1 of 10

Polk County Schools

Annual Title I Stakeholder’s Meeting

August 7, 2025

2 of 10

Parent’s Right to Know

As a parent and family member of a student in Polk County Schools and part of our beginning of each school year notifications, you have the right to know about the following:

  1. Professional qualifications and licensing criteria of the teachers who instruct your child.
  2. Information regarding student participation in mandatory state or local testing and affiliated policies.
  3. Language instruction and English learner identification protocols and services, and our assurance.
  4. Such information will be in an understandable language and accessible format. 

Parent's Right to Know

*This information is sent to you annually in the beginning of the year paperwork.

*The links can be found directly on our Polk County website under the parent information tab.

3 of 10

Title I Parent & Family Engagement Policy

Polk County Schools believes family and community involvement can have a powerful and positive impact on student outcomes.

Research has proven that students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to:

  • Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs
  • Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits
  • Attend school regularly
  • Have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school
  • Graduate and go on to post secondary education

You can access our District Parent & Family Engagement Policy HERE

You can access our School’s Parent & Family Engagement Policy HERE

We value your feedback!

In order to provide feedback regarding your school’s Parent & Family Engagement Policy, click HERE

4 of 10

Title I School Compact

Title I schools are required to create a school-parent compact collaboratively with parents and family members. We send this compact home with all of our families at the beginning of each school year. This compact is an essential part of our school’s parental involvement policy. Our compact is a formal agreement that outlines the shared responsibilities of the school, parents, and family members to enhance student academic achievement.

School Responsibilities: This portion outlines our school's commitment to providing high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment.

Parent and Family Responsibilities: The portion outlines how parents and family members will support their children's learning- including ensuring regular attendance, monitoring homework, participating in school activities, and fostering a positive attitude towards education.

Student Responsibilities: This portion outlines the role of students in their own education. It encourages students to take responsibility for their learning by attending school regularly, completing assignments, and seeking help when needed.

You can access our schools’ Title I compact HERE

We value your feedback!

In order to provide feedback regarding our Title I compact, please click HERE

5 of 10

Title I Use of Funds

We are a Title I school. We use our Title I funds to support many educational initiatives including:

  • Hiring additional teaching staff in order to reduce class size
  • Provide professional development training for staff
  • Provide foster care transportation
  • Support our homeless student population
  • Support technology initiatives and programs
  • Provide students with books to build their home library sets
  • Aid with funding our Pre-K programs

We value your feedback!

In order to provide feedback regarding our Title I use of funds, please click HERE

6 of 10

Polk County Curriculum

In North Carolina, all schools use the same Standard Course of Study, determined by the State Board of Education. These standards are the knowledge and skills students should understand by the end of each grade/course.

The standards can be found on the NCDPI Office of Academic Standards website.

This year, your student will study an English language arts curriculum called Arts & Letters. Your child will be challenged, positively and productively. They will build knowledge of the world and develop English language arts skills.

Arts & Letters students read and study award-winning fiction and nonfiction texts, famous works of art, videos, photographs, and more. Arts & Letters students also learn about topics such as the five senses, outer space, the Great Depression, and more. Through their work with these topics and texts, students hone their abilities to read challenging texts and to write and speak clearly, logically, and effectively. Arts & Letters students build strong knowledge and skills.

We provide Family Tip Sheets for families and caregivers in multiple languages. These tips correspond with each module, or unit of study. Each tip sheet gives an overview of what your student is studying and offers ideas for learning outside of school. Arts & Letters prepares students to succeed in English language arts and beyond. If you would like to learn more, please talk to your student’s teacher, and go to greatminds.org.

Access informational videos and Family Tip Sheets HERE

7 of 10

Polk County Schools’ Testing Program

Polk County Schools consistently ranks among the top 5 highest performing school districts in North Carolina. The Polk County Board of Education and hundreds of educators strive to provide high-quality educational experiences for young people affording them the tools they need for future success.

Testing Calendar for Polk County Schools HERE

Access Polk County’s Annual School Report Card HERE

Your child will be assessed on early foundational reading skills through mCLASS periodically throughout the school year. You will receive results three times per year including tips for helping your child's success.

Understanding your student's mCLASS results. HERE

8 of 10

Grade

Test Window

Test Name

Subject

Purpose of Test

Grade 3 only

August 19

Beginning of Grade 3 Test

Reading

To establish a baseline measure of beginning third-grade students’ reading comprehension & satisfies the requirements of the Read to Achieve legislation for students who score achievement level 3 or higher on the test

Assessment Brief

Grade 4 only

September 2-5

Cognitive Abilities Test

Verbal, Quantitative, and Figural (Nonverbal) reasoning

To understand a student's cognitive abilities and reasoning patterns so they can better help students achieve their learning goals, as well as identify students for gifted programming

Grades 3-5

October 27-31

NC Check-Ins 2.0 (A)

Math, ELA,

Science (grades 5 & 8 only)

To provide educators, students, and stakeholders with immediate and detailed feedback on grade-level specific content standards so classroom instruction may be tailored to individual student’s needs

Assessment Briefs: Math, Reading, Science

Grades 3-5

January 20-30

NC Check-Ins 2.0 (B)

Math, ELA,

Science (grades 5 & 8 only)

Grades 3-5

March 16-27

NC Check-Ins 2.0 (C)

Math, ELA,

Science (grades 5 & 8 only)

9 of 10

Grades K-12

February 2-20

WIDA ACCESS Test

English Language Learners only

To help teachers track student’s progress in learning academic English and help schools decide what English language support services to provide

Assessment Brief

Grades 3-5

May 11-15

End of Grade Tests

Math, ELA,

Science (grades 5 & 8 only)

To measure student performance on the goals, objectives, and grade-level competencies specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Assessment Brief

Grades 3-5

May 11-15

NC Extend 1 Alternate Assessment (for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities)

Math, ELA,

Science (grades 5 & 8 only)

Individual Student Report (ISRs) will be shared with students and families upon completion of testing. The ISR provides detailed testing information about a student’s performance on state administered assessments , as well as achievement level descriptors. The scores on these state assessments are only one of many indicators of how students are progressing. Test scores should always be considered along with all other available information provided by the teacher about a student. Individual Student Reports are uniform across grade levels; therefore, only one sample is provided for each assessment or subject area. Individual Student Reports

10 of 10

Parent Resources

  • The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Office of Early Learning has developed and released “Literacy at Home.” This digital resource provides literacy activities at each grade level, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Literacy at Home

  • Discover what it takes to build important literacy skills, and how you can help your children grow as readers, writers, and thinkers! Reading 101: A guide for Parents

  • Want to boost literacy at home? 12 Evidence Based Strategies