Code No. 505.8

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Parental Involvement

                                                                                                                                   

 

Parental involvement is an important component in a studentŐs success in school.  The board encourages parents to become involved in their childŐs education to ensure the childŐs academic success.  The board will:

 (1) How the board will involve parents in the development of the Title I plan, the process for school review of the plan and the process for improvement:

 

Title I Parent Nights are held twice a year, or when needed to provide an opportunity for parents to express opinions on the program, evaluated program effectiveness and to provide suggestions for change and improvement. Parents are encouraged to visit the school and to have conferences with teachers whenever they feel they are needed. Scheduled conferences are held twice a year. Quarterly reports are also sent to parents with information on progress made on benchmarks and goals.

 

Parent surveys are given out at parent night to determine needs and also as an evaluation tool.  In addition a letter explaining fluency scores and the importance of fluency as part of the comprehensive reading program was sent to parents. Along with the fluency information were activities that parents could do at home to increase fluency. Reports to the state are made yearly as required by law.        

 

(2)    How the board will provide the coordination, technical assistance and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance;

 

The district works with AEA staff who provide technical assistance in numerous ways.  The district is part of a Learning Supports pilot through the AEA and may participate in parent programs being developed. Parent surveys, checklist, and curriculum support from teachers, as well as ELL services provide additional contacts with parents and services for families. The district collaborates with Cass County Memorial Hospital sponsored programs such as Parents and Teachers, flu clinics, community family nights, activities at Nishna Valley YMCA, and other private community-based organizations that provide expertise and resources for families. The School Improvement process includes parents, such as on the School Improvement Advisory Committee and other advisory committees.

 

Parent Portal provides web site parent accessibility – grades, attendance, lunch accounts, and PaySchool; staffings include parents; Student Assistance Team meetings often involve parents in problem-solving sessions for individual students; teachers and administrators schedule 1-1 meetings with parents, use email for group and individual  communication between parents and teachers and other school staff; phone calls are used extensively by office personnelŐ home visits are common by the principal and counselor of the PK-3 building.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                    Code No. 505.8

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(3)    build the schoolsŐ and parentsŐ capacity for strong parental involvement;

 

The district recruits parent participation; sends out teacher suggestions for homework assistance and support of classroom learning; provides staff to attend PTO meetings; utilizes volunteers for activities, mentoring programs, and field trips; recruits participation in Booster club; provides personal contact to schedule all K-6 parents for conferences; and hosts Open Houses to welcome parents in an informal setting.

 

(4)    coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under Title I with other programs such as Head Start, Reading First, etc.;

 

The Atlantic Community Schools has a working relationship with the Head Start program as well as the two private preschools in Atlantic. In the spring, Atlantic holds a Kindergarten Screening to evaluate the needs of new students and to make program decisions in the district. Atlantic also has a representative on the Boost for Families board, which provides services for preschools in the area. All of these preschool programs collaborate on program planning, professional development, screening, and transition planning for students entering Kindergarten.

 

(5)    conduct with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the school served including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in Title I activities (with particular attention to low-income parents, Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents, minorities, parents with disabilities and parents with low literacy) and use the findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement and to revise, as necessary, the parental involvement policies; and

 

Instructional Decision Making Model will be utilized to analyze achievement data by building staff; district staff and SIAC do a thorough evaluation of achievement data; parents have informal input through the principal and the superintendentŐs advisory council and blog. Formal and informal evaluations are conducted by both building and district-level staff. at least twice per year, or when needed to provide an opportunity for parents to express opinions on the program, evaluated program effectiveness and to provide suggestions for change and improvement. Parents are encouraged to visit the school and to have conferences with teachers whenever they feel they are needed. Scheduled conferences are held twice a year. Quarterly reports are also sent to parents with information on progress made on benchmarks and goals.

 

Parent surveys are given out at parent night to determine needs and also as an evaluation tool.  In addition a letter explaining fluency scores and the importance of fluency as part of the comprehensive reading program was sent to parents. Along with the fluency information were activities that parents could do at home to increase fluency. Reports to the state are made yearly as required by law. Parents will be involved in the evaluation of the program.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                    Code No. 505.8

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(6)    involve parents in Title I activities.

 

The K-3 Title I building invites all parents to literacy nights, held twice per year. Two meetings per month are planning for parents to meet with a teacher/principal/counselor Learning Supports Team.

 

The board will review this policy annually.  The superintendent is responsible for notifying parents of this policy annually or within a reasonable time after it has been amended during the school year.  It is the responsibility of the superintendent to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legal References:        No Child Left Behind, Title I, Sec. 1118, P.L. 107-110. (2002)

 

Cross References:       903.2   Community Resource Persons and Volunteers

 

 

 

Approved  11/10/08         

Reviewed     6/22/10    

Revised