The Missing Piece of the Proficiency Puzzle - The Family Network on ...

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>iciency<strong>Puzzle</strong>1

Commissioner’sParent Advisory CouncilWhat is <strong>the</strong> CPAC?Who are <strong>the</strong> members?What is its mission?2

When does parent involvementin schools lead to improvedstudent achievement?When thoughtful application isgiven to how families areinvolved at <strong>the</strong> school level.3

Most ParentInvolvement in Schools...has a focus on schools!Improved facilitiesImproved school climateImproved instructional materialsImproved working conditions forstaff4

But What AboutStudent Achievement?Research shows studentsare more likely to beacademically successful when<strong>the</strong>y have adults in <strong>the</strong>ir liveswho advocate for <strong>the</strong>m.5

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Pr<strong>of</strong>iciency <strong>Puzzle</strong>Recommendations for InvolvingFamilies and Community inImproving Student AchievementCPAC Final Report to <strong>the</strong>Kentucky Department <strong>of</strong> EducationJune, 2007http://www.prichardcommittee.org/parents/cipl/6

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong> ReportDefines family andcommunity involvementspecifically forimproving student achievement.7

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong> ReportSets standards and levels <strong>of</strong>performance at <strong>the</strong> school level:• Supporter: endorsing <strong>the</strong> school’s processand people.• Advocate: speaking up for <strong>the</strong> student’sneeds.• Teacher: instructing <strong>the</strong> child.• Decision-maker: shaping policies,procedures, and learning environment.8

Recommendations• Set high expectations, measureperformance, and report progress.• Help schools improve relationship-buildingand communications by establishingadvisory councils at all levels.• Provide state level support and resourcesfor districts, schools, families, andcommunity.• Build capacity through pr<strong>of</strong>essionaldevelopment for everyone. 9

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong> -Six Key Objectives1. Relationship-building2. Communication3. Decision-making4. Advocacy5. Learning Opportunities6. Community Partnerships10

1. Relationship-building<strong>The</strong> school staffbuilds productive, personalrelationships with <strong>the</strong> parents<strong>of</strong> all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir students.11

Objective 1: Relationship-buildingDistinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>icient Apprentice NoviceaTeachers and staff have developedcollaborative partnering relationshipswith all parents and students to improveteaching and learning.Parents report that school staffunderstands and demonstrates howstrong relationships with parentscontribute to effective teaching andlearning.Parents report <strong>the</strong>ir relationship withschool staff is about discussing studentacademic performance and/or behavior.Parents report that teacher/parentrelationships are limited to disciplineissues and/or reports <strong>of</strong> poor academicperformance.bAdministrators and school staff welcomeand actively seek parents <strong>of</strong> all new andESL students to encourage earlyrelationship building.School staff implements systematic stepsto welcome <strong>the</strong> parents <strong>of</strong> new and ESLstudents (e.g., home visits, personal callsor letters, open houses, and o<strong>the</strong>rmethods).Relationships with parents <strong>of</strong> new andESL students are informal, occasional, oraccidental, and information is provided ifrequested.School staff has limited involvement withparents <strong>of</strong> new and ESL students.cDistrict and school staff provides trainingto involve all stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> process<strong>of</strong> improving <strong>the</strong> interaction betweenschool, home, and community.Parents and o<strong>the</strong>r stakeholders report<strong>the</strong>y are actively welcomed when <strong>the</strong>yvisit <strong>the</strong> school.Some parents report <strong>the</strong>y are welcome tovisit school.Parents report that school staff makeslittle effort to welcome parents orcommunity members when <strong>the</strong>y visit <strong>the</strong>school.dParents and community stakeholdershave au<strong>the</strong>ntic participation and help planand implement school and districtimprovement activities.School staff implements systematic stepsto encourage parents to attend schoolactivities and participate in decisionsabout <strong>the</strong>ir children’s learning.Parents are invited to attend schoolactivities related to <strong>the</strong>ir own child andare encouraged to attend parent teacherconferences.Parents receive information on schoolactivities and are invited to conference ifchild is not doing well.eDistrict and school staffs encouragecontinuous and meaningfulcommunication with all parents about<strong>the</strong>ir student’s academic goals andprogress.School staff involves parents in personalcommunication about <strong>the</strong>ir students’progress at least once a month.Administrators and school staff areavailable to parents by appointment onlyto discuss <strong>the</strong>ir student’s progress.Most communication from administratorsregards safety and discipline issues.fDistrict and school staffs identify familyinterests, needs and barriers and provideservices to ensure academic success.School staff completes needsassessment with all parents to determineresources necessary for <strong>the</strong>ir child’sacademic success.Teachers informally collect somestudent-needs data and some parents arecontacted to discuss those needs.School staff has no plan for ga<strong>the</strong>ringinformation about students’ learningneeds.gStudent/family feedback data on schoolwelcoming and engagement efforts isretained in a useable confidential formatand can be retrieved for district or schoolassistance to families.All parents are asked for feedback onschool’s efforts to welcome and engageparents, and <strong>the</strong> feedback is used toimprove school’s efforts.Staff occasionally asks for feedback onschool’s efforts to welcome and engageparents, in an informal or casual way withno regular data collection.Student/family feedback is not included inany assessment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> school’s efforts to\welcome and engage parents.12

