• Browning Elementary Parent and Family Engagement Plan In accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA)

    Parents, staff, and the building administrator have developed this Parent and Family Engagement Plan in accordance with the ESSA Section 1116 activities which are accomplished at Browning Elementary in the ways listed in each Section.

     

    ESSA Section

    Ways in Which Browning Elementary Staff Accomplish These Activities

    1116(b)(1) This Plan has been jointly developed and distributed to parents and family members in a language that can be understood. The Plan is updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

    Describe the development of the Plan, including the stakeholders involved, the steps taken to ensure the Plan is understood, and the process for updating the Plan.

     

    The Browning Elementary Title I Schoolwide Parent Involvement Plan is created through the collaborative efforts of staff and parent feedback. Parents are an integral part in the development of this plan and their feedback, and suggestions are utilized in making updates to our Title I Parent and Family Engagement Plan. During the beginning of the school year, we review the plan during a PTA Meeting where all members are invited. Parents have the opportunity to learn the details of the plan, ask any questions they may have, and offer feedback. Feedback is incorporated into the plan as appropriate. The plan is accessible on our school website for families who are unable to attend the annual meeting, allowing them to review it and reach out to the school with any questions or feedback they may have. The Home/School Compact is reviewed with input during the Annual Title I Parent Meeting. At the beginning of the school year, teachers, parents, and students solidify their partnership by signing the Home/School Compact. 

    1116(c)(1) Convene an Annual Title I Parent Meeting at a time convenient to 

    parents to inform parents of the Title I requirements and their right to be involved.

     

     

    An annual meeting is held which includes information for parents on:

     

    We hold our Annual Title I Parent Meeting at Fall Open House/Curriculum Night with a follow up presentation for families at the first PTA Meeting. We explain the Title I program, how it supports students’ needs, and address how funds are used. 

    This meeting covers the Title I Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan, the Title I program, and how parents can assist their child in being academically and socially successful.   

     

    How are parents encouraged to attend?

     

    Parents are notified of this meeting through Blackboard, the school website and building marquis. Childcare is provided when PTA meetings are held face-to-face. 

    1116(c)(2) Offer flexible number of meetings at times convenient to parents and provide transportation, 

    childcare, or home visits as it relates to parental

    involvement.

    Meetings are offered at times convenient for parents and if needed, transportation, childcare, and home visits can be arranged:

     

    Browning Elementary holds flexible meetings throughout the school year. Informal feedback from our parent community indicates that the majority prefer evening meetings. We also offer the community a choice between in-person or virtual conferences. The principal, teachers and Title I team are available to meet in person or virtually during Fall Conferences in November and Spring Conferences in February. The format of the conferences is determined by family preference. Meetings are available during school hours by appointment when requested. To attract more families to attend school sponsored events, childcare is available. Handouts and materials are provided to all those that attend. For parents unable to attend, materials will be sent home and/or available upon request.  

    1116(c)(3) Involve parents in an organized, ongoing and timely way in the planning, reviewing, and improvement of Title I programs, including the development, review, and improvement of the Parent and Family Engagement Plan and the Schoolwide Program Plan.

     

     

     

     

     

    Parents are involved in the development of the School Improvement Plan and Title I Program development in the following ways:

     

    Browning Elementary has previously and will continue to include parents in the planning, review, and involvement of programs.  Along with the principal and staff, PTA members work together to help determine needs and strengths of our building. During the Fall Annual Meeting, the Home School Compact is reviewed and parents have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and offer feedback.  

    In addition, the Parent and Family Engagement Plan is reviewed during a spring PTA meeting and parents are able to ask questions and offer feedback. Parents are given the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback via a Title I Parent Survey which is shared with the community in the spring of each school year. When applicable, the community is sent a survey after a parent night to gather anonymous feedback regarding the event. Utilizing Blackboard and other forms of communication, parents are informed about where to find our digital newsletter which includes the process for providing feedback.

    1116(c)(4)(A) Provide 

    parents of Title I children timely information about the Title I Program.

     

     

    Parents are provided information regarding the school Programs in the following ways:

     

    Parents at Browning receive timely information regarding school programs through fall curriculum nights, parent-teacher conferences, and Kindergarten Open House. In addition, we utilize automated phone calls, emails, and text messages. Other information is distributed by the classroom teacher through email, individual notes home, the student’s daily agenda, Remind, personal and/or phone conferences, and PowerSchool Parent Portal (online access to student's grades and attendance). Additionally, testing results and supporting explanation is sent directly to parents through PowerSchool Parent Portal. General information for the school is available on Browning’s website: https://uticak12.org/browning, robocall (automated voicemail recorder sent to all parents by the principal), and the district social media platforms.  

     

    Browning Elementary staff sends notes to parents informing them when their child is participating in a tiered intervention with our Literacy Coach or receiving English Language Learner Support from our English Learner Teacher. Parents are informed as soon as their student is identified as at risk (below grade level based on classroom assessments). This note includes: the service the child is receiving, who is responsible for providing this service and their contact information, amount of time the child is seen per week, and what parents can do at home to help their child.

