Please return original packet by December 2, 2002, to:
Title
I
/Migrant Programs
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Room 352
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
(850) 487-3530, SunCom 277-3530
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
DIVISION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION
COMPARABILITY PACKET
Page
I. General Information Pertaining to:
A. Comparability Requirements........................................................................................................................................ 2
B. Exemptions from Comparability Requirements............................................................................................................ 2
C. Provisions Applicable to the Determination of Comparability....................................................................................... 3
D. Determining Comparability........................................................................................................................................... 3
(Please review all of the general information before completing the form.)
II. Forms
(Districts have the option to use Form A or one of their own design which displays the same data elements.)
A. Form A-1 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
B. Form A-2 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8
C. Form A-3 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
D. Form C ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Comparability Option(s).................................................................................................................................................... 13
Materials should be duplicated in quantities needed.
ESE 404
Exp. 09/30/03 DOE Page 1 of 13 Florida Department of Education
COMPARABILITY PACKET
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Comparability Requirements
Title
I
requires comparability of state and local services between project and nonproject schools. The requirements outlined in PL 107-110, Section
1120A(C), include the following:
1. A school district may receive Title
I
funds only if state and locally provided services in project schools are at least comparable to such services in
nonproject schools.
2. Where all schools are designated as project schools, the district must calculate ratios for the group of schools serving program areas with the lowest
percentage of children from low income families. The ratio for each of the other schools (high poverty) will be compared with the average of the
comparison group (low poverty schools) of program schools. (See A.2.b. on DOE Page 4 of 11.)
3. A school district has three options for demonstrating comparability.
Option I: Assurances
School districts will be required to submit written assurances with each year's application. Data, documents, and policies supporting assurances must
accompany the comparability to the Title
I
/Migrant Office.
1. A districtwide salary schedule which is applicable to all staff whether assigned to project or nonproject schools;
2. A policy to ensure equivalence among all schools in the provision of curriculum materials and instructional supplies; and
3. A policy to ensure equivalence among schools in teachers, administrators, and auxiliary personnel, and the district shall submit documentation to
demonstrate that it has implemented its policies to meet the requirements of comparability.
Option II: Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Unpredictable changes in student enrollment or personnel assignments after the beginning of the school year are not factors in determining compliance
with the comparability requirements.
Option III: Instructional Staff Expenditures
School districts may exclude from comparability determinations of state (e.g., State Compensatory Education) and local funds for programs designed to
meet the needs of educationally deprived children, if such programs are consistent with the purpose of Title
I
and have been so determined by the SEA
in advance. School districts may also exclude state and local funds expended for bilingual education for children of limited English proficiency, and
excess cost for providing services to children with disabilities as determined by the district.
B. Exemptions from Comparability
School districts which have a single school attendance area for a grade span within which Title
I
services are being provided are exempt from comparability
requirements for that grade span. For general information, a listing of such schools should be prepared on Form A-1 for filing at the district level. In
addition, Form C and the Comparability Option Form should be completed and sent to the Title
I/
Migrant Programs Section.
ESE 404 DOE Page 2 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
I. GENERAL INFORMATION (Continued)
C. Provisions Applicable to the Determination of Comparability
1. Comparability may be demonstrated on the basis of the number of students per staff person, with a ten percent allowable variance for project schools.
(Forms ESE 404, A-1 and A-2 should be used.)
2. Comparability may be demonstrated on the basis of the average instructional staff expenditure per student in each project school with a ten percent
allowable variance.*
3. Comparability will be demonstrated only among schools in the same grade span. Four grade span divisions are allowed. Size groupings are allowable
within each grade span when the largest school is at least twice the size of the smallest.
4. Staff counted for comparability are school-level staff, paid from state and local funds, who provide direct instruction, instructional support, or
administrative support (i.e., principals/assistant principals). In determining allowable staff for each school, districts must exclude custodial staff, food
service staff, health aides, and federally paid employees.