Objective 2: CommunicationDistinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>icient Apprentice NoviceaMultiple two-way communications in <strong>the</strong>home language are used to communicateacademic goals, class work, homework,and grades. (See Pr<strong>of</strong>icient examples).School staff implements systematicefforts to inform parents aboutacademic goals, class work, grades,and homework for <strong>the</strong>ir children in <strong>the</strong>irhome language (e.g., classroomcontracts, student assignment books,homework Web sites, and online gradebooks).School staff relies on one-waycommunication in English to informparents about academic goals, classwork, grades, and homework (e.g.,newsletters, marquees, and agendas).School staff uses only one-waycommunication with parents to inform <strong>the</strong>mabout student work (e.g., student reportcards and behavior reports).bDistrict/school staff, parents andcommunity stakeholders work toge<strong>the</strong>r tolearn from and use all resources availableto meet <strong>the</strong> student’s and parent’slearning needs.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers varied ways thatparents can share information withteachers about <strong>the</strong>ir children’s learningneeds (e.g., phone and e-mail contacts,parent conferences, and home visits).School staff uses informal conversationand/or a parent-teacher conference tolisten to parents or inform parents <strong>of</strong>students’ learning needs.Parents receive information about student’slearning needs when <strong>the</strong> student is failingacademically.cSchool and district staffs use severalstrategies to involve community leadersto assist in parent education on issuesdirectly related to student achievement.School staff partners with communityleaders and organizations to buildparent understanding <strong>of</strong> academicexpectations, school strategies, andstudent achievement results.School staff sometimes providescommunity organizations withinformation about academic expectationsfor parents who use <strong>the</strong>ir services.School staff rarely provides generalinformation to <strong>the</strong> community aboutacademic expectations <strong>of</strong> students.dParents and community stakeholdershave au<strong>the</strong>ntic participation and helpplan and implement school and districtimprovement activities.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers parentsopportunities to discuss school-wideachievement issues, includingassessment data, at least once asemester.Student achievement data orachievement results are communicatedinformally to parents by school staff.School staff, as mandated by law, addressesdata on student achievement.eDistrict and school staffs encouragecontinuous and meaningfulcommunication with all parents about<strong>the</strong>ir student’s academic goals andprogress.School staff implements systematicefforts to maximize parent-teacherconference participation (e.g., <strong>of</strong>feringmultiple locations and convenienttimes, following up with parents who donot reply to first notices, and allowingstudent-led conferences).Parent-teacher conferences are heldtwice a year on school grounds, andsome teachers send invitations toparents.Optional parent-teacher conferences are<strong>of</strong>fered at school, and parents are notified ifa teacher wants to conference.fDistrict and school staffs identify familyinterests, needs and barriers and provideservices to ensure academic success.At least 50% <strong>of</strong> parents respond toannual school and/or districtstakeholder surveys.District-wide stakeholder surveys aregiven to parents, and teachers encourageparents to respond.Parents are not encouraged to give feedbackon school or student performance.gStudent/family feedback data on schoolwelcoming and engagement efforts isretained in a useable confidential formatand can be retrieved for district or schoolassistance to families.Stakeholder survey data is consistentlyused to plan school improvementefforts and to evaluate <strong>the</strong>ireffectiveness.School staff develops a survey that issent to parents—with low responserate—and results are reported in schoolimprovement plan.School staff develops a short survey that isdistributed to parents—with low responserate— and results are not sharedwith all stakeholders.

