Elementary Handbooks & Policies
TITLE I PARENT INVOLVEMENT POLICY
TITLE I LAW
The purpose of Title I is to improve the basic programs of Clarendon CISD and to provide opportunities for students to acquire the knowledge and skills contained in the state content standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills—TEKS) and to meet the state performance standards (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Districts receiving Title I, Part A funds, must implement programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents in the Title I program. A written parental involvement policy must be developed and agreed upon jointly with parents and distributed to parents. Parental involvement is required as one of the ten components of the school-wide Title I program.
GOAL OF TITLE I PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
The goal of Title I parental involvement is to provide opportunities and information for parents that will help them assume a more meaningful role in improving student achievement and increase their effectiveness when participating in the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of Title I programs.
“Effective parental involvement is built on mutual trust, respect, communication and commitment between the parents, the school and the community. The partners are equals working together to set goals, find solutions and carry out and evaluate these solutions.” --Rutherford, 1987
PARENT INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITiES
- A meeting will be held each fall and each spring by each campus to share mutual expectations for students so all parents are an integral part of facilitating achievement.
- The Clarendon CISD District Improvement Committee will meet two to three times per year. They will meet to discuss district-wide issues that affect student performance. The ultimate goal of this committee is to promote improved student performance.
- Parents are invited to attend special programs or activities presented by students.
- Information is sought from parents of students receiving special programs services regarding campus planning and decision-making.
- Opportunities are available to participate as parent and community representatives on campus and district improvement committees.
- A School-Parent Compact meeting affords the opportunity for input into school policies and practices.
- Parents are sent a survey in order to have input into the future of the school and its vision.
- The web page information site is www.clarendonisd.net
- Parents are invited to be sponsors of extracurricular activities
- Financial Aid Night – in the fall semester for seniors and their parents.
- Eighth Grade “Achieve Texas” – parent meeting early in the spring semester to begin the process of developing high school course of study/graduation plans.
- High School Parent Meeting for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students and parents. Re-address student graduation plans and personal graduation plans.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
- Parents are invited to conference with teachers during their normal conference hours.
- Several campuses offer parents the opportunity to pick up progress reports from 7:30-8:30 a.m. every three weeks and report cards at the end of every six weeks period. They are invited to conference with the teachers during this time.
- Parents of students that are failing at the end of any 3 week period are invited to conference with the student’s teachers.
- Parents are encouraged to utilize txConnect Parent Portal to check their student’s grades online. This can be done at any time during the school year. Parents will be issued private access codes at the beginning of each school year.
ASSESSMENT
FORMAL ASSESSMENTS – Norm-referenced tests tell parents how their child compares with other students, often in terms of a percentile rank. Criterion-referenced assessments, such as the STAAR, State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, tell parents whether their child has mastered a body of knowledge and skills that the state has established as important.
INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS –This type of assessment is closest to actual learning and to children, and is therefore most likely to influence daily instructional decisions and to engage children in evaluation of their own work. When assessment and instruction are combined, both teachers and students become learners. From the information obtained, the teacher can determine the child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Three-week progress reports are sent home for students who are failing in any subject. Six weeks report cards indicate the degree of mastery of a student’s performance in the content standards, or curriculum frameworks, of Clarendon CISD.
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK AND CONTENT STANDARDS
The state of Texas has developed a required curriculum that must be taught in Texas schools. This curriculum is the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). It is foundational in nature, and textbook companies strive to develop curriculum that meets those standards within the covers of their books. Mastery of the curriculum, apart from informal assessments within the classroom, is to be evidenced in the STAAR testing at various grade levels according to state requirements.