Approve the Contract for the East Coast Technical Assistance Center to Provide Support and Technical Assistance to Hillsborough County’s Title I and Migrant Education Programs (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

Recently, the Florida Department of Education closed all of its Regional Technical Assistance Centers in Florida which provided support to school district Title I Directors on the many issues regarding No Child Left Behind. The East Coast Technical Assistance Center has provided guidance for several years to districts on these issues and has proven to be an excellent networking resource. With the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007, it is imperative that districts have the most current guidance and technical assistance in order to coordinate their Title I program. The East Coast Technical Assistance Center (ECTAC) will host monthly technical assistance meetings, bring in notable speakers to address the current or future NCLB issues, and provide ongoing support to districts to ensure NCLB compliance.

Goal 5 - The District will eliminate the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test achievement gap by a minimum of 10% as reported by No Child Left Behind.

The impact on the Title I, Part A budget will be $20,000.

On June 30, 2007, the Director of Federal Programs will assess the effectiveness of the services provided by the East Coast Technical Assistance Center and make a determination as to whether a future contract will be needed. The Director of Federal Programs will inform the East Coast Technical Assistance Center of any areas in which improvement may be needed in order to help the organization better support the school districts.