Parent+Involvement+Plan

** Parental Involvement Plan 2011-2012 ** Smith County Middle School believes positive parental involvement is essential to achieve maximum social, emotional, and academic growth and encourages participation of parents in all aspects of their child’s education.
 * Smith County Middle School **

** Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement ** Development of the School Improvement Plan/Title I /Parental Involvement Plan SCMS will: ○ Parents are members of the School Improvement Plan/Title I Advisory Committee plan. ○ Information compiled is used along with other data in the comprehensive needs assessment to determine the overall effectiveness of the School Improvement Plan/Title I program and the parental involvement plan. ○ School Website ○ Guidance Office ○ Parent Center Annual Parent Meeting and Opportunities for Participation SCMS will:
 * ● Involve Parents in the development of the School Improvement Plan/Title I
 * ● Involve Parents in the joint development of the Parent Involvement Plan
 * ● Administer a Parent Needs/Evaluation survey in the spring of each year seeking input about the effectiveness of the overall School Improvement Plan/Title I program and parental involvement
 * ● Make available to parents and the local community the School Improvement Plan/Title I which includes the Parental Involvement Plan. School Improvement Plan/Title I is made available in the following venues:
 * ● Parents at the annual meeting and on the website are informed that they can comment if they disagree with the School Improvement Plan/Title I and the Parent Involvement Plan
 * ● Parents are notified at the annual Title I meeting about the comprehensive assessment and their ability to comment.

Improvement Plan/Title I program and Title I requirements and offerings ○ Parents are invited to the annual school-wide Title I meeting where the program is explained and evidence of implementation and effectiveness are displayed. Parents are notified of their rights and if their teacher is highly qualified. Plan/Title I and Parent Involvement Plan ○ Parents are members of the committee that develops the School Improvement Plan/Title I program and needs assessment ○ Parents are involved in the development of the Parent Involvement Plan ○ School calendar ○ School Newsletter ○ Telephone calls ○ Newspaper announcements ○ Invitations ○ School marquee ○ School website ○ E-mails ○ Conference
 * ● Convene an annual meeting for the purpose of informing parents about the School
 * ● Involve Parents in the planning, review and improvement of the School Improvement
 * ● Administer a needs assessment in the spring that seeks input on the effectiveness of the School Improvement Plan/Title I program and parent involvement plan
 * ● Provide Parents with information about programs, curriculum, assessment and achievement expectations and changes.

Parents are notified of their right to disagree or comment on any aspect of the Parent Involvement Plan or the School Improvement Plan/Title I Plan. Parents are notified at the School-wide Title I annual meeting, on the school website and in the Parent Involvement Plan.
 * Procedures to Submit Comments of Dissatisfaction with the School Parent Involvement Plan **

Parents are notified that the Spring Needs Assessment is an excellent time to comment on the plans. Narrative responses are accepted.

SCMS comprehensive needs assessment is forwarded to the central office to be combined with the systems need assessment.

The School Principals and teachers review the PST Compact at the beginning of the school year. The PST compact is signed and kept on file in the computer lab and a copy is included in the Student Handbook.
 * Parent/Student/Teacher Compact **

To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among SCMS, parents and the community that enhances student academic achievement, we:
 * Building Capacity **

○ Parent-Teacher conferences ○ Annual Title I meeting ○ Periodic Parent meetings such as Parent Involvement day. ○ Book Fair ○ Teacher Recognition ○ School of the month in the Courier ○ Pizza Hut Student recognition each six weeks ○ ELL Translation ○ Documents created in Spanish A Parent’s Right to Know letter is included in the registration packet. This information is also available at the annual meeting and upon request at anytime in the main office.
 * ● Shall provide parents with opportunities to understand state academic and achievement standards, state and local assessments and student progress through:
 * ● Shall educate faculty and staff through in-service opportunities of the importance of working with parents as equal partners to build ties between parents and the school
 * ● Shall work with local businesses and community agencies to develop partnerships with student and school recognition programs:
 * ● Shall ensure, to the extent possible, that information sent home in a parent friendly language that can be understood
 * ● May provide reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request
 * ● May conduct meetings at a variety of times to maximize opportunities for parents to participate in school related activities
 * Parents’ Right to Know **

SCMS will provide parents information about their right to know the qualifications of their children’s teachers, paraprofessionals or substitute teachers. Notice of this right and of any person who does not meet the highly qualified criteria required by NCLB will be forwarded to parents each year.

Parents have the right to know that their children are being taught by a paraprofessional. A Parent’s Right to Know letter is sent home if the child is being taught by non-highly qualified individuals or if a substitute is teaching a class for more than four consecutive weeks.

SCMS shall provide a teacher of English as a Second Language for students needing services. The teacher will provide parents with appropriate communication methods with the school faculty and staff to ensure academic progress and interpretation of assessment results. These methods will be incorporated in writing when necessary. Parents with disabilities and parents of migratory students will be provided with information in an easy to read format and assistance will be provided for understanding their child’s needs and academic progress. Other reasonable support for parent involvement activities are available per parent request.
 * Accessibility **

This Parental Involvement Plan ( [|http] [|://] [|www] [|.] [|state] [|.] [|tn] [|.] [|us] [|/] [|sos] [|/] [|acts] [|/103/] [|pub] [|/] [|pc] [|0706.] [|pdf] ) was designed to be in compliance with Senate Bill No. 293, passed in 2009, which required public schools to create a Parental Involvement Plan. Our plan was created in order to conform to the following standards adopted by the State Board of Education on July 30, 2010. They are as follows: Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community—Families are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class and school.
 * Compliance **

Standard 2: Communicating effectively—Families and school staff engage in regular, meaningful communication about student learning.

Standard 3: Supporting student success—Families and school staff continuously work together to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

Standard 4: Speaking up for every child—Families are informed and enabled to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

Standard 5: Sharing power—Families and school staff are equal partners with equal representation in decisions that affect students and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs.

Standard 6: Collaborating with community—Families and school staff work together with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.