PART I. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
The West Orange – Cove CISD agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:

·        The school district will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

·        Consistent with section 1118, the school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school‑level parental involvement policies meet the requirements of section 1118(b) of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school‑parent compact consistent with section 1118(d) of the ESEA.

·        The school district will incorporate this district wide parental involvement policy into its LEA plan developed under section 1112 of the ESEA.

·        In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.

·        If the LEA plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education.

·        The school district will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools.

·        The school district will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition: 

 

Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring ---

(A) That parents play an integral role in assisting their child's learning;

(B) That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education at school;

(C) That parents are full partners in their child's education and are included, as appropriate, in decision‑making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;

(D) Parents are partners with the District in ensuring the safety of students and staff in all educational activities

(E) The carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA.

(i) Make information regarding Parent Involvement Resource Centers available. In the state of Texas PIRC’s are located in Houston, Mission, and San Antonio. 

PART II.  IMPLEMENTATION

Mission Statement:  The mission of the West Orange – Cove CISD Parent Involvement Policy Council is to partner with school and community to achieve and improve success of all students, and to provide numerous opportunities for parents to participate in the educational process of their children.

1. The West Orange – Cove CISD will take the following actions to involve parents in the joint development of its district wide parental involvement plan under section 1112 of the ESEA:

A. Establish District Parent Involvement Council

B. Establish Campus parent involvement councils.

C. Establish a WO-C Parent Involvement home page within the West Orange – Cove website to Communicate Parent Involvement policy, meetings, and opportunities.

2. The West Orange – Cove CISD will take the following actions to involve parents in the process of school review and improvement under section 1116 of the ESEA:

A. Extend an invitation to participate in Campus and District Parent Involvement Councils via various avenues of publicity.

B. Conduct two Title I meetings for parents each school year to share information regarding new Title I guidelines and the variations from the previous year’s program. Copies of the district’s current Parent Involvement Policy will be distributed. Parents will be encouraged to become involved in the revising and Updating of the policy.

C. Meetings will be held at a convenient time and location.

D. Parent Involvement Councils at each school will review annually and modify as needed:

1. Parent –student compact: The compact will enable the school and parents to share responsibility for student performance and success. All parents will be given a copy of the compact detailing the responsibilities that teachers, parents, and students have in helping students accomplish their goals. Student’s responsiblities will vary by grade level.

2. Campus Parent Involvement Policy

3. Campus Parent Involvement Short Term Plan

4. Campus Parent Involvement Long Term Plan

E. Additionally, The District Parent Involvement Council will also be required to annually review and modify:

1. District Parent Involvement Policy

2. District Parent Involvement Short Term Plan

3. District Parent Involvement Long Term Plan

3. The West Orange – Cove CISD will provide the following necessary coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I, Part A schools in planning and implementing effective parental involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance:

A. The District will support many varied activities of parental involvement as it strives to develop and maintain an optimum learning environment for all students. Each school will develop and maintain parental involvement activities best suited to meet the individual needs of everyone involved. Workshops and programs will be tailored to meet the unique student and parental needs of the community.

B. Parents may contribute through volunteer programs at school as well as create a supportive home atmosphere.

C. The community may participate through an array of activities that promote student success

4. The West Orange – Cove CISD will coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies in Part A with parental involvement strategies under the following other Programs:  Head Start, Reading First, Universal Pre-School, Practical Pre-School for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), Special Education, “I Care,” Summer Reading Program, Coordinated School Health Program, Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, PEPS and other pregnancy related services by incorporating the expertise of the programs listed above into their Parent Involvement Policy/Plan/Program, as needed.

5.    The West Orange – Cove CISD will take the following actions to conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this parental involvement policy in improving the quality of its Title 1, Part A schools. The evaluation will include 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). The school district will use the findings of the evaluation about its parental involvement policy and activities to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary (and with the involvement of parents) its parental involvement policies.

A. Parent Involvement Committees will assess the success of Parent Involvement Programs related to effectiveness and improvement. The evaluation procedure will include assessment of attendance, overall participation, cost, information provided, need, and areas of improvement.

B. Pre and Post surveys may be utilized, if appropriate.

6. The West Orange – Cove CISD will build the schools' and parent's capacity for strong parental involvement, in order to ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, through the following activities specifically described below:

A.        The school district will, with the assistance of its Title 1, Part A schools, provide assistance to parents of children served by the school district or school, as appropriate, in understanding topics such as the following, by undertaking the actions described in this paragraph ‑‑

• The State's academic content standards,

• The State's student academic achievement standards,

• The State and local academic assessments including alternate assessments,

• The requirements of Part A,

• How to monitor their child's progress, and

• How to work with educators:

1.    Through grade level specific TAKS workshops and seminars; and

2.    Through utilization of Family Frameworks curriculum which addresses Parent/ Education Needs identified by Campus/District Parent Involvement Policy Councils.

B.         The school district will, with the assistance of its schools, provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children's academic achievement, such as literacy training, and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement, by:

1. Providing after-school homework help through neighborhood based Community After- School study Labs

2. Offering a extension of the school day and qualified instructors to supplement teachers with TAKS tutorials

3. Offer a Summer Library Program opportunity at District Libraries for students to access age appropriate reading materials.

4. Invite parents/ guardians to participate in Computer Training opportunities.

C.           The school district will, with the assistance of its schools and parents, educate its teachers, pupil services personnel, principals and other staff, in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to implement and coordinate parent programs and build ties between parents and schools, by:

1. Conducting Staff In-Service Opportunities to strengthen the Parent / School relationship

2.  Providing Training in Family Frameworks Curriculum to Campus Individuals responsible for Parent Involvement Opportunities

D.           The school district will, to the extent feasible and appropriate, coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with Head Start, Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters, the Parents as Teachers Program, and public preschool and other programs, and conduct other activities, that encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children, by:

1. Communicating Parent Involvement Opportunities in various Media, the school and campus websites, and in newsletters (where applicable)

2. Offering a variety of School-Focused, Home-Focused, and Community-Focused Opportunities

E.        The school district will take the following actions to ensure that information related to the school and parent‑ programs, meetings, and other activities, is sent to the parents of participating children in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand:

1. Spanish Translators provided, as needed.

2. Written Spanish translation provided, as needed.

Part IV. Adoption

This District-wide Parental Involvement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by minutes of the 2005-2006 WOCCISD Parent Involvement Policy Committee.

This policy was adopted by the West Orange – Cove CISD on May 8, 2006 and will be in effect for the period of one year. The school district will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before September 30, 2006.

_____Lorraine Shannon_____

Signature of Authorized Official

___May 8, 2006______________