Parents

Parental Involvement Plan

It is the policy of the Bradford Special School System not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities and provides equal acciess to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.  The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Mr. Jerry Diviney

Federal Programs Director 

731-742-3180

divineyj@k12tn.net

 

 

Mrs. Amy Dunn

Special Education Director 

731-742-3180

dunna@k12tn.net

 

 

 

 

This District-level plan provides an understanding of the joint responsibility of the District and parents/guardians to improve students’ academic achievement and school performance. To that end, the District provides opportunities for parents/guardians involvement at the District level by:

  1. The District involves parents/guardians in the joint development of the District’s plan to help low-achieving children meet challenging achievement and academic standards (20 U.S.C. 6312), and the process of school review and improvement (20 U.S.C. 6316) by:
    • Establishing a District-level committee with parents/guardians liaisons from each building as well as representatives from other impacted programs, including Head Start.
    • Establishing meaningful, ongoing two-way communication between the District, staff and parents/guardians.
    • Developing a District newsletter to communicate to parents/guardians about the plan and seek their input and participation.
    • Training personnel on how to collaborate effectively with families with diverse backgrounds that may impede parent’s/guardian’s participation, e.g., illiteracy or language difficulty.
  2. The District provides the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist participating schools in planning and implementing effective parent’s/guardian’s involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance by:
    • Providing ongoing District-level workshops to assist buildings in planning and implementing improvement strategies.
    • Establishing training programs for building liaisons to bring the communication and facilitation skills to the buildings they represent.
    • Providing information to parents/guardians about various assessment tools and instruments that will be developed to monitor progress.
    • Seeking input from parents/guardians in developing workshops.
  3. The District builds the capacity of schools and parents/guardians for strong parental involvement by:  
    • Providing ongoing communication about the District-wide committee through District website, newsletters, or other written or electronically communicated means.
    • Engaging the building PTO’s to actively seek out and involve parents/guardians through regular communication updates and informative sessions.
    • Utilizing Bradford Special School District PTO to assist in identifying effective communication strategies based on their members’ needs.
    • Providing assistance to parents in understanding topics such as state academic standards, state student academic achievement standards, state and local academic assessments, requirements of NCLB Section 1118 (parental involvement), how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve student achievement.
    • Provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their achievement, such as literacy training and using technology to foster parental involvement.
    • Educate staff with the assistance of parents in the value and contribution of parents, and in working with parents on how to reach and communicate with, and work with as equal partners to implement and coordinate parent programs, build ties between parents and the school.
    • Ensure school related information on programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in a format and extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.
    • Provide other reasonable support for parent involvement activities per parent request.

4. The District coordinates and integrates parent’s/guardian’s Title I involvement strategies under this plan with parent’s/guardian’s involvement strategies under other programs, such as State Pre-K program and Title III Language Instructional programs.

·        Involving District and program representatives to assist in identifying specific population needs.

·        Sharing data from other programs to assist in developing new initiatives to improve academic achievement and school improvement.      

  1. The District conducts, with the involvement of parents/guardians, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent’s/guardian’s involvement policy/plan in improving the academic quality of the schools served under Title I, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents/guardians in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents/guardians who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background), and use the findings of such evaluation to design strategies for more effective parent’s/guardian’s involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parent’s/guardian’s involvement policies described in this section by:

·        Evaluating the effectiveness of the content and communication methods through a variety of methods.

·        Identifying barriers to effective evaluation by language support if needed.

·        Identifying potential policy, plan, or compact changes to revise of improve program(s).

  1. The district involves parents/guardians in the activities of the schools served under Title I by:
    • Providing communication and calendar information to parents/guardians of upcoming meetings, discussions or events, and encouraging their participations.
    • Promote parental and community and participation in programs for economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and ELL.
    • Involve parents in the activities of schools served under Title I, Part A including but not limited to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Title I, Part A program.
  2. The district and schools to the extent practicable will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migrant children, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.

 

 

 

Bradford Elementary and Bradford Jr/Sr High School

School-Level Parental Involvement Plan

 

This school-level parental involvement plan provides an understanding of the joint responsibility of the District and parents/guardians for improving student academic achievement and school performance. Parents are notified of our district parental involvement policy and plan in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. The policy/plan is made available to the local community through our local website and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school. The District provides opportunities for parent/guardian involvement at the school level by:

 

