Roberts Elementary

ESSA Section

Ways in Which Roberts 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 Roberts Elementary Title I Schoolwide Parent Involvement Plan has been created through the collaborative efforts of parents and staff.  Parents were an integral part in the development of this plan and their feedback from the survey and suggestions are utilized in making updates to our Title I Schoolwide Parent and Family Engagement Plan. The plan is reviewed in the fall during the evening of our building Open House and Curriculum Night.  Parents have the opportunity to learn the details of the plan, ask any questions they may have, and offer feedback. Their feedback is incorporated into the plan as appropriate. The plan is posted on school website for families to review.  Parents are welcome to contact the school should they have any questions or would like to provide feedback.  The Home/School Compact is reviewed with parents at fall conferences. In addition, a meeting is held with our PTO.  At this meeting, parents had the opportunity to review the Family Engagement Plan, school data, and the Title I Home/School Compact.  Any questions or suggestions were addressed at that time.   The plan is posted on the school website for families unable to attend the annual meeting to review.  On the school website this Parent Involvement Plan is available in multiple languages.

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:

Roberts Elementary holds an Annual Title l Parent Meeting which is held in conjunction with our building-wide Open House and Curriculum Night.  The event is held within the first six weeks of school in the fall.  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.  This meeting allows parents to come into the building and get Title I updates and ask questions and receive helpful tips. The information was also shared digitally using smore that was sent out to all parents.

How are parents encouraged to attend?

Parents are notified of this meeting through building newsletters, school messenger, robo calls, teacher communication, the school’s social media accounts and the building marquee.   Resources free of charge to the families are offered at this meeting as a way of encouraging families and supporting them with helpful tools they can use at home.

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:

Roberts Elementary holds flexible meetings throughout the school year.  These meetings happened during parent teacher conferences in the fall and winter. Meetings are available during school hours by appointment when requested.  Handouts and materials are provided to all those that attend.  For those parents that were not able to attend, materials will be sent home and/or available upon request. For some families that prefer a TEAMS call, the literacy coach was able to reach out and talk to them via TEAMS.

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:

Roberts 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. At the annual Title I meeting, the Parent and Family Engagement Plan along with the Home School Compact is reviewed, and parents have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and offer feedback. Parents are also given the opportunity to give feedback anonymously via the parent survey. Digital newsletter information was sent out to families from the principal. Questions, concerns, and suggestions were addressed at the annual meeting.

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 Roberts’ programs through Fall curriculum night, parent-teacher conferences, Kindergarten Open House, and parent workshops. Other information is distributed by the classroom teacher through email, individual notes home, the student’s daily agenda, weekly classroom newsletters, digital literacy newsletter, Remind, Class Dojo, personal or phone conferences, and PowerSchool Parent Portal (online access to student’s grades and attendance).  General information for the school is available on Roberts’ website Home - Roberts Elementary (uticak12.org), robocall (automated voicemail recorder sent to all parents by the principal), and the district social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter).

Roberts Elementary sends notes to parents informing them when their child is participating in a tiered instruction with the 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:

Teachers provide a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at Roberts during Curriculum Night/Open House.  During this event, teachers provide and explain the Core Curriculum Standards/Grade Level Content Expectations for their grade level.  The teachers share assessments used in their classrooms and notify parents through classroom newsletters and other forms of communication.  The district and school sends information to the parents regarding when the M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA assessments will take place.  Letters are sent explaining their child’s M-STEP, WIDA, and NWEA results in detail.  The principal uses School Messenger to share important information regarding assessment dates.  Classroom teachers inform parents of student proficiency levels and where the student should be upon exiting current grade during parent-teacher conferences.  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 Roberts, parents can contact the principal, teachers, and support staff by telephone, e-mail, or schedule a meeting before/during/after school to discuss any suggestions that relates to their child’s education. Conferences are scheduled in the fall, (November) for every student and again in the winter (February) for those students that need additional support. Throughout the year, additional conferences are available upon parent request.  The Literacy Coach is available to meet with families to update on the child’s progress, answer questions, and provide some ideas of how to use resources at home to better support the child.

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 PTO meetings, parents may ask questions and discuss concerns with the classroom teacher, Title I Literacy Coach and/or the Principal for further discussion and review.  Contact can occur through many venues including emails, phone calls, TEAMS meetings, parent/teacher conferences, Remind, pre-arranged face-to-face meetings and informal discussion settings.  A survey is sent out to families for feedback. We use any feedback to review and make revisions 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

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?

The Utica Community School District sends a parent report with individual M-Step, WIDA and NWEA scores.  Roberts has conferences available in November for all students and February upon request, both in-person and virtually, as well as, additional conference opportunities in February.  During conferences, the classroom teacher and literacy coach can share information on the student with the parents and discuss how they can support their child’s learning at home.  Traditionally, Roberts provides Title I nights for parents where grade level content expectation are explained. In addition, Title I Parent Nights provide training for families to monitor their child’s learning at home and ways to stay connected. The Literacy Coach and EL Teachers are available during conferences to discuss local and district assessments. During the Early Childhood and Kindergarten Open House, new Kindergarten parents are introduced to Kindergarten academic expectations and provided with at home activities.

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 Title I night, Curriculum Night, and Early Childhood/Kindergarten Open House our parents are given training and materials, and opportunities to ask questions.  There are other designated nights where staff educates families on how to work with their child at home on homework and other activities to help them be more successful. The annual EL professional development district night for parents also gives informational materials to 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 offers professional development for staff on effectively communicating with parents.  Peer reviewed articles and professional videos are shared at staff meetings.  The Literacy Coach offers support to teachers by coaching them on how to involve families in supporting their childs learning at home.  In addition, collaboration in School Improvement team meetings are utilized to discuss and coordinate ways to increase parental involvement and build the relationships between the parents and the school.

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:

Roberts Elementary collaborates with the Early Childhood Special Education program to transition students from a preschool setting to Roberts. The EL teachers and Family Liaison communicate with EL families 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 review and update their child’s Individualized Educational Plan and supports they receive at school.  Title I Cranbrook Family Night was held for families to participate in different events to better support their child’s learning at home.

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:

Roberts has a program for students that are new to the country to better support their English language acquisition. The school provides translated documents in multiple languages for our families. We provide both written (hard copy) and digital information as needed. In addition, we use LanguageLine Solutions interpreters for translations. All information shared is reader friendly and written in a format easy to understand and free of acronyms. In addition, Roberts has a family liaison that works with families to translate important events/documents and help register new families to the school. Newsletters can also be translated into multiple languages.

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: How does the school collect this information?

Roberts 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, Monday Moments, and UCS wellness resources. Some students receive food for the weekend as part of the Blessing in a Backpack program. Title I games/resources are also available for families to check out and return when they are finished using them at home.

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:

Roberts provides many flexible meeting times for families to participate in varied activities.  Communications include hone conferences, in person and TEAMS meetings when requested and/or needed.  In addition, we use supports through the MISD, such as, interpreters for deaf and hearing impaired and LanguageLine Solutions interpreters for translations. We provide translated documents in multiple languages for our families. UCS District website can be accessed in multiple languages. In addition, Roberts has a family liaison that works with families to translate important events/documents. The family liaison is also available to support families in registering for school and parent-teacher conferences.