2010-2011 Parental Involvement Policy: Center McMechen Elementary School (CMES) PART I. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
The Center McMechen Elementary School agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:
• Consistent with section 1118, the school will ensure that the required school level parental involvement policy meets the requirements of section 1118 of the ESEA, and includes, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with section 1118(d) of the ESEA.
• Schools will notify parents of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. The policy will be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
• In carrying out the Title I, Part A, parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and including alternative formats upon request and, to the extent practicable, in language parents understand.
• If the school-wide program plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1114(b) of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school submits the plan to the local educational agency (school district).
• The school will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how funds reserved under this part are spent for parent involvement activities. The school will build its own and the parent’s capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement.
• The school will provide parental involvement activities under section 1118 of the ESEA in the areas of improving student achievement, child development, child rearing and additional topics parents may request.
• The school will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with this definition:
Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—
(A) that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
(B) that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
(C) that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;
(D) the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.
PART II. DESCRIPTION OF HOW SCHOOLS WILL IMPLEMENT REQUIRED SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS
NOTE: The School Parental Involvement Policy shall include a description of how the school will implement or accomplish each of the following components. [Section 1118, ESEA.]
1. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development and review of its school parental involvement policy under section 1118 of the ESEA:
a. A copy of this document will be provided to each family with students attending Center McMechen Elementary School.
b. Parents will be invited to make comment on the policy – anonymously if desired.
c. Parental suggestions and comments will be encouraged and received by the school office.
d. Parent representatives will be asked to review the Parent Involvement Policy and complete policy review forms.
2. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall take the following actions to involve parents in the process of planning, joint development of the program, review and improvement of programs under Title I Part A of the ESEA :
a. Information will be sent home regarding Open House/Orientation held September 16th.
b. Parents will be encouraged to make program suggestions throughout the school year by completing and returning surveys sent home to all students.
c. Newsletter reminders requesting parental input into the Title I program will be used to encourage feedback.
3. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall hold an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs, and to explain the Title I, Part A requirements and the right of parents to be involved in Title I, Part A programs. The school will invite all parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs to this meeting.
a. CMES will provide communication to parents at Open House/Orientation summarizing programs and services provided by Title I.
b. 2009-2010 WESTEST II results for the school will be reviewed with parents and an explanation of these results provided.
c. Title I staff will meet with parents as needed through Intervention Team Meetings, conferences, or other meetings to explain Title I services.
d. Parent education workshops, Family Fun Nights, and other trainings will be offered as needs are identified by parents, teachers, Title I staff, students, or administration, through surveys and various other means.
4. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall provide parents of participating children information in a timely manner about Title I, Part A programs that includes a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
a. Open House/Orientation will include discussion with parents regarding curriculum, student assessment of skill mastery, Response to Intervention (RTI) and how student intervention services are delivered.
b. Intervention Team Meetings will be held routinely to monitor student progress and will include parent participation where necessary.
c. Parents will be called for special student progress meetings where needed.
d. Opportunities for parent questions will be provided during Parent Involvement workshops and trainings.
e. A parent information resource center will be available at the school office for parents wishing to review written information.
f. The Parent Educator Resource Center (PERC) for Marshall County Schools (located at McNinch Elementary (304) 843-4431) provides staff to assist parents in obtaining information and advocating for their child’s maximal success when needed.
5. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall, at the request of parents, provide opportunities for regular meetings, held at flexible times, for parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible by:
a. Addressing these needs with phone calls, written notes, or scheduled conferences.
b. Providing periodic workshops and trainings where parents can meet and discuss concerns.
c. Sending home information pertinent to parent issues/concerns through the school newsletter and other publications.
6. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall provide each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading by:
a. Sending home individual assessment results for each child taking the WESTEST II.
b. Providing workshops and written information on grade level standards (CSO’s), DIBELS reading assessment, assessment scores, and other student performance indicators.
c. Providing training in reading and math concepts/skills to assist parents in providing proper homework support for students.
7. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall take the following actions to provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in section 200.56 of the Title I Final Regulations (67 Fed. Reg. 71710, December 2, 2002):
a. The Superintendent’s office of Marshall County Schools will provide written notification to parents if this should occur.
b. Upon request, Marshall County Schools will provide parents with information regarding teacher qualifications.
8. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall provide assistance to parents of children served by the school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as - the state’s academic content standards, the state’s student academic achievement standards, the state and local academic assessments (including alternate assessments), the requirements of Title I Part A, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators - by undertaking the actions described below –
a. Upon request, a meeting will be scheduled with any parents requesting such, to discuss and clarify any of the above topics or any other topic relevant to a student’s pursuit of academic excellence.
b. The following websites are provided as sources of information to parents as well. At the time of policy development, these sites were functional.
WESTEST II/State Assessment Information http://westest.k12.wv.us/testcalender0607.htm
Marshall County Schools (Many Resources) http://boe.mars.k12.wv.us
Center McMechen (Many Resources) http://boe.mars.k12.wv.us/centermcmechen/index.htm
DIBELS Assessment Information http://www.dibels.org/dibels.html
West Virginia RTI http://wvde.state.wv.us/osp/RtICharacteristicTiersElemLevels.pdf
c. Parent workshops and trainings will also be provided which help parents understand student academic performance and monitor student progress
d. Report cards documenting student progress will be distributed every nine week grading period.
e. Parent/Teacher Conference will be provided both as a scheduled function and upon parent or teacher request and may include any other faculty member who may have information to share about student performance or expertise available to assist the student.
9. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children in the areas of improving student achievement, (including literacy training and using technology) child development, child rearing and additional topics parents may request.
a. Parent workshops and trainings will be provided to assist parents in working effectively with children.
b. Pamphlets and written materials are available through the school office to support parents’ needs in raising children.
c. Upon request of the school, individualized consultation will be provided to parents in identifying student needs and helping parents obtain and utilize the resources to meet these needs.
10. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall, with the assistance of its parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by:
a. Providing support through faculty professional development regarding how to work with parents effectively as educators.
b. Utilizing Title I funds to purchase supportive materials to assist teachers in communicating and working effectively with parents.
c. Provide informal professional development through embedded PLC experiences which share best practices in working effectively with parents to optimize student success.
11. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, public preschool, and other programs. The school will also conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children, by:
a. Providing a Pre-K early intervention program titled “Early Bird Gets the Worm” for all students entering Kindergarten.
b. Working collaboratively with Kindergarten pre-registration planners to provide needed materials and information to ensure school readiness/skill development among children age 0-5.
c. Demonstrating and discussing with parents how to provide instruction in phonemic awareness, basic math, and developmental language skills through every day play, communication, and daily life experiences.
12. The Center McMechen Elementary School shall take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent-programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:
a. All correspondence will be written in a manner designed to be easily understood by parents. Upon request, Title I teachers will communicate verbally with any parent who is unable to understand the written materials for any reason.
b. A variety of means will be used to communicate details of meetings, trainings, workshops, etc. (notes, flyers, public news media, telephone, agenda notes, marquee, websites, bulletin boards, newsletters, etc. may all be used at various times for particular events).PART III. DISCRETIONARY SCHOOL PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY COMPONENTS
NOTE: The School Parental Involvement Policy may include additional information and describe other discretionary activities that the school, upon request and in consultation with its parents, chooses to undertake to build parents’ capacity for involvement in the school to support their children’s academic achievement, such as the following discretionary activities listed under section 1118(e) of the ESEA:• involving parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of that training;
• providing necessary literacy training for parents from Title I, Part A funds, if the school district has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for that training;
• paying reasonable and necessary expenses associated with parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions;
• training parents to enhance the involvement of other parents;
• arranging school meetings at a variety of times, or conducting in-home conferences between teachers or other educators who work directly with participating children, arrange meetings with parents who are unable to attend conferences at school in order to maximize parental involvement and participation in their children’s education;
• adopting and implementing model approaches to improving parental involvement;
• establishing a school parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Title I, Part A programs;
• developing appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses, including faith-based organizations, in parental involvement activities.PART IV. ADOPTION
This School Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by signed policy review forms.
This policy was adopted by the Center McMechen Elementary School on June 7, 2010 and will be in effect for the period of 2010-2011. The school will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before October 31, 2010.
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(Signature of Authorized Official) (Date)