ARP-ESSER III
Phone: 720-972-4059 - Contact Financial Services
American Rescue Plan - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) Fund
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The ARP ESSER III funding from the ARP Act provides support for K-12 schools with a total of nearly $122 billion to States and school districts to help safely open and sustain the safe operations of schools and address the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students. The district was allocated $32.8M for ESSER III. The ARP Act also allocated additional funding to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and set aside specific funding for serving homeless children and youth.
District Use of Funds
Adams 12 Five Star Schools has analyzed growth data from district reading and math assessments, including MAP and PALS data, chronic absenteeism rates, and climate and culture parent and student surveys results. Based on data results, Adams 12 has determined that all students experienced a significant decline in reading growth, an even more significant decline in math growth and an increased need for social emotional support for students, particularly related to self-efficacy and emotion regulation. Reading and math data shows a greater academic decline for students of color, English learners, and students qualifying for free and reduced lunch compared to the general student population. In selecting our evidence-based interventions, we focused on addressing the increased need for literacy and math instruction/intervention and need for access to social emotional support.
These interventions are detailed in the budget through increased expenditures for:
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Full time interventionists in every elementary school and K-8 building
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A second social emotional learning specialist in each of our Title I schools
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Funding set aside for a K-5 core reading resource adoption (resource to be adopted in the 2022-2023 school year)
Additional interventions include ST Math in every elementary school to provide math intervention tailored to the individual needs of each student. RAZ Kids was also purchased as a supplemental resource for each ELD teacher in every elementary and K-8 school to support supplemental reading intervention for English Language learners, as well as Saddleback books for secondary teachers to utilize in their classroom libraries with Entering and Emerging level students.
Adams 12 will be conducting fall, winter and spring monitoring through the district reading and math assessments and annually analyzing ongoing culture and climate student and parent surveys in order to ensure that interventions are addressing the identified students’ academic and social emotional needs.