Parental Involvement Plan

							Parental Involvement Plan




 Russellville City Schools




        2007-2008
                               Mission Statement

The Russellville City School System is committed to providing quality education for
every child in the system. Our commitment is to include parents in all aspects of the Title
I Program, following all requirements of the Title I, Part A regulations. In order to be
successful in preparing and challenging our students, we believe that a partnership
between parents and our school system is imperative.

   Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and
meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school
activities, including ensuring:

   1. that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning
   2. that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at
      school
   3. 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




                                    Introduction
The following plan describes the strategies Russellville City Schools will implement for
effective parental involvement under section 1118. This plan is based on an approved
Parental Involvement Policy and is recommended by the Russellville City Board of
Education pursuant to the parent involvement strategies described in sections 1118 and
1112.

This plan is based on our belief that schools alone cannot meet all of the educational
needs of children and that for education to be successful, a student needs an effective
school plus the encouragement and involvement of his/her parents. Toward that end, we
have tried to design our educational system so parents (as well as community leaders) are
involved in each step of the educational process, from the day to day procedures that are
part of learning, to the major decisions that affect all students served by the system.
                        Inclusion of Parent in Decision Making




The planning process began with the Federal Programs Coordinator, administrators of the
local schools and others attending meetings, workshops, and planning sessions at the state
and district level. Particular attention was given to changes mandated by the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. An advisory panel was created with individuals who
could serve on various committees. This panel is a springboard for successful parental
involvement in all federal programs. The advisory panel was appointed to include
parents of children served in our various federal programs such as English Language
Learners (LEP), Migrant Education, Title I, and Special Education. Parents of students in
these programs, teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators from the school served
were included and attended their specific meetings. The following individuals make up
the committee:


               Linda Bingham                  Title I Teacher at West Elementary
               Debbie Hammock                 Migrant Program Home/School
                                              Liaison and Interpreter/translator
               George Harper                  Federal Programs Coordinator
               Michelle Hester                Parent Involvement Counselor
               Wytannah Honey                 ELL teacher
               Penny Pickett                  Secretary to Federal Programs
               Coordinator
               Berta Alvarado                 Parent of Migrant/ ELL student
               Ramona Robinson                Principal-West Elementary School
                                              and Federal Programs assistant
               Jennifer McCalpin              Parent of Title I student
               Lisa Prince                    Parent of Title I student
               Villy Martinez                 Parent of Migrant/ELL student
               Lesa Hamilton                  Parent of Title I student
               Susan Hall                     Curriculum Coordinator




Russellville City Schools Parental Involvement Counselor and Title I teachers hold at
least two parent meetings each year and have parent conferences with most of their
parents at least once a year. Each targeted assisted school shall develop and distribute to
parents of participating children a written involvement policy.
                      Program Delivery Components

              Parent Involvement in Planning, Review, and Improvement
Parents of Title I students were involved in the development and review of the Parent
Involvement Policy/Plan by serving as members of the Russellville City Schools
Advisory Panel. During annual meetings with parents of participating students in
Targeted Assisted schools, the Parental Involvement Policy/Plan is distributed. The
policy/plan is made available in English and Spanish. All parents will be given surveys
at the end of the school year to give their comments on activities, materials, and training
that the school should offer or improve on for the next school year. The advisory panel
will conduct an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the Parental
Involvement Policy/Plan in improving the academic quality of Title I schools, including
identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in authorized activities. They will
also use the evaluation to design more effective strategies and revise the plan as needed
to meet the needs of all students.

The Parental Involvement Policy/Plan is made available to parents in the following
venues:
    Distribution to Title I participating students
    Russellville City Schools website
    School libraries


                     Comments on School Parent Involvement Policy
Title I parents who serve on the Russellville City Schools Advisory Panel serve as liaison
to bring concerns and comments about the Parental Involvement Policy/Plan to the other
members of the panel so that their comments are considered when revisions are made to
the policy/plan. Parents are also given a survey at the end of the school year, which may
remain anonymous, to give their comments or concerns on activities, materials, and
training that the school should offer or improve on for the next school year. These
surveys are used, along with any comments from the advisory panel, to make any needed
revisions.