Parent/Guardian Involvement

  1. Convening an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents/guardians of participating children are invited and encouraged to attend, to inform parents/guardians of their school’s participation under Title I and to explain the requirements of Title I, and the right of the parents/guardians to be involved. The Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Invite all parents/guardians of participating children to the annual meeting at school.
    • Explain the rights of parents/guardians to be involved in establishing this plan.
    • Introduce and involve the building representatives on the District-level committee.
    • Provide an overview of Title I and give parents/guardians an opportunity to express questions and concerns.
    • Indicate the mechanisms by which the committee work will be communicated.
    • Seek the involvement and input of parents/guardians.
    • Provide child care so that all parents/guardians who would otherwise be unable to attend may attend.
  2. Offering a flexible number of meetings, such as meetings in the morning or evening, and may provide, with funds provided by the relevant provision in Title I, transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement. The Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Provide parents/guardians with opportunities to ask questions and dialogue informally about student academic achievement and school performance.
    • Engage building-based parent organizations to assist with communication and implementation needs.
    • Develop and use outreach programs to involve community groups and organizations.
  3. Involving parents/guardians in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under Title I, including and planning, review and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the school-wide program plan (under 20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(2), except that if a school has in place a process for involving parents/guardians in the joint planning and design of the school’s programs, the school may use that process, if such process includes an adequate representation of parents/guardians of participating children. The Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Identify and establish a process by which an adequate representation of parents/guardians of participating children can occur.
    • Establish a schedule for the building-based committee to plan, review, and recommend improvements tot eh District parent involvement policy.
  4. Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Provide parents/guardians of participating children timely information about programs.
    • Communicate updates through use of school newsletters, the District website, email and telephone contact, and home visits if needed.
  5. The Building Principal or designee will provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
  6. The Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Provide parents/guardians, upon request, 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 suggestions as soon as practicably possible.
    • Develop a feedback loop for parents/guardians to ask questions and receive follow-up
  7. If the school-wide plan under 20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(2) is not satisfactory to the parents/guardians of participating children, the Building Principal or designee shall:
    • Submit any comments when the school makes the plan available to the School Board.
    • Provide a process for parents/guardians to express concerns and complaints.

 

Shared Responsibilities for High Student Academic Achievement

  1. The School is responsible for providing a high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children served under Title I to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards. Each parent/guardian is responsible for supporting their children’s learning by:
    • Monitoring attendance, homework, and television viewing.
    • Volunteering in their child’s classroom and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to their children’s education and extracurricular activities.
  2. Communication between teachers and parents/guardians occurs on an ongoing basis through:

·         Parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the plan shall be discussed as the plan relates to the individual child’s achievements.

·         Frequent reports to parents/guardians on their child’s progress.

·         Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities.

Building Capacity of Involvement

To ensure effective involvement of parents/guardians and to support a partnership among the school’s involved, each school shall:

·         Provide assistance to parents/guardians in understanding the State’s academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

·         Provide materials and training, such as literacy, technology, etc., to help parents/guardians work with their children to improve their children’s achievement.

·         Educate teachers and other staff in the value and utility of contributions of parents/guardians and how to effectively communicate and work with parents/guardians as equal partners.

·         Implement and coordinate parent/guardian programs that will build ties between them and the school.

·         To the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parent/guardian involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, the Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program and public preschool and other programs and conduct other activities, such as parent/guardian resource centers, that encourage and support parents/guardians in more fully participating in their children’s education.

·         Ensure that information is sent to the parents/guardians of participating children in a format and language that parents/guardians can understand.

·         Involve parents/guardians in the development of training for teachers, Building Principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.

·         Provide necessary literacy training form funds provided by the relevant provision in Title I if the District has exhausted all other reasonably available sources of funding for such training.

·         Pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and child care costs to enable parents/guardians to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.

·         Train parents/guardians to encourage and enhance the involvement of other parents/guardians.

·         Use outreach programs to involve community groups and organizations.

·         Arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers and other educators, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.

·         Adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

·         Establish a District-wide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in supported programs.

·         Develop appropriate roles for community-base organizations and businesses in parent/guardian involvement activities.

·         Provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents/guardians may request.

In carrying out the parental involvement requirements of this plan, the school, to the extent practicable, will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents/guardians with limited English proficiency or disabilities, including providing information and school reports in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents/guardians understand.

 

School Parent Compact

 It is the policy of the Bradford Special School System not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities and provides equal acciess to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.  The following people have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies:  

 

Mr. Jerry Diviney

Federal Programs Director 

731-742-3180 

divineyj@k12tn.net

 

 

 

Mrs. Amy Dunn

Special Education Director

731-742-3180

dunna@k12tn.net

 

 

 

SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT 

The Bradford Special School District, and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (participating children), agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the 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 that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.

 

School Responsibilities

 

Bradford Special School District will:

 

1.      Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic achievement as follows: employing highly qualified teachers, providing additional reading and math instruction through tutoring, and provide a supportive environment that promotes academic success.

2.      Hold parent-teacher conferences (at least annually in both schools) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement.

3.      Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide report cards each nine weeks with progress reports being sent home every 4 ½ weeks.

4.      Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Parents will be provided information regarding school hours and times in which teachers can meet with parents. Parents may call the office to schedule a consultation with any teacher.

5.      Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities. The school and teachers will provide parent with opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities through parental involvement activities. 

Parent Responsibilities

 

We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways: 

1.      Monitoring attendance.

2.      Making sure homework is complete.

3.      Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children’s education.

4.      Promoting positive use of my children’s extracurricular time.

5.      Staying informed about my children’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate.

 Student Responsibilities

 

We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State’s high standards. Specifically, we will:

 

1.      Do homework every day and ask for help when needed.

2.      Read every day.

3.      Attend school on a regular basis.

 School ________________________________________________________

Date __________________________________________________________

 

Parent(s) ______________________________________________________

Date _________________________________________________________

 

Student ______________________________________________________

Date ________________________________________________________