3. Decision-makingSchool staff encourages,supports, and expects parentsto be involved in schoolimprovement decisions andto monitor and assistschool improvement.15

Objective 3: Decision-MakingDistinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>icient Apprentice NoviceaAll stakeholders are provided with multipleopportunities to learn about <strong>the</strong> decisionmakingprocess and to participate at alllevels, including pr<strong>of</strong>essional learningcommunities, school council, and itscommittees.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers pr<strong>of</strong>essional learningcommunity opportunities, workshops, andaccessible written information to equipparents for service on SBDM council andcommittees.Parents elected to serve on school council—and some o<strong>the</strong>r parents who serve on SBDMcommittees—are invited to attend training<strong>of</strong>fered by school or district.Parents elected to serve on school councilare invited to attend basic district training. Noeffort to include o<strong>the</strong>r parents on SBDMcommittees.bSchool council and committees have allstakeholder groups represented, provideinterpreters and translated materials, andhold convenient, well-publicized meetings. Atleast 60% <strong>of</strong> parents vote in SBDM parentelection.School council and committees facilitateextensive parent participation by recruitingdiverse membership, providing interpretersand translated materials, setting convenientmeeting times, and seeking broad parentinput. At least 40% <strong>of</strong> parents vote in SBDMparent election.School council and committees have someparent members, may provide translatorsand meet at time and place convenient tostaff. Publicized elections are held atconvenient times, but fewer than 20% <strong>of</strong>parents vote in SBDM parent election.School council has parent members asrequired by law; parents are not asked toserve on committees; meeting time andplace are determined by principal. Voterturnout for SBDM parent election is low.cSchool council seeks input from all parents,participation <strong>of</strong> mentors through multiplesources and involvement <strong>of</strong> all stakeholdergroups.Parents on <strong>the</strong> SBDM council andcommittees engage and mentor many o<strong>the</strong>rparents by reporting to multiple groups andseeking input through surveys, meetings,and varied o<strong>the</strong>r methods.School council chair reports feedback to <strong>the</strong>largest parent organization, which <strong>the</strong>ndecides fur<strong>the</strong>r dissemination methods orinput. <strong>The</strong>re is no provision for parent inputo<strong>the</strong>r than as required by school law.School council chair sends council minutesto largest parent organization with no followup.dParents and community stakeholders aretrained in academic achievement planningand au<strong>the</strong>ntic participation, with schoolcouncil regularly checking <strong>the</strong>implementation and impact <strong>of</strong> that work.School council adopts measurable objectivesand plans coherent strategies to buildau<strong>the</strong>ntic parent participation, and <strong>the</strong> schoolcouncil monitors <strong>the</strong> implementation andimpact <strong>of</strong> that work.School council has some parent involvementcomponents and action items that deal withspecific academic areas. Little or no fundingis provided. Little or no implementation andimpact checking is done.School council has some parent-involvementaction items imbedded in a few components.<strong>The</strong>y are usually not measurable and havelittle to no funding, and consistentimplementation and impact checking is notdone.eSchool council actively recruits parents toserve on committees related to schoolimprovement that, informed by data, reviewand revise objectives continuously.School council policies ensure active rolesfor parents on SBDM committees, in schoolimprovement planning, and in decisionsabout <strong>the</strong> education <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir children.School council encourages parents to serveonly on SBDM committees that deal withparent involvement and/or school climate.School council does not encourage parentparticipation on SBDM committees or inschool planning.fParents and stakeholders are trained tocreate, measure and sustain au<strong>the</strong>nticparticipation in all areas <strong>of</strong> schoolimprovement at school and district levels.Parents report <strong>the</strong>y are treated as valuedpartners on school leadership teams, SBDMcouncil and committees, and o<strong>the</strong>r groupsmaking decisions about school improvement.Parents report <strong>the</strong>y are sometimesencouraged to take part in discussions aboutschool improvement.Staff and parents have no knowledge <strong>of</strong>au<strong>the</strong>ntic participation.gSchool staff fosters a community <strong>of</strong>stakeholders and parents who continuallysustain and support each o<strong>the</strong>r in schoolcouncil and committee work.School staff has a plan to identify new andexperienced parent leaders who support andbuild capacity for parents to serve effectivelyon <strong>the</strong> school council and in committee work.School staff provides opportunities foroutgoing parent council members to meetwith new parent council members to shareknowledge <strong>of</strong> serving on <strong>the</strong> council.Teachers share information from year toyear with parents who serve on <strong>the</strong> schoolcouncil or overlap council terms <strong>of</strong> parents.

