Alta Vista High School

With approval from the local governing board, each Title I school shall jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy, agreed upon by such parents and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school. The school-level policy shall describe the means for how each school shall carry out the following requirements: (20 U.S.C. § 6318[b] [1])

To involve parents and family members in the Title I program at Alta Vista, the following practices have been established:

 

1.Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents of participating children shall be invited to attend and encouraged to attend, to inform parents and family members of their school’s participation in the Title I Part A program and to explain the requirements, and the right of the parents to be involved. (20 USC 6318 (c) (1))

 

2. Offer a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with Title I funds, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parent involvement. (20 USC 6318 (c) (2))

 

3. Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s Title I program, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parent and family engagement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan. (20USC 6318 (c) (3))

- The Alta Vista High School Parental Involvement Policy and the School-Parent Compact are reviewed annually by Title I Parents and the School Instructional Leadership Team.

 

4. The school provides parents of participating children with the following:

- Timely information about the Title I program. (20 USC 6318 (c) (4))

 

Through Orientation, Back to School Nights and on the school’s website

 

- A description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessments used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of the challenging State academic standards. (20 USC 6318 (c) (5))

 

 

-If requested by parents, the school provides opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. (20 USC 6318 (c) (4))

 

Through formal parent-teacher conferences, informal meetings as requested by parents or staff and Back to School Nights.

 

5. If the schoolwide program is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, submit any parent comments on the plan when the school makes the plan available to the local educational agency. (20 USC 6318 (c) (6))

 

 

1. The school shall provide assistance to parents of children served by the school or LEA, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the challenging state academic standards, state and local assessments, the requirements of Title I, Part A, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children. (20 USC 6318 (e) (1))

 

3. The school shall educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, and other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school. (20 USC 6318 (e) (3))

4. The school shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent involvement programs and activities with other federal, state, and local programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children. (20 USC 6318 (e) (4))

- Appropriate roles for community organizations will be developed.

5. The school shall ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[e] [5])

- School information, including communication about the Title I program, will be distributed in the languages spoken by the families of students in the school as outlined in law.

6. The school shall provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request. (20 USC 6318 (e) (14))

-  Parents are encouraged to be involved in any onsite activities that they may request.

 

In carrying out the parent and family engagement requirements of this part, LEAs and schools, to the extent practicable, shall provide opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members (including parents and family members who have limited English proficiency, parents and family members with disabilities, and parents and family members of migratory children), including providing information and school reports required under 20 U.S.C. § 6311 in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[f])

 

- All parents, including parents with limited English proficiency are provided information in an understandable format as outlined in law.

 

As a component of the school-level parent and family engagement policy, each school served under this part shall jointly develop with parents for all children served under this part a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state’s high standards. The school-parent compact shall carry out the following requirements: (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d])

 

1. Describe the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under this part to meet the challenging state academic standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning; volunteering in their child’s classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d] [1])

 

2. Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum, the following: (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d] [2])

- Frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][B])

                 Bi-monthly progress reports are mailed home to all families

- Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities; and (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][C])

                 Staff are responsive to parents requests for meetings

                 Staff frequently communicate with parents via email

                 Parents frequently volunteer for our potlucks and other activities

                 Campus tours are regularly provided by the principal

 

- Ensuring regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that family members can understand. (20 U.S.C. § 6318[d][2][D])

                 Translation services are provided when needed for all means of parental/school communication.