5. Grade spans encompassing only one school are exempt from comparability.
6. In grade spans where there are both project and nonproject schools, data for individual project schools are compared to the data averages of the
nonproject schools. Where there are only project schools, data for each project school are compared to the data average of all project schools.
7. Where a school district has skipped an eligible school with a high concentration of low-income children in order to serve an eligible school with a lesser
concentration of such children, the skipped school is treated as a nonproject school for comparability purposes.
D. Determining Comparability
1. Each district must complete a set of either Form A or an alternate form displaying the same data elements to determine if its policies on comparability
have been implemented.
2. The forms used plus the relevant evidence must be retained on file and bear the signature of the superintendent or designee certifying the status of
comparability in the district. The certifying official must be a district administrator whose salary is NOT paid by Title
I
.
*Staff salary differentials for years of employment shall not be included in the calculations.
ESE 404 DOE Page 3 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
II. FORMS
A. Form A-1: Instructions
1. Identification
Provide the school district's name and the number that the Florida Department of Education uses in its official listing of school districts in the Florida
Education Directory. In addition, please provide the full address. The official responsible for completion of the report should sign this form, provide his
or her telephone and SunCom numbers, and indicate the date on which the form was completed and the date certain (that date, prior to the final day of
the October student membership survey, specified by the district to collect the student and staff data used in the Comparability Report).
2. Number of Schools, By Grade Span and Size
Record the number of schools in the school district by grade span and size in accordance with the following instructions:
a. Under "grade spans" enter the grade level groups as defined by the local educational agency (for example, KG - 6, 7 - 9, 10 - 12). The number of
grade spans shall be consistent with the district’s staffing allocation plan; e.g.:
A - Elementary B - Middle C - High
X - Other is permitted for schools that overlap the grades in other schools.
b. A school district may divide the schools in a grade span into groups of smaller or larger schools provided the largest school is at least twice the size
as the smallest. Indicate the actual range of the student FTE in the smaller or larger groups. (For example, six KG - 6 schools have FTE counts as
follows: 125, 130, 140, 450, 500, 600. The "smaller" schools' range would be 125 - 140 and the "larger" schools' range would be 450 - 600.) If the
option is not chosen, put all of the information on the line for the "smaller" schools (e.g., 125 - 600).
3. Please indicate if the report submitted is the original or a revision.
ESE 404 DOE Page 4 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
Form A-1
Certifying
District Name: ___________________________________________ Official: _______________________________________________
(Signature)
Address: ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
(include city or (Typed Name)
town, county, ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
state, and zip (Date of Form Completion)
code) ___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
(Telephone/SunCom Numbers)
___________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
(Date Certain)
GRADE ENROLLMENT NUMBER OF SCHOOLS
SPANS SIZE RANGE* TITLE
I
NON-TITLE
I
Smaller
A = Elementary Larger
Alternate
Smaller
B = Middle Larger
Alternate
Smaller
C = High Larger
Alternate
Smaller
X = Other Larger
Alternate
TOTAL
*Student FTE or Membership
PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.
?
Original report as of the date certain. 2.
?
Revised report following reallocation of resources.
ESE 404 DOE Page 5 of 13 District/Agency Page ____ of ____
COMPARABILITY PACKET
B. Form A-2: Instructions
A separate Form A-2 is to be completed for each grouping of schools by grade span and size or alternate, as shown on Form A-1, for both
Title
I
and non-Title
I
schools.
Sheet ___ of ___: In the upper right corner of the form, enter the number of this sheet and the total number of Form A-2 sheets being
completed.
District Name: Supply the school district name and number the Florida Department of Education uses in its official listing of school
districts.
Grade Span and Size: Following the words "grade span," enter A, B, C, or the optional group X, in accordance with the groupings shown
on Form A-1. Mark an "X" in one of the three boxes to indicate the FTE size group of the schools being reported.
Date Certain: Date on which the District School Board (DSB) determines comparability.
Original/Revised: Original marked only for the initial report. All others marked revised.