4. AdvocacyFor each student, <strong>the</strong> schoolstaff identifies and supports aparent or ano<strong>the</strong>r adult whotakes personal responsibilityfor understanding andspeaking for eachchild’s learning needs.17

Objective 4: AdvocacyDistinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>icient Apprentice NoviceaDistrict and school staff supports acommunity <strong>of</strong> trained parents andadvocates who work toge<strong>the</strong>r to ensureall students are meeting <strong>the</strong>ir academicgoals and learning needs.School staff ensures every student has aparent and/or ano<strong>the</strong>r adult who knowshow to advocate, or speak up for <strong>the</strong>m,regarding <strong>the</strong> student’s academic goalsand learning needs.<strong>The</strong>re is evidence that school staff knowwhich students have a parent or ano<strong>the</strong>radult who can speak up for <strong>the</strong>mregarding <strong>the</strong>ir academic goals andlearning needs.School staff does not know whichstudents have a parent or ano<strong>the</strong>r adultwho can speak up for <strong>the</strong>m regardingacademic goals and learning needs.bDistrict and school staff partners with allparents and advocates to discuss,monitor, and share successful strategiesfor meeting individual learning needs.Most parents participate actively instudent-led conferences or o<strong>the</strong>r two-waycommunication about meeting <strong>the</strong>irchild’s individual learning needs.Some parents are involved in informalconversation with school staff to address<strong>the</strong>ir child’s individual learning needs.School staff does not involve parents inaddressing <strong>the</strong>ir child’s learning needs.School staff only informs parents <strong>of</strong>student’s academic progress.cParents report that district and schoolstaff facilitates sharing <strong>of</strong> ideas andtraining to effectively participate indeveloping IEPs, ILPs, GSSPs, 504 plans,and interventions for college readiness.Parents report participating actively andeffectively in required planning forindividual learning, e.g., IndividualEducation Plans, Individual LearningPlans, Gifted Student Service Plans, 504Plans, and intervention strategies toensure college readiness (Senate Bill130).Parents report <strong>the</strong>y are invited to attendmeetings to discuss Individual EducationPlans, Individual Learning Plans, 504plans, and/or intervention strategies.Parents report <strong>the</strong>y are informed asrequired by law to participate inIndividual Education Plans, IndividualLearning Plans, and interventionstrategies.dSchool staff collaborates withstakeholders to develop policies andprocedures for resolving issues andcomplaints and for identifying neededimprovements.School staff gives parents clear,complete information on procedures forresolving concerns and filing complaints,and <strong>the</strong> council reviews summary data onthose complaints to identify neededimprovements.School council has a policy and aprocess to resolve issues or complaints,and outcomes are sometimes tracked andreported to <strong>the</strong> council.Teachers handle parent complaints, butoutcomes are not tracked or reported.eDistrict and school staff ensures thatparents and community members aretrained to serve as educational advocatesor to access trained educationaladvocates for students to meet <strong>the</strong>iracademic goals.School staff ensures parents andcommunity members are well informedabout how to become an educationaladvocate or how to access aneducational advocate when needed.School staff makes minimal effort toencourage parents to advocate for <strong>the</strong>irchild’s academic success.School staff puts forth no effort toencourage parents to advocate for <strong>the</strong>irchild’s academic success.fDistrict and school staffs identify familyinterests, needs and barriers and provideservices to ensure academic success.When students are identified by schoolstaff as having disabilities or performingat <strong>the</strong> novice level, additional intentionalsteps are taken to ensure that <strong>the</strong> parenthas <strong>the</strong> option to use a trained advocateto assist <strong>the</strong>m in speaking for <strong>the</strong>irchild’s needs.Novice level students are identified byschool staff to receive targeted strategiesfor academic improvement. Parents areinformed <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strategies but do notreceive training on how to use thosestrategies or how progress will bemeasured.Some teachers provide additional help orstrategies to novice learners in <strong>the</strong>irclassroom but do not inform <strong>the</strong> parentsabout strategies used.

