Norwood-Norfolk gets grant toward remediation services

NORFOLK — The Norwood-Norfolk Central School District has been awarded almost $25,000 in federal Title VI funding from the U.S. Department of Education because 20 percent of its students come from a family with an income below the federal poverty line.

Superintendent Elizabeth A. Kirnie announced the funding at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

She said the district will use the funding for professional development to address the needs of students needing remediation in English and math.

"This Title VI B funding is going to help the teachers in providing those services," she said.

Norwood-Norfolk must develop a plan to show how the funds will be used before the money is sent to the district.

The district received the funding two years ago, but not last year, Ms. Kirnie said. The federal government determines a district's eligibility each year.

She said recent changes in the state's assessment test scoring mean many more students in the district will be in need of remediation because of higher state testing standards.

At Norwood-Norfolk, for example, 32 students who took the fifth-grade English language arts assessment and 32 who took the math assessment for that grade have fallen into the area of needing extra assistance.

State officials are allowing for a transitional period so those students won't be required to use academic intervention services next school year, but it will be a requirement in the future.

Ms. Kirnie said the grant likely will allow the district to begin to provide those services for the upcoming year.