ESSA Section

Ways in Which Walt Disney Elementary Staff Accomplish These Activities

1116(b)(1) This Plan has been jointly developed and distributed to parents and family members in a language that can be understood.  The Plan is updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

Describe the development of the Plan, including the stakeholders involved, the steps taken to ensure the Plan is understood, and the process for updating the Plan.

• This plan is developed by the continuous improvement team with involvement from administrators, teachers, intervention staff and parents.
• Once the plan is developed, it is shared with all staff at the beginning of the year or end of the year staff meetings.
• The plan is shared with parents at the Annual Title I parent meeting.
• The plan is updated each spring.

1116(c)(1) Convene an Annual Title I Parent Meeting at a time convenient to parents to inform parents of the Title I requirements and their right to be involved.

An annual meeting is held which includes information for parents on:

Meeting Contents:

• What is Title I?
• Intent and Purpose
• Schoolwide vs Targeted
• How does your school spend its Title I allocation?
• How does Title I fit in with the School Improvement Plan (coordinated efforts)?

• What are our curriculum and resources for each

subject area?

• How are our students assessed to measure

progress?

• What is our communication process with parents?
• What is in our family engagement plan?
• What is our family/school compact?
• What do parents have the right to know?
• Teacher and paraprofessional qualifications
• Notice if teacher is not certified after four weeks

of instruction

• Student progress

How are parents encouraged to attend?

• School messenger email, weekly newsletter, PTO FaceBook group page

1116(c)(2) Offer flexible number of meetings at times convenient to parents and provide transportation, childcare, or home visits as it relates to parental involvement.

Meetings are offered at times convenient for parents and if needed, transportation, childcare, and home visits can be arranged:

• Meeting/activities will be offered at a variety of times that are convenient for parents (Example, right after SACC)
• Transportation and childcare will be offered on an as needed basis

1116(c)(3) Involve parents in an organized, ongoing and timely way in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs, including the development, review, and improvement of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan and the Schoolwide Program Plan.

Parents are involved in the development of the School Improvement Plan and Title I Program development in the following ways:

• This plan is developed by the continuous improvement team with involvement from administrators, teachers, intervention staff and parents.
• The plan is also shared with parents at the Annual Title I parent meeting.
• The plan is updated each spring.

1116(c)(4)(A) Provide parents of Title I children timely information about the Title I Program.

Parents are provided information regarding the school Programs in the following ways:

• Information on the Title I program is shared at the Annual Title I Parent meeting.
• As students are identified for Title I services, a tier letter goes home to parents to let them know their child will be receiving additional instructional support in ELA and/or Math.

1116(c)(4)(B) Provide parents of Title I children a description and explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to meet.

Parents are provided information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and proficiency level expectations in the following ways:

• The school teaches the state standards. The district’s LMS, Canvas, identifies grade level appropriate I Can statements which are intended for students and parents to understand the state standards.
• The school uses FastBridge three times a year to measure student progress in ELA and Math. Students receiving tiered intervention are identified through this process. Following the benchmark testing, tier letters and FastBridge Family Reports are sent to families.
• The FastBridge norms for grade levels are shared with parents on the FastBridge family reports three times a year.

1116(c)(4)(C) Provide parents of participating Title I students opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions, to participate in decision-making as it relates to their child’s education, and to respond to any suggestions as soon as possible.

Parents have opportunities to share suggestions, participate in decision making, and respond to any suggestions in the following ways:

• Parent Survey
• Multiple means of two-way communication are provided such as calls and emails
• Disney’s MTSS Lead is available at fall and spring conferences to meet individually with families and discuss student progress.

1116(c)(5) Ensure that if the Schoolwide Program Plan is not satisfactory to parents of participating students, submit any parent comments on the Plan when the school makes the Plan available to the Local Educational Agency (LEA).

If parents are not satisfied with the School Improvement Plan or Programs, they have opportunities to make comments by:

• Stakeholder Feedback Survey
• Contact the school principal
• Contact the Title 1 Coordinator

The School-Parent Compact Must:

1116(d) Jointly, with parents, develop a School-Parent Compact that outlines how the entire school staff, parents, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

• Yes

1116(d) Clearly explain district and school goals for students to meet the challenging State academic standards.

• Yes

1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe ways that teachers are responsible for supporting students’ learning and providing high quality curriculum and instruction.

• Yes

1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe specific ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.

• Yes

1116(d) Describe specific ways students will be responsible for their learning.

• Yes

1116(d) & 1116(d)(2)(C) Describe school activities to build partnerships with parents, including chances for parents to volunteer, take part in, and observe classroom activities, and communicate with teachers.

• Yes

1116(d) & 1116(f) Describe how parents and family members are involved in developing and revising the compact.

• Yes

1116(d)(1) & 1116(d)(2)(A-C) Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and school staff throughout the school year, so that parents are kept up to date on their students’ progress and get regular tips on home learning.

• Yes

1116(f) Communicate information using family friendly language and format.

• Yes

1116(e)(1) Shall provide assistance to parents of students served by the school in understanding the State’s academic content standards, the State and Local assessments, and how to monitor their child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

How does the staff provide assistance to parents to help them understand the content standards, assessments, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children?  What training is provided to families?

• Curriculum updates/Children’s progress

• Canvas gradebook
• I Can Statements for each content area in Canvas
• FastBridge family reports
• Progress reports are shared three times per year

• Offer several parent events to show ways parents can help their children at home

• Bagels and Books Event (Fall Family Engagement)
• Spring Family Engagement
• Meet the Teacher
• Parent teacher conferences

1116(e)(2) Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

Staff will provide parents with appropriate materials and offer training in our school to enable them to support their child’s academic progress.  These include:

• Fall/Spring family engagement
• IRIP Parent Read at Home Plan
• Eureka Module Parent Tips and Homework Helpers

1116(e)(3) Shall educate staff in the value and utility of parents’ contributions, in how to reach out to, and communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, to coordinate and implement parental involvement programs, and to build relationships between the parents and the school.

On-going professional development for staff on effective ways to increase parental involvement occurs annually.  They include:

• Joyce Epstein’s Work
• National PTA’s Work
• Research Articles

1116(e)(4) Shall coordinate and integrate parental 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.

Coordination with other Programs for parental involvement includes:

• GSRP
• Food Bank
• Clothing Drive
• CARE
• Minnie Project
• Community Mental Health
• DHHS
• Local Health Clinic

1116(e)(5) Shall ensure information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand.

Information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand.  Examples include:

• Multi-language publications
• Use parent friendly language and have parents review for understanding
• Provide translators or interpreters

Gray Area - Recommended Best Practice, but Not Required

1116(e)(6) May involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.

1116(e)(7) May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the LEA has exhausted all other reasonably-available sources of funding for such training.

1116(e)(8) May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and childcare costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.

1116(e)(9) May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.

1116(e)(10) May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.

1116(e)(11) May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

1116(e)(12) May establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Programs supported under this Section.

1116(e)(13) May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parental involvement activities.

1116(e)(14) Shall provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.

Parents are provided with other reasonable support such as:

• Alternate P/T Conference Times
• Additional homework for students who are out of school for an extended time
• Translators/Interpreters when needed
• Virtual meetings

How does the school collect this information?

• Parent Survey
• Emails/phone calls

1116(f) Shall provide full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children.

Staff provide opportunities for full parent participation:

• Translator/Interpreters
• ADA accessible buildings
• Staff members are involved in supporting families with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children to allow for opportunities for full participation.