    1116(c)(4)(B) Provide 

    parents of Title I children a description and explanation of the curriculum used at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure progress, and the achievement levels students are expected to meet.

     

     

    Parents are provided information about the school’s curriculum, assessments, and proficiency level expectations in the following ways:

     

    During Browning’s curriculum night/open house teachers explain the Core Curriculum Standards/Grade Level Content Expectations for their grade level. The teachers share assessments used in their classrooms at curriculum night. In addition, parents are notified of future assessments through classroom newsletters, various social media platforms, Remind, and student daily agendas. The district and school share information with parents regarding when the M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA assessments take place. Letters and/or other descriptors are sent explaining their child's M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA results in detail. The Principal uses Blackboard and Smore to share important information regarding assessment dates. During fall and winter parent-teacher conferences, classroom teachers inform parents of student proficiency levels and where the student should be upon exiting the current grade level. Ongoing contact through email and phone calls is provided to those students who fall below proficiency levels.

    1116(c)(4)(C) Provide 

    parents of participating Title I students opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions, to participate in decision-making as it relates to their child’s education, and to respond to any suggestions as soon as possible.

    Parents have opportunities to share suggestions, participate in decision making, and respond to any suggestions in the following ways:

     

    At Browning, parents can contact the principal, teachers, and support staff by telephone, e-mail, or schedule a meeting before/during/after school to discuss their child. Conferences are scheduled in the fall, (November) for every student and again in the spring (February) for those students that need additional support. Throughout the year, additional conferences are available upon parent request. The Title I Literacy Coach & English Language Learner Teacher are also available to participate in parent teacher conferences.  Title I & EL teacher support staff are available to answer questions, provide examples on how to teach a particular skill/strategy, and receive feedback from parents about their student’s progress at home. 

     

    1116(c)(5) Ensure that if the Schoolwide Program Plan is not satisfactory to parents of participating students, submit any parent comments on the Plan when the school makes the Plan available to the Local Educational Agency (LEA).

    If parents are not satisfied with the School Improvement Plan or Programs, they have opportunities to make comments by:

     

    In addition to the annual survey, parents can contact the principal with any suggestions they may have for improvements of programs.  Parents can address concerns during PTA meetings. Parents may ask questions and discuss concerns with the classroom teacher, Title I Literacy Coach and/or the principal.  Contact can occur through many venues including emails, phone calls, TEAMS meetings, parent/teacher conferences, pre-arranged face-to-face meetings, and informal discussion settings. We review the feedback and make revisions at that time, if necessary, for the following school year.

     

     

    The School-Parent Compact Must:

    1116(d) Jointly, with parents, develop a School-Parent Compact that outlines how the entire school staff, parents, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) Clearly explain district and school goals for students to meet the challenging State academic standards.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe ways that teachers are responsible for supporting students’ learning and providing high quality curriculum and instruction.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(1) Describe specific ways parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) Describe specific ways students will be responsible for their learning.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) & 1116(d)(2)(C) Describe school activities to build partnerships with parents, including chances for parents to volunteer, take part in, and observe classroom activities, and communicate with teachers.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d) & 1116(f) Describe how parents and family members are involved in developing and revising the compact.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(d)(1) & 1116(d)(2) (A-C) Ensure regular two-way meaningful communication between family members and school staff throughout the school year, so that parents are kept up to date on their students’ progress and get regular tips on home learning.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

    1116(f) Communicate information using family friendly language and format.

    ☒ Yes

    ☐ No

     

    1116(e)(1) Shall provide assistance to parents of students served by the school in understanding the State’s academic content standards, the State and Local assessments, and how to monitor their child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

     

    How does the staff provide assistance to parents to help them understand the content standards, assessments, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators to improve the achievement of their children?  What training is provided to families?

     

    The Utica Community School District sends a parent report with individual M-Step, WIDA and NWEA scores.  In compliance with state requirements, we present Individualized Reading Plans (IRPs) for students scoring below benchmark and explain our assessments and strategies to increase achievement. To help our parents help their children, we offer ‘how to’ support to parents.  Browning has conferences available in November for all students and February upon request. In continued support of our parents, the Literacy Coach and EL Teacher are available during conferences to discuss local and district assessments. Traditionally, Browning offers Title I Nights to parents, providing explanations of grade-level content expectations, along with training sessions designed to empower families in monitoring their child’s learning at home and fostering avenues for sustained connection. During Kindergarten Open House, new Kindergarten parents are introduced to kindergarten academic expectations and provided with literacy materials. They also receive training from our Literacy Coach on ‘at home’ strategies so the students are ready to learn on the first day of school.    

    1116(e)(2) Shall provide materials and training to help parents work with their 

    children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.

     

     

    Staff will provide parents with appropriate materials and offer training in our school to enable them to support their child’s academic progress. These include:

     

    During our Curriculum/Annual Title I Night and Kindergarten Open House our parents are given training and materials. Supporting our families with online platforms such as Schoology and PowerSchool will be a priority as parents indicated that they would like to have support in the fall as the school year begins.  

