Calculating Identified Students
Total number of Identified Students divided by Total Enrollment multiplied by 100 determines the Total Identified Student Percentage. If 40 percent or above, multiply by 1.6 to get the total Free reimbursement percentage.
No. However, if this is the case, we suggest you reassess the number of Identified Students (Direct Certification (DC), homeless, runaway, foster-without household application, etc.) to ensure the most advantageous Identified Student Percentage is utilized each year.
Note: A new Identified Student Percentage can only be established at the beginning of each new school year based on data from the prior school year.
No, Identified Students are students that are eligible for free meals without the need for a Household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals. This group is comprised of students that are eligible for free meals through direct certification, homeless, runaway, foster, etc. It does not include reduced priced students since they are only determined eligible through the application process. The multiplier (currently 1.6) compensates for the reduced category.
The Division of Food and Nutrition is required to post a report that estimates the number of Identified Students in each LEA. For the 2013-14 school year, we will utilize the number of students directly certified as this indicator. This number will be pulled from the October Claim for Reimbursement. LEAs should use their own local data to determine the number of Identified Students, since it is most accurate, timely, and includes homeless, runaway, foster, etc. For that, we are going to use the October DC numbers from the claim. I would definitely recommend using figures anytime up through March 31st; whatever will give you the highest Identified Student Percentage.
The technical school must establish its identified student percent by obtaining the names of students directly certified, homeless, runaway, foster, etc. from the home/sending school(s) and/or collecting them directly to obtain the most comprehensive list.
No, Sponsors will not process the application. However, Sponsors should let the parents know why the application is not being processed. Sponsors should still move the application out of the inbox.
Economically Disadvantaged
LEAs or schools within the LEA, participating in CEP, will use poverty data each year in the “economically disadvantaged” field in PIMS report in lieu of free/reduced eligibility. At local level discretion, LEAs may collect socioeconomic data in lieu-of or in addition to poverty data in order to capture data to report in the “economically disadvantaged” field. (Please refer to the memo from the Secretary of Education on the CEP webpage.)
NOTE: The “economically disadvantaged” field in the PIMS report is separate and distinct from the “free/reduced eligible” field in PIMS. LEAs or schools within the LEA, participating in CEP, may report all students as eligible for free/reduced meals in the “free/reduced eligible” field in PIMS.
No. Please refer to Question 6.
Funding Sources - Other
Funds would have to come from non-federal sources, not designated for anything else, such as a la carte, etc.
LEAs will use the Identified Student Percentage with the multiplier for the individual buildings to determine the distribution of Title I funds. This may cause the distribution of funds to be different than in the past. Plan to make this known to schools as soon as possible. (Please refer to the USDOE memo on the CEP webpage for guidance.)
LEAs will use free/reduced eligibility from the most recent year that individual student data was collected. Schools opting into CEP for the 2014-15 school year will use free/reduced eligibility data from the 2013-14 fiscal year. Further federal guidance is forthcoming on how this will be collected and determined in future years. (Direct them to Erate memo).
Program Participation
No. LEAs can select to have one school, a group of schools, or the entire LEA/school district participate.
Yes. LEAs can collect Identified Students from all potential CEP schools, and then divide by the enrollment of those same schools to come up with the Identified Student Percentage. If any one of the schools or several schools are not high poverty, the LEA should calculate the Identified Student Percentage with and without those school(s). The LEA would then determine if they meet the 40 percent and if they want to include one school, a group of schools, or all schools in the CEP.
Yes. LEAs/schools participating in CEP must offer both breakfast and lunch.
Please refer to USDA memo SP 21-2014.
No. You can only count students who have access to breakfast and lunch daily.
The reimbursement rate for CEP schools is consistent with those operating under the traditional method.
No, RCCI’s, with or without day students, may not participate in CEP.
Foster Children would only be counted in the identified student percentage if they are considered foster by the county office and part of the school’s enrollment with access to school breakfast and/or lunch daily. If they do not have this access, they cannot be counted.
On PEARS Form Download there is a memo with a link to all the county offices. Please go to www.pears.pa.gov, Download Forms, PDE202b, page 3 of the USDA Memo SP 17-2011: Categorical Eligibility of Foster. The listing would be part of the County Assistance Office. The County Assistance Office can provide the list of foster children.
If all schools are on CEP, then it would not need to be completed. It would need to be completed for any school not using CEP.
Yes. SFA's need to ensure they are not serving more meals than students in attendance and that double meals are not being served.
Re-Applying
CEP runs on a 4-year cycle, therefore, you would have to reapply after the fourth consecutive year. You can recalculate the Identified Student Percentage each year if you feel there is an opportunity to improve the Identified Student Percentage.
Yes. However, you must also go back into the data collection piece in the previous year and enter the necessary data.
You would have to go into the previous year and add the site. Then you would have to add the corresponding data in the data collection section within the previous year. Proceed with instructions for applying the in the current and/or new year.
Please refer to USDA memo SP 21-2014.
Please refer to USDA memo SP 21-2014.
The numbers need to be a reflection of April 1. Data can be used up to April 1, however, it is in the best interest of the LEA to use data that is highest within the school year. Most likely, this will be as close to April 1 as possible.
Identified Students are comprised of students that are eligible for free meals without the need for a household application, such as directly certified, homeless, runaway, migrant, foster, etc. Eligibility from the Free and Reduced Price Meal Application is not used to calculate the Identified Student percentage.