Parental involvement is an important component in a student’s success in school. The board encourages parents to become involved in their child’s education to ensure
the child’s academic success
It is the policy of North Mahaska Community Schools that parents of participating children shall have the opportunity to be involved jointly in the development of the
district plan and in the district’s review process for the purpose of school improvement. Recognizing that parental involvement is the key to academic achievement, we
seek to involve parents in an effective home-school partnership that will provide the best possible education for our students. The district provides coordination, technical
assistance and other supports necessary to aid in the planning and implementation of parent involvement activities. The district encourages parent involvement and
supports this partnership through providing information about standards and assessments; providing training and materials for parents to help their children; educating
school personnel about involving parents and the value of parent contributions; and developing roles for community organizations and businesses to work with parents |
and schools.
1. This jointly developed and agreed upon written policy is distributed to parents of participating Title I children and all parents through the Parent Handbook
which is distributed to every family at the beginning of each school year.
2. An annual meeting is held, for all parents of participating children. Additional meetings with flexible times shall be held throughout the year as determined by
parents and/or teachers. Notification for these meetings will be sent in the district newsletter or set up via phone conversation.
3. Parents are given assistance in understanding the Title I requirements, standards, and assessments through the annual meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
4. Parents receive an explanation of the school’s performance profile, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the expected
proficiency levels in the annual progress report distributed to all box holders in the spring of the year, through individual reports given to parents at conference
time, and through report cards.
5. In targeted assistance buildings parents are informed of and involved with their child’s participation in the Title I program. They also are informed about the
curriculum, instructional objectives, and methods used in the program. This information is delivered through newsletters, conferences and the annual meetings.
6. Parent recommendations are encouraged and responded to in a timely manner. Verbal or written responses will be given for all recommendations.
7. Parents will be involved with the planning, review, and improvement of the school wide programs. The vehicle used will be the School Improvement Citizens
Advisory Committee. If the school wide program is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, they may submit comments to the School
Improvement Citizens Advisory Committee.
8. A jointly developed school/parent compact outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and students all share responsibility for improved student achievement.
The compact also describes the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve our local high standards. It
is distributed in the parent handbook and is reviewed at the annual meetings.
9. The Title I program provides opportunities for parents to become partners with the school in promoting the education of their children both at home and at
school. Parents are given help monitoring their student’s progress and provided assistance on how to participate in decisions related to their student’s education.
The school also provides other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as requested by parents. Parents are encouraged to participate as
volunteers in the school setting. Individual conferences will also be held upon request. A reading library, which contains reports on educational issues, books,
and videos, are available to parents for check out at the North Mahaska Elementary building.
10. The school continues to coordinate and integrate, to the extent feasible and appropriate, the parent involvement policy and other programs and activities within
the district. Transitional information for students moving from sixth grade to seventh grade will be provided to parents at North Mahaska Elementary at the
annual spring meeting.
11. An annual evaluation of this parental involvement policy shall be conducted to determine its effectiveness. Findings will be used to design strategies for school
improvement and revision of policies. The annual spring meetings will serve as the site for the discussions of program adjustments.
Providing all North Mahaska Community School District’s children with equal access to quality education is of primary purpose. It is crucial that all partners (students,
parents, educators, and communities) have the opportunity to provide input and offer resources to meet this purpose. As these partnerships are mutually beneficial,
developing cooperative efforts will ensure improved academic achievement for all students.
The board will review this policy annually. The superintendent is responsible for notifying parents of this policy annually or within a reasonable time after it has been
amended during the school year. It is the responsibility of the superintendent to develop administrative regulations regarding this policy
Legal References: No Child Left Behind, Title I, Sec. 1118, P.L. 107-110. (2002)
Cross References: 903.2 Community Resource Persons and Volunteers
Approved 2-15-2010
Reviewed _7-20-2015_
Revised
