PIP

MELROSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Title I, Part A Parental Involvement Plan

I, Sergio A. Muñoz , do hereby certify that all facts, figures, and representations made in this application are true, correct, and consistent with the statement of assurances for these waivers. Furthermore, all applicable statutes, regulations, and procedures; administrative and programmatic requirements; and procedures for fiscal control and maintenance of records will be implemented to ensure proper accountability for the expenditure of funds on this project. All records necessary to substantiate these requirements will be available for review by appropriate state and federal staff. I further certify that all expenditures will be obligated on or after the effective date and prior to the termination date of the project. Disbursements will be reported only as appropriate to this project, and will not be used for matching funds on this or any special project, where prohibited.

Assurances

The school will be governed by the statutory definition of parental involvement, and will carry out programs, activities, and procedures in accordance with the definition outlined in Section 9101(32), ESEA;
Involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A in decisions about how Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement are spent [Section 1118(b)(1) and (c)(3)];
Jointly develop/revise with parents the school parental involvement policy and distribute it to parents of participating children and make available the parental involvement plan to the local community [Section 1118 (b)(1)];
Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under this part, including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of the schoolwide program plan under section 1114(b)(2) [Section 1118(c)(3)];
Use the findings of the parental involvement policy review to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the school’s parental involvement policy [Section 1118(a)(E)];
If the plan for Title I, Part A, developed under Section 1112, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will submit parent comments with the plan when the school submits the plan to the local educational agency [Section 1118(b)(4)];
Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the state assessment in at least mathematics, language arts, and reading [Section 1111(h)(6)(B)(i)];
Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in 34 CFR Section 200.56 [Section 1111(h)(6)(B)(ii)]; and
Provide each parent timely notice information regarding their right to request information on the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers and paraprofessionals [Section (h)(6)(A)].

Signature of Principal or Designee

Date Signed

Mission Statement

Parental Involvement Mission Statement (Optional)

Response: Recognizing our students as citizens of tomorrow, Melrose Elementary School, in partnership with the family and community, is committed to preparing each child for the future by meeting, not only their academic needs with a focus on proficiency in literacy and mathematics, but also their technological and social needs within a nurturing environment which enhances lifelong learning.

Involvement of Parents

Describe how the school will involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely manner, in the planning, review, and improvement of Title I programs including involvement in the decisions regarding how funds for parental involvement will be used [Sections1118(c)(3), 1114(b)(2), and 1118(a)(2)(B)].

Response: The Melrose Elementary School Parent Involvement Plan, established in collaboration with parents, includes programs and practices that enhance parental involvement and reflects the specific needs of students and their families. Melrose Elementary School believes involving parents in all aspects of its Title I programs. The Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) has the responsibility for developing, implementing, and evaluating the various school level plans, including the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Parent Involvement Policy (PIP). The EESAC is comprised of teachers, parents, and business community members; more than 50 percent of the members of the EESAC are parent (non-employee) representatives. In addition, all parents were given the opportunity to review the plan and offer their input prior to approval. Parents were given a survey seeking input on activities, training, and materials needed to help their child. Parent communication is maintained through parent meetings, parent newsletter, and parent conferences throughout the school year. Results of parent input are discussed and reviewed by the EESAC to determine needed changes. During the EESAC meeting when the PIP and/or the SIP are developed, the committee will decide with the input from parents how the parental involvement funds will be used.

Coordination and Integration

Describe how the school will coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities that teach parents how to help their children at home, to the extent feasible and appropriate, including but not limited to, other federal programs such as: Head Start, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, public preschool, Title I, Part C, Title II, Title III, Title IV, and Title VI [Section 1118(e)(4)].

count	Program	Coordination
1	Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program (VPK	Melrose @ Bethune Headstart Pre-K Staff will coordinate transition programs for students entering the regular school program. Activities may include coordinated meetings with parents, VPK teachers and the Kindergarten teachers to discuss the specific learning needs of students, joint parent meetings to discuss transitioning, and parent workshops on topics of early education.
2	Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)	Supplemental instructional support provided by Title I will be discussed with parents during the development of the students IEP.
3	Title I School Parent Education Center	The Parent Resource Center provides parents of students participating in the Title I Program with resource materials and curriculum support for assisting with at-home learning.