                         LEA Parental Involvement Allocation
Parental involvement is given much emphasis in Russellville City as required by the Title
I law. A portion of the Title I allocation is used to implement activities for parents to be
involved, including family literacy and parenting skills. Members of the Russellville
Schools Advisory Panel will be involved in decisions regarding how parental
involvement funds will be expended.
                                     Parent Meetings
Russellville City Schools will convene an annual meeting to which all parents of Title I
students will be invited and encouraged to attend. At this meeting, parents will be
informed about the system-wide Title I program and the requirements and offerings of
the program. Parents will be notified about the meeting through letters sent home in
English and Spanish. Childcare will be provided during the meeting. Translators will be
available upon request by parents. Handouts will be available in English and Spanish.
The meeting will be held at a time to accommodate parents work schedule. Students are
encouraged to return the bottom portion of the letter, which has been completed by
parents, letting the program coordinator know of parent participation and childcare needs.

Topics to be discussed at the meeting include:
    Title I participation and parents’ rights
    Explanation of the Title I curriculum
    DIBELS, STAR, SAT 10, ARMT information
    Computer Programs
    Other Teaching Tools
    Question/Answer Time for Parents

Russellville City Schools provides for the coordination, technical assistance, and other
support necessary to assist Title I participating schools in planning and implementing
effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and
school performance. Additional parent meetings/activities will be held at various times
during the school year. Meetings/activities will be arranged at various times so that
parents can attend. Different meetings/activities will be of a different nature so that all
parents can be encouraged to participate. Some may be more formal and informative.
Some may be informal meetings between Title I teachers and parents, and some may
include hands-on activities, such as looking at computer programs and tips for their child
to be successful in reading. All meetings will have a translator available to assist with
language barriers. Parents may be notified of meetings through (1) notices sent home by
students in the appropriate language, (2) newspaper announcements, (3) announcements
on Russellville City Schools Educational Television Station, (4) internet postings on
Russellville City Schools Website, and (5) public postings in English and Spanish. These
meetings/activities include, but are not limited to the following:

      Kindergarten registration
      Back-to-School Night
      “New to the Nest” Kindergarten Orientation Night
      Parent Conference Day
      Title I Annual Meeting
      ELL Meeting/Conferences
      Computer Tech Night
      Parent Workshops
      PTO Meetings
      Fall Festival Planning Meetings
      Student-Participation Programs
      Book Fairs
      History Fair
      Awards Day
      Head Start Campus Tours
      Head Start Parent Conferences
      At-Risk Committee Meetings

During each meeting parents are encouraged to notify the school in writing of any
comments/concerns they may have that could help in the revision process for future
meetings with the same content.

                                  Title I Selection Process
Students at West Elementary School were chosen for Title I reading services based on
multiple criteria and were rank ordered according to those students with the greatest
needs being served first. We use DIBELS benchmark (students who come in during the
school year, we use progress monitoring scores), STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading,
San Diego Quick assessment, Teacher made checklist (Letter Naming and Letter
Sounds), Teacher In-put, and Administrative In-put. All students scoring Intensive will
be served during the 2007-2008 school year. Kindergarten is considered as an evaluation
period because of the various backgrounds students has before entering school.
Therefore, if necessary, students are moved in and out at each nine weeks reporting
period. First and Second grades are moved in and out at the end of each semester.
Title I students at Russellville Elementary School are selected based on the following
data: ARMT, SAT, DIBELS, and teacher recommendation. Students who score a 2 or
below on the reading portion of the ARMT are automatically placed in the program.
Also, students who score intensive on DIBELS are included. Due to the fact that 2nd
graders do not take standardized tests, third grade students are placed in Title I based on
DIBELS, STAR, and teacher opinion. All third grade students who scored intensive or
strategic on the DIBELS assessment are placed in the program.


                                 School Parent Compact
The school parent compacts were developed by the Russellville City Schools Advisory
Panel, which includes school staff and parents. Each school has a compact detailed for
their individual school needs. The compacts will link schools, parents, and communities
in order to meet the educational needs of the children with whom they are involved. The
School Parent Compact builds on the belief that school-community links are critical to
creating environments where all children can reach high standards. The school parent
compact is designed to increase the sharing of responsibility between families and
schools for the high performance of students. All parents of Title I students will be given
a copy of the compact upon entering the program. The compact will be explained to the
parents, and they will be asked to sign the compact signifying their commitment to the
partnership between the school and their child. This helps to ensure that their child is
successful in school. A Spanish version is available, along with an ELL translator to
meet with parents and explain the compact. Each Title I teacher will be given the
responsibility of explaining the compact to the student and obtaining the student’s
signature. The teacher will sign the compact and they will be housed in the Title I
classroom for availability during the Title I meeting, parent conferences and/or student-
teacher conferences. The compacts for each school are reviewed each spring by the
advisory panel and updated to meet the needs of the students.


