Collins Elementary

ESSA Section  

Ways in Which Collins 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 School Improvement Team meets monthly to develop the school improvement plan (a continuous process that includes strategies and goals that would ensure ALL students are provided equitable access, opportunity, and support to achieve at high levels). The plan is in place to improve the overall learning experience for our community.  

The involved stakeholders include classroom teachers, the school principal, the literacy coach, and a parent.  We ensure that the plan is understood by stakeholders by the principal communicating the elements at the PTO monthly meetings. We also plan to communicate what Title 1 is, along with the services provided, in a SMORE newsletter.     

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:  

The information that is given to parents during the annual meeting will include information regarding Title 1 services available at Collins Elementary. The annual meeting will also review what Title 1 is for parents who are new to the topic. The annual meeting is held in person at Collins Elementary.  

How are parents encouraged to attend? 

Parents are notified of this meeting through building newsletters, on Blackboard (a messaging system), phone calls, on Collins’ website and Facebook pages. Parents also receive the information from the Title 1 meeting directly to their email afterwards, making it convenient for them to read it on their own time if they were unable to make it.  

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: 

An annual meeting will be held after school hours when parents can attend after they get off work. The information would then be emailed out for parents/guardians who were unable to make it. For example, a thorough video explaining Title 1 and the services available will be sent out after the night is held.  

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: 

Collins Elementary includes parents in the planning, review, and involvement of programs. Along with the principal and staff, PTO members work together to help determine needs and strengths of our building. A survey was also sent to parents’ emails this year asking for ways to improve Collins Elementary.  

Parents have the opportunity to share their thoughts with the school staff.  

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 receive timely information about Collins’ programs through Fall Curriculum Nights, parent-teacher conferences, Kindergarten Open House, and parent workshops. Teachers also send this information through classroom communication. For the 2024-2025 school year, Collins Elementary will continue to send notes to parents informing them when their child is participating in tiered instruction with our Literacy Coach. 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, as well as the amount of time the child is seen per week and what parents can do to help their child at home.  

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: 

Teachers provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at Collins during curriculum night/open house. During this event teachers provide and explain the Core Curriculum Standards and what to expect in their grade level. The teachers also share assessments used in their classroom. Frequent communication of classroom news and upcoming assessments are given to parents through classroom newsletters, student agendas, and Schoology. The principal also includes additional information regarding curriculum in a weekly SMORE newsletter. The district will also send information to the parents regarding when the M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA assessments will take place. The principal also uses Blackboard and a weekly SMORE newsletter to share important information regarding assessment dates. Classroom teachers inform parents of student proficiency levels and where the student should be upon exiting the current grade level during parent-teacher conferences, and more often if needed. 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 Collins, 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 l Literacy Coach is 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. A parent survey was sent out to parents of all students in March to gain insight on how they felt about their child’s education at Collins Elementary. Collins’ PTO is also very involved and allows parents an opportunity to ask questions or give suggestions both during the meetings and on their Facebook page.    

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. We use the feedback from parents to review and make revisions at that time if necessary, for the following school year. The school principal and office staff are open and available to listen to concerns and suggestions from parents.  Parents can communicate with the principal and front office staff via telephone and email. 

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. 

No 

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

No 

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

No 

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

No 

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

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. 

No 

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

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. 

No 

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

No 

ESSA Section  

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities 

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? 

At the beginning of the school year Collins Elementary provides an Open House where families are given information regarding academic expectations and assessments. Classroom teachers also review the academic expectations and assessment scores with families during our fall conferences.  Teachers also model how to monitor the academic progress of their children.  School staff utilizes various communication tools to share resources and communicate student progress to families. 

The front office offers parents assistance in accessing their PowerSchool accounts to monitor their child’s progress.   

The Title I annual meeting allows for the Literacy Coach to hand out resources and information for parents to support their child at home. 

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 annual Curriculum night in the beginning of the year our parents are given resources and materials, as well as training on how to use the materials. Our Kindergarten Open House is held in the spring. During this night, the principal and kindergarten teachers provide parents with information, tools, and resources to help set their child up for a successful start in Kindergarten.  

Title 1 students are also given materials from the school to take home this year to aid in learning. Weekly district UCS update emails, individual building newsletters, classroom newsletters, digital literacy newsletters and building/district websites also 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: 

The principal plans to offer professional development for staff on effectively communicating with parents, specifically regarding Title 1. This professional development would take place during staff meetings. 

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: 

Collins Elementary collaborates with the Early Childhood Special Education program to transition students from a preschool setting to our building. We coordinate our March is Reading Month with the PTO events, and at this time preschoolers and their parents are invited to these events. Our special education team invites families to review and update their child’s Individualized Educational Plan and supports they receive at school. We have also had a Title 1 Parent Involvement Night. We also include our preschool program, as well as our Virtual Academy students in our school pictures, yearbook, and events. 

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 as needed. For example, sending home communication for WIDA testing is sent out by the EL teacher in the native language. In addition, we utilize Language Line Solutions’ interpreters for translations as needed throughout the year. All information shared is written in a reader-friendly format making it easy to understand. The principal’s weekly SMORE newsletter is organized with headings, explanation videos, and friendly graphics making it easy to sort through and understand.  

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. 

ESSA Section  

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These Activities 

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. 

ESSA Section  

Ways in Which School Staff Accomplish These 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:  

Collins 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 through our Collins’ Closet (organized and run by a parent). Students and families have access to a digital calming room through Classlink. Breakfast and lunch are being provided Monday – Friday, free of charge. Teachers continue to keep parents updated on events within the classrooms by using various platforms. 

How does the school collect this information? 

As mentioned above, parents may email the principal or teacher at any time to ask for support or ask questions. An annual parent survey is sent to parents as well asking input on certain items. Parents also have the opportunity to speak at the PTO meetings. 

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: 

Collins is handicapped accessible; we provide flexible meeting times and vary our PTO and other programs times and days. We have phone conferences, videoconferences, and translators when requested and/or needed. Through the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD), we provide interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing parents. In addition, we use translators provided by the MISD, Utica Community Schools and/or Language Line Solutions’ for parents that need it. We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families. The UCS District website can be accessed in multiple languages. Microsoft TEAMS and phone calls are also available for parents to participate.