RD29 - Actual and Planned Uses of At-Risk Funds - January 9, 2009


Executive Summary:
Actual and Planned Uses of At-Risk Funds for 2007-2008 and 2008-2009

All reporting school divisions plan to participate in the at-risk program and have certified that they will meet the corresponding required local match for fiscal year 2009. The five most frequently cited actual uses of these funds for fiscal year 2008 and planned uses of these funds for fiscal year 2009 include, in order of significance, the following:

• grades K-8 Standards of Learning (SOL) remediation during the school day or before or after school;

• SOL remediation at the secondary level during the school day or before- or after-school;

• alternative educational programs for suspended or expelled students;

• dropout prevention; and

• programs for English as a Second Language (ESL) students.

Across all reporting school divisions, nine divisions (or seven percent) reported other planned uses of at-risk funds. The other uses of these funds include:

• additional mathematics programs for grades 4 – 8; and

• consultant for data analysis training.

The statewide totals of actual and planned uses of at-risk funds for 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 are indicated in Table 1. Appendix A includes the actual uses of at-risk funds for 2007-2008 by division, and Appendix B includes the planned uses of at-risk funds for 2008-2009 by division.