                 Building Capacity for Involvement
To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among
Russellville City Schools, parents, and the community that enhances student academic
achievement, Russellville City Schools shall provide:

Program Information for Parents – Shall train parents of participating students in
understanding the NCLB goals, state content, performance standards, state and local
assessments, Title I requirements, how to monitor their child’s progress , and how to
work with educators toward their child’s improved performance and achievement. This
will be done through conferences, an annual Title I meeting, various parent meetings that
are held during the day and evening at which time the school will explain how to
understand:
     Alabama Reading Initiative
     DIBELS
     STAR Reading Tests
     SAT 10 Student Profile Reports
     ARMT Student Profile Reports
     Alabama Writing Assessment Reports
     State School Report Cards
     Student Progress Reports
     Student Report Cards

Materials and Training – Shall provide materials and facilities to train parents, teachers,
paraprofessionals and administrators to work with each other and with parents as equal
partners to improve their child’s performance. Russellville City Schools is developing an
extensive parental involvement web page and is in the process of developing a parent
center within the school. Throughout the year, parent workshops will be held on various
topics such as computer training, homework help, and tips on how to help your child
become a successful reader.

Educate Educators – Shall educate teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators with
the assistance of parents on how to reach out, communicate with, and build ties between
parents and the school. Russellville City Schools will continue working with teachers to
help in the understanding of the importance of parental involvement in the schools
through grade-level meetings, faculty meetings, in-services, and professional
development workshops. The entire Russellville City Schools staff is expected to
continue their work with parents in meeting their child’s needs to ensure academic
achievement.

Preschool Coordination – Shall work closely with Russellville Head Start to have a
successful transition for children entering our school system. Administrators set aside a
day to visit with Head Start parents to explain our school programs. The transition is
made easier by students and parents touring our building, meeting the principal, and
asking questions before kindergarten registration. A special summer preschool session is
held for students with limited language skills. Parents are involved on a daily basis by
communicating with teachers and participating in a multicultural program. Translators
are made available for our ELL preschoolers and their parents.

Understandable Communication – Shall ensure that information concerning a child’s
progress and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of
participating children in a format the parent can understand. Documents are created in
Spanish and an ELL translator is available on site.

Other Federally Funded Programs – Shall ensure to the extent feasible and appropriate,
under Title I, Part A, Russellville City Schools coordinates and integrates parental
involvement programs and activities with other federal programs, such as our ELL
program. We have a school/home liaison and interpreter/translator available on site.

Other Requested Activities – Shall provide such other reasonable support for parental
involvement activities as parents may request. Russellville City Schools makes every
effort to work with parents in meeting the educational needs of their child.

Community Involvement – May encourage community-based organizations and
businesses to support parental involvement activities. Our Helping Families Initiative
Committee includes school personnel, city leaders, and county leaders. This committee
was created to identify and track at-risk students who may benefit from community
services in a way that will help the student be successful in school.

Input on Professional Development – May involve parents in the development and
effectiveness of training for certified personnel.

Literacy Training – May provide necessary literacy training for parents. If funds are not
available, Part A funds may be used if all other monies have been exhausted.

Parents Expenses – May provide reasonable expenses to enable parents to participate in
Title I meetings and training sessions.

Parents Reaching Out to Parents – May train parents to increase the involvement of non
active parents

Convenient School Meetings – May offer meetings on a flexible schedule, alternating
between morning and evening, to accommodate parents work schedules.
Model Approaches – May provide access to programs initiated to strengthen parent
involvement.

District Wide Parent Council – May establish a district wide parent advisory council to
serve as liaisons to all matters related to all federally funded programs.


.
   Limited English, Parents with Disabilities, and Parents of Migratory Children
Russellville City Schools, to the extent practical, provides opportunities for the
participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and
parents of migratory children. All important information is sent home in Spanish and
notices about parent meetings are sent in Spanish. A translator is onsite to assist with the
creation of such documents and questions from parents concerning information sent
home. Every effort is made to accommodate parents with disabilities. Russellville City
Schools has handicapped accessible buildings.

                                   Parents Right to Know
Russellville City Schools will notify parents for section 1111(h)(6) following guidelines
mandated by NCLB legislation and the Alabama State Department of Education.
Parental notification is given to parents during the first semester of each school year. All
school personnel when hired are “Highly Qualified” according to NCLB and the
Alabama State Department of Education.

It is the policy of this school board that all provisions of the No Child Left Behind law
and regulation are adhered to in all of our schools. This includes the provisions that
involve parent involvement, parent’s right-to-know, and parental notification. It also
includes involving parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning,
review, and improvement of federal programs.