Introduction

The Office of Federal and State Accountability will host its annual ESSA Academy on March 23-24, 2026, at the Lexington Two Performing Arts Center (3205 Platts Springs Road, West Columbia, SC). Each morning will begin with a phenomenal keynote speaker, followed by breakout sessions to support the successful implementation of ESSA programs. CEU credits will be awarded to attendees upon completion. All school and district-level personnel who work with ESSA programs, including but not limited to Title I Principals, Federal Programs Coordinators, Academic Officers, and Finance Directors, are encouraged to attend.

Day 1 - Monday, March 23rd (current page)

Link to to Tuesday, March 24th
 

Welcome - 9:00 AM to 10:20 AM

General Session 1: The Little Engine That Could: A School District Who Has Beat the Odds ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
10:20 AM - 10:30 AM - Language as a Teaching Tool: Ellevating Learning in Every Content - Learn how language becomes a teaching tool to empower educators and drive action through data. 

Breakout Session 1 - 10:35 AM to 11:35 AM

Mastering the Art of Strategic Planning​​​​​​​ - Tackle strategic planning by connecting the dots between your Title plans and strategic plans. Find unique ways to be strategic, creative, and compliant in your strategic planning with this session grounded in untapped resources to simplify the process. ​​​​​​​
Procedural Steps to Targeted Improvement​​​​​​​ - Participants will explore the current reality of the ATSI Designation list and receive updates on the state’s response to the number of schools designated specifically for students with disabilities. This session will emphasize tactical moves that both districts and schools can make to increase student subgroup achievement at all levels. Participants will discuss promising practices of schools exiting status in 2025 and gain access to multiple resources built to support student subgroup improvement. ​​​​​​​
Focused Finance​​​​​​​ - This session offers guidance on establishing procedures to ensure fiscal compliance.  Districts will receive information regarding claiming timelines and expectations, as well as tips for successful planning.

Designing Experiences that Help Students Grow - JM Education: Intervention should be more than just additional time practicing the same skills students experience in the classroom. When thoughtfully designed, intervention can become a powerful opportunity to build relationships, ignite motivation and accelerate growth for the developing students. This session explores how schools can rethink the intervention experience so it feels purposeful, engaging and aligned with classroom instruction.
 

Breakout Session 2 - 11:40 AM to 12:40 PM

Better Together: Enhancing Success Through Empowered Family & School Collaborations​​​​​​​ - Does your school or district truly make every family feel seen, heard, and valued? Are you looking for ways to establish true collaborative partnerships with families and schools through an asset-based approach? Discover how you can transform family engagement by embracing it as a shared responsibility–empowering families as co-creators and advocates in their child's education. Learn how this shift can lead to measurable improvements in attendance, engagement, and belonging. Walk away with practical tools, strategies, and inspiration to build reciprocal partnerships that recognize and elevate the unique strengths every family brings.
A Complete Guide to ESSA Consolidated Monitoring​​​​​​​ - Even if your district is not in the upcoming monitoring cycle, it is never too early to begin preparing! This session will provide an overview of the ESSA consolidated monitoring protocol for Title programs, including the process, relevant updates, expectations, and requirements for items such as internal controls, time and effort, maintenance of effort, and comparability. ​​​​​​​
Leveraging Your Title1Crate for Maximum Efficiently​​​​​​​ - 806 Technologies: Whether you are looking to master Title1Crate or ditch the chaos of Google and OneDrive, it’s time to reclaim your workday. Join Mark Hailey to see why South Carolina districts have relied on Title1Crate for over a decade to bring calm to compliance. Current users will gain advanced power tips, while others will learn how to automate internal district oversight and eliminate audit anxiety. Best of all, discover how our partnership with the SC DOE Federal Programs team pre-loads state monitoring indicators directly into your setup—virtually eliminating yearly prep and making monitoring stress-free.​​​​​​​
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SCATA Business Meeting 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

 

Breakout Session 3 - 1:50 PM to 2:50 PM

Every Day Matters: Improving Attendance for Students Experiencing Homelessness - This session examines why consistent attendance is critical for students experiencing homelessness, whose learning is often disrupted by mobility and instability. The SEA will share how statewide work with EveryDay Labs has supported LEAs in improving attendance. In addition, we will highlight strategies to reduce barriers, featuring insights from a local LEA that participated in a national chronic‑absenteeism learning cohort for McKinney-Vento students. Attendees will hear key findings from the cohort’s learning from both local and national perspectives.
Supporting Migratory Families Using Title I, Part C - The general purpose of the MEP is to ensure that migratory children fully benefit from the same free public education provided to other children. To achieve this purpose, the MEP helps SEAs and local operating agencies address the special educational needs of migratory children to better enable migratory children to succeed academically.​​​​​​​
Funding What Works: Using Evaluation to Inform Federal Funding Decisions​​​​​​​ - The Office of Federal and State Accountability will share the importance of evaluating activities for Return on Investment within federal programs. Greenville County Schools will share successful and creative ways to facilitate federal program planning and evaluation.
Perk Up with Literacy! Engaging Families in a Culture of Literacy​​​​​​​ - Scholastic Education Solutions: Family and community engagement is a powerful instructional strategy for improving literacy outcomes. In this interactive session, participants will explore research-backed approaches to engaging families, removing barriers to participation, and building a culture of literacy across school, classroom, and home environments. Attendees will examine the impact of home libraries, learn practical strategies for planning meaningful family engagement experiences, and leave with actionable ideas to strengthen partnerships that support student learning, attendance, and long-term success.
 

Breakout Session 4 - 2:55 PM to 3:55 PM

Adequate Documentation: Complying with Grant Terms to Avoid Audit Findings - This session will discuss the required policies and procedures and documentation required to be maintained to support expenditures incurred with federal award funds.​​​​​​​
Evaluating Title IV-A: Practical Approaches from Districts - This session offers a quick overview of South Carolina’s FY24 Title IV‑A results before turning the spotlight to districts. District presenters will share practical ways they evaluate their Title IV‑A activities using evidence, explaining how these measures help them understand impact and guide program adjustments. Attendees will leave with strategies to strengthen their own evaluation practices.
One Story: Aligning CNA, Strategic Planning, and Title I - A strong Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) is the foundation of effective strategic planning—but only when each component is intentionally aligned. Participants will examine common strengths and gaps, learn how to move from data to action, and ensure plans are focused, aligned, and impactful for student outcomes.
​​​​​​​Student Voice, Belonging, and Global Career Readiness- An Invitation for School Leaders - Participate Learning: Join us for an inspiring session with Freebird McKinney as he shares about the transformative power of Global Learning. Drawing from his rich experience in global education, McKinney will discuss how leading with a global lens, and actualizing the power of multilingualism, can be a gateway to the world, preparing students to thrive in a globally interconnected environment. He will delve into the innovative strategies employed at Participate Learning, a Global Education B-Corp, highlighting their commitment to providing inclusive Global Learning, through the Global Leaders framework, and Dual Language Immersion opportunities for all students. McKinney goes beyond the traditional education narrative, emphasizing the need for educational approaches that equip young minds with the Human Intelligence (HI) skills and perspectives necessary to tackle local and global challenges. His journey as a "Global Village Teacher" and the impactful role of Participate Learning, in partnering with schools and districts, and his experiences as the Co-Chair for the NC Coalition for Global Education, are a testament to how education can positively shape society, preparing students not just for workforce readiness, but for becoming active, socially responsible citizens. Reflecting on this, McKinney asserts, 'We must learn to teach our kids to thrive in a big world, even if they live in a small town."