Local Education Agency (LEA) Policy
Montclair Board of Education intends to follow the parental policy guidelines in accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as listed below. Montclair Board of Education will distribute this policy to parents of students participating in the Title I program.
Policy Guidelines
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Involves parents in jointly developing our district's local plan under section 1112 and in the process of the school review and improvement under section 1116;
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Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance;
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Build the schools' and parents' capacity for strong parental involvement by providing parents with:
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A description and explanation of curriculum to be used;
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Forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress;
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Proficiency levels that students are expected to meet;
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Opportunities for decision-making related to the education of their children;
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Materials and training on how parents can improve their child's achievement;
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Educating school staff on how to build ties between home and school;
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Coordinating and integrating, as appropriate, parent involvement with public preschool programs and other early learning programs;
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Ensuring, to the extent possible, that information sent home is in a language and form parents can understand;
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Other reasonable support for parent involvement activities as parents may request.
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Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under Title I, Part A with parent involvement strategies under other programs, such Parents as Teachers, Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), preschool programs, and Title II language instructional programs;
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Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools served with the Title I, Part A funds, including:
—Identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in parental involvement activities, 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;
—Using the findings of the evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement.
—Revising, if necessary, the LEA's parental involvement policies; and
—Involve parents in the activities of schools served under Title I, Part A. [Section 1118(a) (c), ESEA.] [For more detailed information see sample of a Districtwide Parental Involvement Policy.]
Expectations for Parent Involvement
The Montclair Board of Education intends that parents of participating students be provided with frequent and convenient opportunities for full and ongoing participation in the Title I program. This shall include opportunities to jointly develop the Title I program plan and suggest modification in the process for school review and improvement.
The Title I program must be designed to assist students to acquire the competencies and achieve the goals established by law, as well as the goals and standards established by the state of New Jersey. These goals and standards must be shared with parents in a manner that will enable them to (1) participate in decisions concerning their child's education and (2) monitor and improve and educational achievement of their child.
School Policy
Each school must submit its Title I school parent involvement policy, which must meet all legal requirements. This policy must be developed jointly with and distributed by the school to parents of participating students. This policy must be updated annually.
References: Section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965