5. Learning OpportunitiesSchool staff ensures thatfamilies have multiplelearning opportunities tounderstand how to support<strong>the</strong>ir children’s learning.19

Objective 5: Learning OpportunitiesDistinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>icient Apprentice NoviceaDistrict and school leaders involve allstakeholders, use many communityresources and opportunities to explainstandards and rights defined inPr<strong>of</strong>icient, and expect all parents tohave adequate information andunderstanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se practices.Parents with barriers to learning areindividually assisted.Parents have multiple opportunities to learnabout and discuss:Kentucky standards and expectations for allstudentsSchool’s curriculum, instructional methods,and student servicesSchool’s decision-making process,including opportunities to participate onSBDM councils and committees<strong>The</strong>ir children’s learning and development,along with legal and practical options forhelping <strong>the</strong>ir children succeed, such as <strong>the</strong>IEP and/or ILP processCommunity resources to support learningOpportunities to participate in state anddistrict school improvement efforts (e.g.,forums, committees, and surveys).School provides open house and familynights for some parents to learn about:Kentucky standards and expectations forall studentsSchool’s curriculum, instructionalmethods, and student servicesSchool’s decision-making process,including opportunities for parents toparticipate on councils and SBDMcommittees<strong>The</strong>ir children’s learning and development,along with legal and practical options forhelping <strong>the</strong>ir children succeed, such as <strong>the</strong>IEP and/or ILP processCommunity resources to support learning.School provides one open house ayear and <strong>of</strong>fers some written materialsabout:Kentucky standards and expectationsfor all studentsSchool’s decision-making process,including opportunities for parents toparticipate on councils and SBDMcommitteesbAll stakeholders are engaged inconversation and writtencommunication about <strong>the</strong> academicprogress <strong>of</strong> all students in <strong>the</strong> schooland district.School staff makes systematic use <strong>of</strong> writtencommunications (newsletters, Web sites,bulletin boards) to help parents understand<strong>the</strong>ir children’s academic progress and <strong>the</strong>progress <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> school.School staff provides parents withinformation about <strong>the</strong>ir child’s academicprogress and <strong>the</strong> progress <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> school.School staff provides parents only withinformation mandated by reportingrequirements on student achievement.cSchool staff exhibits and rotatespr<strong>of</strong>icient and distinguished work andprovides resources for achieving athigher levels.School staff displays—and regularlyupdates— pr<strong>of</strong>icient student work, alongwith scoring guides to demonstrateacademic expectations, to parents andstudents.School staff exhibits some student workwith scoring guide and pr<strong>of</strong>icient-levelwork.Some student work <strong>of</strong> various levels isexhibited in <strong>the</strong> classroom.dDistrict and school staff collaborateswith parents and community membersto provide training on how to supportchildren’s learning and district andschool improvement efforts.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers parent workshops ormeetings in convenient locations to helpparents develop skills for supporting <strong>the</strong>irchildren’s learning and <strong>the</strong> school’simprovement efforts.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers targeted parentworkshops and meetings to help parentsdevelop skills to support <strong>the</strong>ir child’slearning.School staff <strong>of</strong>fers some information toparents to learn how to support <strong>the</strong>irchild’s learning.eSchool staff has posted council policyon classroom visits, providing accessto all classrooms.School council has a classroom observationpolicy that welcomes families to visit allclassrooms.School council encourages parents toserve only on SBDM committees that dealwith parent involvement and/or schoolclimate.School staff allows parents to visitregular education classrooms uponrequest. <strong>The</strong>re is no school policy.fParent leaders regularly work with allparents to improve parentunderstanding <strong>of</strong> learning issues.School staff develops parent leaders whocontribute regularly to o<strong>the</strong>r parents’understanding and who help meet o<strong>the</strong>rparent learning needs.Parents report <strong>the</strong>y are sometimesencouraged to take part in discussionsabout school improvement.<strong>The</strong>re is little or no parent training.

6. Community Partnerships<strong>The</strong> school staff engagesand partners withcommunity members toplan and implementsubstantive work to improvestudent achievement.21

Why Use <strong>The</strong> <strong>Missing</strong> <strong>Piece</strong>?• Schools evaluate how families andcommunity are involved to improvestudent achievement.• Families and community organizationsbecome partners in improving studentachievement.• Organizations and agencies workeffectively with families and schools toimprove student achievement.23

Contact Us –We’re Here to Help!<strong>The</strong> Florida Parental Information andResource Center (PIRC) <strong>of</strong> FND2196 Main Street, Suite K, Dunedin, FL 34698FL toll free: 800-825-5736 or 727-523-1130Fax: 727-523-8687www.fndusa.org© <strong>Family</strong> <strong>Network</strong> on Disabilities, Inc.24