Kraemer Middle School

Title I School-Level Parental Involvement Policy

 

Kraemer Middle School has developed a written Title I parental involvement policy with input from Title I parents. Parents are invited to attend our School Site Council meetings to give input on both the school plan and the involvement policy.  The policy is posted on our school’s web site for parents and students to access.  Kraemer Middle School’s policy describes the means for carrying out the following Title I parental involvement requirements. [Title I Parental Involvement, 20 USC 6318(a)-(f)]

 

The Involvement of Parents in the Title I Program

 

Kraemer Middle School does the following:

a.    Convenes an annual meeting to inform parents of participating students of the requirements of Title I and their rights to be involved in the Title I program. 

Parents are invited to attend the meeting via an electronic phone messaging system and a flyer sent home with each student.  The phone message and flyer are sent home in English and Spanish.  The date and the time of the meeting is also listed on our school calendar which is posted on our school web site.   

 

b.    Offers a flexible number of meetings. 

There are a minimum of three site council meetings per year available for parents to give their input on the Title 1 plan.

   

c.    Involves parents of participating students in an organized, timely, and on-going way in the planning, review, and improvement of its Title I programs and parental involvement policy.

Parents are invited to review the plan at any time during the school year.  A copy of the plan is available in the main office of the school and on our district website.  Parents may attend any of the three School Site Council meetings to offer input, ask questions or make recommendations for modifying the plan.  The plan is reviewed and modified during the last School Site Council meeting of the year.

 

d.    Provides parents of Title I students with timely information about the Title I programs.

Details regarding our Title 1 program are posted on our school website.  If a parent does not have home access to our website, they may use our school library or the public library to do so.  This suggestion for parental access is made available to parents in Spanish and English through our PTA Newsletter.

 

e.    Provides parents of Title I students with an explanation of the curriculum, academic assessments, and proficiency levels students are expected to meet.

Teachers provide students and parents with a copy of their class syllabus at the start of the school year.  The syllabus outlines the course of study and grading policy.  Each spring all students receive individualized reports on their STAR testing results with details of their proficiency levels.  Students are asked to set individual goals of achievement for the year.  Seventh grade students who are identified at-risk for not passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) will individually meet with their school counselor in compliance with requirements under AB1802.  Where feasible, parents are involved in that conference to discuss academic and deportment records, school resources and high school graduation requirements.

 

f.      Provides parents of Title I students, if requested, with opportunities for periodic meetings to participate in decisions relating to the education of their children.

All parents are encouraged to be active participants in their child’s education.  This is accomplished in the following ways. 

·         Parents may visit classrooms at any time with prior arrangement with their son or daughter’s teachers. 

·         Parents may request via phone, written note or e-mail a meeting with their child’s teachers. 

·         School counselors and Administrators are available for parents to discuss concerns related to academic progress.    

 

School-Parent Compacts

Kraemer Middle School has jointly developed with and distributed to parents of Title I students a School-Parent Compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.  It also describes how the school and parents will develop a partnership to help children reach proficiency on the California content standards. The School-Parent Compact describes the following items in addition to the items added by parents of Title I students:

 

·         The school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction.

·         The parents’ responsibility to support their children’s learning.

·         The importance of ongoing communication between parents and teachers through annual conferences, reports on student progress, access to staff, and opportunities to volunteer or participate in their student’s educational program.

 

Building Capacity for Involvement

Kraemer Middle School engages Title I parents in meaningful interactions with the school.  It supports a partnership among staff, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement.  To help reach these goals, the school does the following: 

 

a.       Assists parents in understanding academic content and achievement standards, class assessments, and how to monitor and improve the achievement of their children.

·         School counselors and Administrators are available for parents to discuss concerns related to academic content and achievement standards.  

·         A program called Parent Institute is offered for parents of English Language Learners.  The 9-week curriculum is geared towards increasing parent involvement in their child’s education.  The classes are offered on campus during the day and evening in Spanish.  Daycare is also provided for parents who need it in order to attend.

·         Parents can also access their child’s achievement data through our Aeries (ABI) online system.  All parents receive their student’s access codes at the start of the school year in both English and Spanish.  Parents without computer access may use our library computers at no cost.

 

b.       Educates staff (with the assistance of parents) to recognize the value of parent contributions and how to work with parents as equal partners.

Certificated teachers are expected to update their ABI grade books on a regular basis.  Formal and informal conversations are held between teachers and Administration regarding the importance of parent communication.  Teachers are expected to attend parent/teacher meetings and to respond to e-mail or voicemail messages in a timely manner.   

    

c.      Distributes information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities to the parents of participating students in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents understand.

When feasible, home-school communication is provided to parents in English and Spanish.

 

d.      Provides support for parental involvement activities requested by parents.

Our school PTA encourages membership and involvement from all of our parents.  Monthly meetings are held in the school library.  Parents may inquire about ways to become more involved in their child’s education.   

 

Accessibility

 

Kraemer Middle School provides opportunities for all Title I parents to participate in school activities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory students.  This includes providing information and school reports and, to the extent possible, a language parents understand.  All parents are encouraged to attend our annual Title 1 meeting and School Site Council meetings.  Invitations to these meetings are posted on our school website, sent out via our electronic phone messaging system and the written in our PTA Newsletter.

 

Parent Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs)

 

PIRCs are funded by the US Department of Education.  They provide both local and statewide services.  California has two PIRCs:  PIRC1, Project Inspire at the California Association for Bilingual Education, Covina, CA and PIRC2, Cal-PIRC at Cambridge Academies, Modesto, CA. 

 

PIRC1, Project Inspire, is the result of a partnership among the California Association for Bilingual Education, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, and the Alameda County Office of Education.  Project Inspire provides parent training workshops and will be funded through 2011.  A list of workshop topics and a brochure in English and Spanish that describes services are available.  Workshops are available in multiple languages. 

 

PIRC2, Cal-PIRC, has established three Parent Information and Resource Center hubs in Northern and Central California. CalPIRC provides direct services to parents and schools in selected communities within Merced and Stanislaus Counties, and West Sacramento areas.  It also provides support throughout the state through conferences, workshops, and a website.  Cal-PIRC will be funded through 2011.  Whenever available, resources are posted in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Hmong.