Annual Parent Meeting

Describe the specific steps the school will take to conduct an annual meeting designed to inform parents of participating children about the school’s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program (schoolwide or targeted assistance), Adequately Yearly Progress, school choice, supplemental educational services, and the rights of parents. Include timeline, persons responsible, and evidence the school will use to demonstrate the effectiveness of the activity [Section 1118(c)(1)].

count	Activity/Tasks	Person Responsible	Timeline	Evidence of Effectiveness
1	Announcement (marquee and am/pm announcement)	Adminstration	September 8-15, 2014	Picture of marquee
2	Develop an Agenda and Sign-in sheet	Administration	September 15, 2014	Minutes of meeting
3	Annual Public Title I Meeting Parent Calendar	Administration	September 1, 2014	Calendar
4	Annual Public Title I Meeting Flyer	Administration	September 8-12, 2014	Flyer
5	Annual Public Title I Meeting	Administration	September 15, 2014	Agenda, sign-in sheets

Flexible Parent Meetings

Describe how the school will 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 related to parental involvement [Section 1118(c)(2)].

Response: Melrose Elementary School will schedule meetings at various times during the day or evenings to better accommodate parents. Parents will notified of all scheduled school meetings via monthly parent calendars, monthly parent workshops, and personal telephone calls. With prior notice, childcare service will be provided to in order for parents to have an opportunity to attend meetings. Written communication will be provided in English and Spanish. Translators will be available at all parent meetings and in school offices to provide translation services to ensure that parents are able to fully participate in parent meetings.

Building Capacity

Describe how the school will implement activities that will build the capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement [Section 1118(e)]. Describe the actions the school will take to provide materials and training to help parents work with their child to improve their child’s academic achievement [Section 1118(e)(2)].Include information on how the school will provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under Section 1118 as parents may request [Section 1118(e)(14)].

count	Content and Type of Activity	Person Responsible	Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement	Timeline	Evidence of Effectiveness
1	Parent Meetings	Assistant Principal, Counselor	Specific sessions will be provided for parents. Information will include grade level proficiency, strategies parents can use at home and assessment methods	August 2014 - June 2015	Sign-in sheets, Agenda, Presentation materials
2	Parent Portal Training	Assistan Principal	Provides individual help to paents in how to log-in and access the Parent Portal	September 2014 - June 2015	Sign-in sheets
3	Second Cup of Coffee	Counselor	Content specific sessions will be provided for parents. Information will include specific strategies for help their child with NGSS and Common Core.	September 2014 - June 2015	Sign-in sheet, Agenda, Presentation materials
4	Bilingual Outreach Meeting	Counselor	Provide in parent's native language assistance on how to help their child succeed in school	September 2014 - June 2015	Sign-in sheets, Agenda

Staff Training

Describe the professional development activities the school will provide to educate the teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and schools [Section 1118(e)(3)].

count	Content and Type of Activity	Person Responsible	Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement	Timeline	Evidence of Effectiveness
1	Cultural Sensitivity Traning	ESOL Coordinator, Counselor	Improve the ability of staff to work effectively with parents by providing examples of best practives	September 2014 - March 2015	Sign-in sheets, handouts, agenda
2	Implementation and coordination of parental involment	Counselor, Community Involvement Liasion	Liaison will be provided with traning materials to take back to schools in an effort to improve the ability of staff to work effectively with parents	September 2014 - May 2015	Sign-in sheets, presentation materials
3	Building ties between home and school	Adminstration, parent teacher organization	Improves the ability for teachers, students and parents to work effectively to engage students in learning.	September 2014	sign-in sheets, presentation materials
4	Train parents as leaders. Provide training sessions with parents who serve on the EESAC to assist them in becoming effective parent leaders.	Administration	Improves the ability of parents to participate in decision making activities	October 2014	sign-in sheets, presentation materials

Other Activities

Describe the other activities, such as parent resource centers, the school will conduct to encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children [Section 1118 (e)(4)].

Response: Melrose Elementary School will make available a Parent Resource Center to provide parents with resource materials and curriculum support to assist their child with home learning. The Parent Resource Center is a reception area for parents and other visitors to the school. The Parent Resource Center contain a wealth of resources to assist parents in addition to providing partents complimentary access to computers and printers. Parents are encouraged to stay and enjoy a cup of coffee or other refreshment when visiting the center.

Communication

Describe how the school will provide parents of participating children the following [Section 1118(c)(4)]:

Timely information about the Title I programs [Section 1118(c)(4)(A)];
Description and explanation of the curriculum at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet [Section 1118(c)(4)(B)];
If requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children[Section 1118(c)(4)(C)]; and
If the schoolwide program plan under Section 1114 (b)(2) is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school will include submit the parents’ comments with the plan that will be made available to the local education agency [Section 1118(c)(5)].

Response: Melrose Elementary School firmly believes that effective communication between parents and staff is critical to student success. Melrose Elementary School will reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners by providing a wide variety of opportunities for communication and contact between staff and parents. Melrose will provide parents timely information about Title I programs, a description of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of assessments used to measure student progress, and proficiency levels that students are expected to meet. Information will be disseminated via the following methods:

- Parent-teacher conferences where teachers have the opportunity to review the student's academic growth and progress as well as address parental concerns.