PROJECT SCHOOLS - NONPROJECT SCHOOLS
Column 1.
Name
Using separate A-2 forms, list by name each Title
I
school or each non-Title
I
school in this grade span and size or
alternate group. Indicate whether form is for project or nonproject schools. Use additional sheets if necessary to
include all schools in a grouping.
Column 2.
Actual Grade Span
Enter the actual span of grades operated in each school.
Column 3.
FTE
Record the actual number of student FTE in each school on the date certain. Prorate, if necessary, student
because of exclusions or other reasons. Enter data to the nearest tenth. Mark the appropriate box to indicate
weighted or unweighted FTE.
Column 4.
FTE Staff
Determine the full-time equivalent number of staff members paid with state and local funds who are regularly
assigned to each school listed. Prorate time as necessary and express the result to the nearest tenth.
Column 5. Enter the result by dividing column 3 by column 4. Express the result to the nearest tenth, as in 12.7 pupils per
staff member.
ESE 404 DOE Page 6 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
NONPROJECT SCHOOL AVERAGES
Box 5A Total the entries for column 3 and the entries for column 4 (e.g., 10.55). Divide the total of column 3 by the total of column 4.
Enter this amount to the nearest 100th in box 5A.
Box 5B Multiply the nonproject school figure in box 5A by 110 percent, and enter the result to the nearest 10th in box 5B. Transfer the
result from box 5B for nonproject schools in box 5B for project schools.
Column 6 Compare the entries in column 5, for each project school, to the figures in box 5B. If an entry in column 5 is more than the
entry in box 5B, mark an "X" on the same line in column 6.
PROJECT SCHOOLS AVERAGES ONLY - (See item number 2 on DOE Page 2 of 11.)
Box 5A Total the entries for column 3 and the entries for column 4. Divide the total of column 3 by the total of column 4. Enter this
amount to the nearest 100th in box 5A.
Box 5B Multiply the project school figure in box 5A by 110 percent, and enter the result to the nearest 10th in box 5B.
Column 6 Compare the entries in column 5, for each project school, to the figures in box 5B. If an entry in column 5 is more than the
entry in box 5B, mark an "X" on the same line in column 6.
ESE 404 DOE Page 7 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
FORM A-2 Sheet ___ of ___
District Name: _______________________________________ The sheet is only for grade span ______ with enrollment size group either:
(A, B, C, X)
Date Certain: ________________________________________
?
Larger
?
Smaller
Date Completed: _____________________________________
?
Original
?
Revised
1 2
3
4
5
6
?
Project Schools
?
Nonproject Schools
Name
Actual
Grade
Span
Student FTE
?
Unweighted
?
Weighted
FTE
Staff
Column 3
?
Column 4
If Not
Comparable,
Mark "X"
*Average for schools in this grade span and size grouping TOTAL TOTAL 5A*
NOTE: If all schools are project schools, compute and use the average of
project schools (General Instructions C7).
Enter 110 percent
of 5A in box 5B.
5B
(DUPLICATE PAGE AS NECESSARY)
ESE 404 DOE Page 8 of 13 District/Agency Page ____ of ____
COMPARABILITY PACKET
C. Form A-3: Instructions
Form A-3 is to be completed to report the allocations for curriculum materials and instructional supplies for each school.
Column 1 - Enter the name of each school in the district on an alpha character line.
Column 2 - Enter each grade span within the school for which a different allocation is made.
Column 3 - Enter the weighted or unweighted FTE count (multiplied by two) for the date certain of the current year.
Column 4 - By grade span, record the current district allocation per FTE according to DSB policy or administrative directive for the current year that
implements DSB policy on equivalence.*
Column 5 - Enter the product of column 3 multiplied by column 4.
Column 6 - Record the total allocation for curriculum materials and instructional supplies (Account 5100 - 510 and 620) displayed in the budget as of the
date certain.
Column 7 - Compare the entries in column 5 and 6 and note any difference with a + (plus) or - (minus) indication.