    Title I students also bring home materials that are purchased with Title I funds. The EL district night also gives informational materials to parents.  Weekly district UCS Update emails, digital school newsletter, and building/district websites provide important materials and training for parents.   

    1116(e)(3) Shall educate staff in the value and utility of parents’ contributions, in how to reach out to, and 

    communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, to coordinate and implement parental involvement 

    programs, and to build 

    relationships between the parents and the school.

    On-going professional development for staff on effective ways to increase parental involvement occurs annually. They include:

     

    Principal offers professional development for staff on effectively communicating with parents. New ideas, peer-reviewed articles and professional videos are shared at staff meetings. The Literacy Coach offers support to teachers by coaching teachers on how to involve families in learning.

    1116(e)(4) Shall coordinate and integrate parental

    involvement Programs and activities with other Federal, State, and local Programs, including public preschool Programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent

    resource centers, that 

    encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

     

     

    Coordination with other Programs for parental involvement includes:

     

    Browning Elementary collaborates with the Early Childhood Special Education program to transition students from a preschool setting to our building. Once the child reaches Kindergarten age, we support their transition to an appropriate academic learning setting. We also involve the SEED, ECSE, Pre-school and Great Start programs in our communication of all events at the school. 

    Bear Days is a welcome back event held before the first day of school for our school community. Families are invited to tour the school, and students are able to meet staff members and often times, their new classroom teacher. Browning families are invited to attend family events throughout the school year. Some examples are Cranbrook Science Night, Family Game Night in partnership with Learning Gizmos, and Family Reading Night. 

    Our district offers EL informational nights for parents to learn about opportunities and programs their child participates in at school, along with ways to support their child’s learning. Our special education team invites families to share information on their child’s progress towards their individualized goals. During this meeting it is collaboratively determined if the child’s supports and accommodations are effective.  

    Parents are also encouraged to volunteer in extracurricular programs such as Science, Math, and Social Studies Olympiads. Parents of students and local senior citizens volunteer with our younger learners two to three times a week to provide additional support with literacy activities. 

    1116(e)(5) Shall ensure information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand.

     

     

    Information is shared with parents in a language and format they can understand. Examples include:

     

    We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families. We provide both written (hard copy) and digital information when possible.  We provide, through the Macomb Intermediate School District, interpreters for deaf parents. Family liaisons are available to interpret for select languages.  In addition, we use LanguageLine Solutions interpreters for translations. All information shared is reader friendly written in a format that is easy to understand and free of acronyms.  

    Gray Area - Recommended Best Practice, but Not Required

    1116(e)(6) May involve parents in the development of training for teachers, principals, and other educators to improve the effectiveness of such training.

     

     

     

    1116(e)(7) May provide necessary literacy training from funds received under this part if the LEA has exhausted all other reasonably-available sources of funding for such training.

     

    1116(e)(8) May pay reasonable and necessary expenses associated with local parental involvement activities, including transportation and childcare costs, to enable parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions.

     

    1116(e)(9) May train parents to enhance the involvement of other parents.

     

    1116(e)(10) May arrange school meetings at a variety of times, or conduct in-home conferences between teachers or other educators, who work directly with participating children, with parents who are unable to attend such conferences at school, in order to maximize parental involvement and participation.

     

    1116(e)(11) May adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.

     

    1116(e)(12) May establish a districtwide parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement in Programs supported under this Section.

     

    1116(e)(13) May develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parental involvement activities.

     

     

    1116(e)(14) Shall provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.

     

     

     

     

    Parents are provided with other reasonable support such

    as:

     

    Browning makes every effort to support our parents and make sure their needs are met. Some ways we support families are by providing essential items for school such as backpacks, coats, hats, gloves, and basic school supplies. Students and families have access to a digital calming room through Classlink. Some students receive food for the weekend as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program. 

     

    How does the school collect this information?

     

    Parents are encouraged to reach out and contact the building principal, office staff, or teacher at any time to ask questions or inquire about support. In addition to parents reaching out, the teaching staff communicates with families while building support staff may also reach out to families that possibly need additional support.  

     

    1116(f) Shall provide full opportunities for participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children.

    Staff provide opportunities for full parent participation:

     

    Parents with limited English proficiency:  Communication is provided through the use of translators or LanguageLine Solutions as needed. Family Liasons work with our Arabic, Albanian, and Spanish speaking families. They assist with translating and bridging families together with schools. We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families. In addition, the UCS District website can be accessed in multiple languages.      

     

    Parents with disabilities:  Our building is ADA compliant for those with physical disabilities.  We utilize the services of the Macomb ISD to assist parents who may have hearing or visual impairments.  Every effort will be made to provide large print or braille when needed.  

     

    Parents with migratory children: We will meet with the family to discuss the transition and offer ways to support their child during the absence.  Academic resources will be made available for parents to take with them to help their children. When the children return, a meeting will be held to help make the transition back to the school easier.  We will bring the family up to date on school activities, reassess the child if necessary, and provide necessary services.