- Progress reports, report cards, assessment reports and other forms of communication about academic progress sent out every grading period.

- Open houses and curriculum nights where parents can visit the classrooms and participate in curriculum presentations.

- Provide parents with a copy of this Parental Involvement Plan annually.

- Monthly parent newsletters to provide information and updates on school activities.

- Parent organizations are encouraged at all levels.

- Parental participation on committees and school improvement teams.

- An annual report will be published each year with copies available on the school's web site. The annual report will detail performance at the district and state level.

- Encouraging meetings at a variety of times, often working with individual parents to overcome their time constraints and maximize their participation in school-related

activities.

- Provide resources for parents to learn about child development and academic strategies that are designed to help parents become full partners in the education of their children.

- Providing annual notice about parent rights under No Child Left Behind legislation.

- Keep a copy of our School Improvement Plan in an accessible place for parents to review.

- Ensure that we have notified parents that they may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child's teachers and any paraprofessionals providing services to their child.

Accessibility

Describe how the school will provide full opportunities for participation in parental involvement activities for all parents (including parents with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and migratory children). Include how the school plans to share information related to school and parent programs, meetings, school reports, and other activities in an understandable and uniform format and to the extent practical, in a language parents can understand [Section 1118(e)(5) and 1118(f)].

Response: Melrose Elementary School will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports in an understandable and uniform format. The Parent Involvement Plan will be printed in English and Spanish and provided to all parents in the Parent Orientation Handbook. In addition, hard copies will be available in the office and the parent resource center. Written communication will be provided in English and Spanish. Translators will be available at all parent meetings and in the office to provide translation services to ensure that parents are able to participate in parent meetings. The English Language Survey results will be used to determine the number of specific needs for translations into a language other than English.

Discretionary Activities

Discretionary School Level Parental Involvement Policy Components Check if the school does not plan to implement discretionary parental involvement activities. Check all activities the school plans to implement:

X Not Applicable

Upload Evidence of Input from Parents

Upload evidence of parent input in the development of the plan.

Uploaded Document

Upload Parent-School Compact

Note: As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy/plan, each school shall jointly develop, with parents for all children served under this part, a parent-school compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement Section 1118(d)].

Upload an electronic version of the Parent-School Compact.

Uploaded Document

Upload Evidence of Parent Involvement in Development of Parent-School Compact

Note: As a component of the school-level parental involvement policy/plan, each school shall jointly develop, with parents for all children served under this part, a parent-school compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement Section 1118(d)].

Upload evidence of parent input in the development of the compact.

Uploaded Document

Evaluation of the previous year's Parental Involvement Plan

Building Capacity Summary

Provide a summary of activities provided during the previous school year that were designed to build the capacity of parents to help their children [Section 1118 (e)(1-2)]. Include participation data on the Title I annual meeting.

count	Content and Type of Activity	Number of Activities	Number of Participants	Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement
1	Parent Meetings	17	1206	Specific sessions will be provided for parents. Information will include grade level proficiency, strategies parents can use at home and assessment methods
2	Parent Portal Training	6	55	Provides individual help to paents in how to log-in and access the Parent Portal
3	Bilingual Outreach Meeting	7	148	Provide in parent's native language assistance on how to help their child succeed in school

Staff Training Summary

Provide a summary of the professional development activities provided by the school during the previous school year to educate staff on the value and utility of contributions of parents; how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners; the implementation and coordination of parent programs; and how to build ties between parents and the school [Section 1118 (e)(3)].

count	Content and Type of Activity	Number of Activities	Number of Participants	Anticipated Impact on Student Achievement
1	Cultural Sensitivity Traning	3	41	Improve the ability of staff to work effectively with parents by providing examples of best practives
2	Implementation and coordination of parental involment	1	40	Liaison will be provided with traning materials to take back to schools in an effort to improve the ability of staff to work effectively with parents
3	Building ties between home and school	1	46	Improves the ability for teachers, students and parents to work effectively to engage students in learning.
4	Train parents as leaders. Provide training sessions with parents who serve on the EESAC to assist th	1	41	Improves the ability of parents to participate in decision making activities

Barriers

Describe the barriers that hindered participation by parents during the previous school year in parental involvement activities. Include the steps the school will take during the current school year to overcome the barriers (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background) [Section 1118(a)(E)].

count	Barrier (Including the Specific Subgroup)	Steps the School will Take to Overcome
1	Scheduling of meetings	Flexible scheduling
2	Family Issues	Partner with social services agencies to assit families
3	Transportation	Carpooling/CIS

Best Practices (Optional)

Describe the parental involvement activity/strategy the school implemented during the previous schoool year that the school considers the most effective. This information may be shared with other LEAs and schools as a best practice. (Optional)

count

Content/Purpose

Description of the Activity