Column 8 - Mark "yes" or "no" based on the district's stated tolerance allowed prior to making an adjustment.
* The school board policy may be general in nature; that is, "equivalence" among the same grade spans is required. The actual amount can be
determined administratively on an annual basis thus avoiding the need to change the policy each year. In districts where school allocations are made
subject to discretionary use, an administrative directive that specifies a minimum amount to be budgeted in 5100 - 510 and 620 may be used as the
test for equivalence. Funds budgeted in compliance with a specified minimum must be expended from this account. Such funds may not be rebudgeted
into other accounts.
SAMPLE
NOTE: This sample is based on a district's stated tolerance of ten percent.
1 2 3
4
5
6 7 8
District Grade Amount Compliance
School Grade FTE Allocation Span Displayed in Difference
Name Span Membership Per FTE Allocation School Budget Yes No
A) Sunshine Elementary KG - 3 130 $15 $1,950 $1,794 -156 X
4 - 6 120 $12 $1,440 $1,281 -159 X
B) Cloudy Elementary KG - 3 129 $15 $1,935 $2,246 +311 X
C) Rainy Elementary 4 - 6 123 $12 $1,476 $1,488 +12 X
ESE 404 DOE Page 9 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
FORM A-3
1
School
Name
2
Grade
Span
3
Weighted
?
Unweighted
?
FTE
Membership
4
District
Allocation
Per FTE
5
Grade
Span
Allocation
6
Amount
Displayed in
School Budget
7
Difference
8
Compliance
Yes No
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)
I)
J)
K)
ESE 404 DOE Page 10 of 13 District/Agency Page ____ of ____
COMPARABILITY PACKET
C. Form C: Instructions
Date Certain: A date prior to the final day for the October student membership survey specified by the district to collect the student and staff data
used in the Comparability Report.
Date Submitted: The date that the form is mailed to the Title
I/
Migrant Programs Section, Florida Department of Education.
Column (1): List ONLY those schools that were NOT comparable as of the date certain. If all schools are comparable, write NONE in this column.
Column (2): List the grade span(s) in the schools which are not comparable.
Column (3): Indicate reason for not being comparable, such as, "personnel ratio too low" or "curriculum materials and supply dollar amount in
5100 - 510 and 620 too low."
Certifying Official: The individual that collects the data and prepares this form must be a district administrator whose salary is NOT paid by Title
I
.
ESE 404 DOE Page 11 of 13
COMPARABILITY PACKET
Form C District: __________________________
Date Certain: _______________________
Date Submitted: _____________________
This is to certify that it has been determined that project schools and the nonproject schools of similar grade spans were comparable as of the date
certain with the following exceptions:
(1) School (2) Grade Spans (3) Reason
Signed: ____________________________________________________
Certifying Official: ____________________________________________
Title: _______________________________________________________
ESE 404 DOE Page 12 of 13 District/Agency Page ____ of ____
COMPARABILITY PACKET
OPTIONS (Please mark only one option.)
This is to notify the Florida Department of Education that _______________________________ School District has elected to utilize the option
marked below to demonstrate Title
I
Comparability compliance for the 2002-03 school year.
Option 1:
?
ASSURANCES (The assurances in the approved Title
I
Project Application will remain in effect.) Submit forms A-1, A-2, C, this
page, and documentation to verify expenditures for the implementation of policies for district-wide salary schedules, equivalence
among schools in staff and equivalence among schools for curriculum materials and instructional supplies.
Option 2:
?
PUPIL-TEACHER RATIO (Assurances on comparability are waived.) Submit forms A-1, A-2, C, and this page.
Option 3:
?
AVERAGE INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF SALARY EXPENDITURE (Assurances on comparability are waived.) Submit district-
developed form in addition to A-1, C, and this page.
__________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________
Signature of Superintendent or Designee Date Signed
This form should be submitted (see each option above for required forms) to the Title
I/
Migrant Programs Section no later than December 2, 2002.
ESE 404 DOE Page 13 of 13 District/Agency Page ____ of ____
