded Education 372 $34,678,101
Safe and Healthy Students 425 $31,727,478
Effective Use of Technology 249 $13,098,807

2020-2021

Content Area # of LEAs Amount Expended
Well-Rounded Education 441 $26,097,284
Safe and Healthy Students 446 $23,684,189
Effective Use of Technology 401 $8,078,909

2019-2020

Content Area # of LEAs Amount Expended
Well-Rounded Education 397 $24,161,218
Safe and Healthy Students 456 $28,207,819
Effective Use of Technology 312 $11,889,963

2018-2019

Content Area # of LEAs Amount Expended
Well-Rounded Education 395 $38,608,908
Safe and Healthy Students 468 $27,123,771
Effective Use of Technology 307 $7,821,297

Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1, Content Areas

Activities to Support Well-rounded education

The purpose of a well-rounded education is to provide an enriched curriculum and education experiences to all students.

Example activities include courses, activities, and programming in subjects such as English, reading or language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health education, physical education, and any other allowable activity, as determined by the state or LEA.

Activities to Support School Conditions for Student Learning (Support Safe and Healthy Students)

One purpose of the Title IV, Part A programs are to improve school conditions for student learning.  

Example activities include violence prevention, crisis management and conflict resolution, preventing human trafficking, building school and community relationships, healthy and safety practices, physical and mental health, counseling services, and any other allowable activity, as determined by the state or LEA.

Activities to Support the Effective Use of Technology

The purpose of an effective use of technology is to improve the academic achievement, academic growth, and digital literacy of all students.

Example activities include activities directly related to improving the use of educational technology, providing educators with professional learning tools and resources, providing staff personalized learning opportunities, adapting and sharing high-quality resources that may include online courses and curated digital collections, implementing blended learning strategies, and any other allowable activity, as determined by the state or LEA.

Supplement, Not Supplant Requirement

Supplement, not supplant provisions require an LEA to use state or local funds for all services required by state law, State Board of Education (SBOE) rule, or local policy and prohibit those funds from being diverted for other purposes when federal funds are available.

Title IV, Part A, Subpart 1 Funds

  • must supplement—add to, enhance, expand, increase, extend—the programs and services offered with state and local funds;
  • cannot be used to supplant—take the place of, replace—the state and local funds used to offer those programs and services; and
  • are expended to benefit the intended population defined in the authorizing statute, rather than being diverted to cover expenses that an LEA would have paid out of other funds in the event the federal funds were not available.

Preliminary Checklist for Allowable Activities and Use of Funds

Each LEA must be able to respond appropriately to and maintain documentation of the following:

  • How is the expenditure reasonable and necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of the program and content area(s) of Title IV, Part A?
  • What specific need identified in the comprehensive needs assessment does the expenditure address? 
  • How will the expenditure be evaluated to measure a positive impact on student achievement? 
  • How are the expenditures supplemental other non-federal programs?
Contact Information

For questions or additional information, please contact the Federal Program Compliance Division at ESSASupport@tea.texas.gov.

Below, please find the links to the ESC websites that provide the contact information for ESC Title IV, Part A contacts you can reach out to for technical assistance, training, and support.