Family Involvement Plan

Part I. General Expectations for All Schools

The Tipton County School System has developed with parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators a written parent / family involvement policy.

1. The school district has provided the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist schools in planning and implementing effective family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.
This policy and information related to school and family programs, meetings and activities will be distributed to families. The policy will be presented in a language families can understand.
The Tipton County School System will assist schools in planning and implementing effective family involvement through the Family Learning Center, family training sessions, and other school initiated activities based on family needs.
The Tipton County School System will provide meaningful consultation with the families of participating children regarding family activities. This will be done through family surveys and / or evaluations that are sent home or distributed following workshops and meetings. These methods of communication will be used to obtain family input. They include, but are not limited to: surveys, questionnaires, meetings, web sites, and conferences. Schools personnel will provide timely responses to communications. (three days of less)
To the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of families with limited English proficiency, families with disabilities, and families who may be hard to reach. Information and school reports have been written in an understandable and uniform format. Information will be distributed in a language families can understand. (Example: translate to Spanish)
A Family and Community Advisory Council has been appointed by the school district composed of representatives from families of students in elementary, middle and high schools, community and business leaders, a member of the school board, and representatives from the school district.
The Advisory Council will evaluate the content and effectiveness of the Family Engagement Program, and will determine what action needs to be taken, if any, to increase family and community participation in order to improve academic quality of the schools. Barriers that prevent families from participating will be identified.
The Advisory Council will use the findings of such evaluations to design strategies for effective family involvement and will revise, if necessary, the involvement policies described.
The school district has worked with its schools to ensure that school level policies have been developed.

Part II. Family and Community Engagement

The Tipton County School District will use the Family Friendly Schools Family Engagement Policy Assessment and Development (rubric) as a self evaluation for federal and state compliance of this plan.

Part III. General Expectations for Title I Schools

Each school will conduct a flexible number of meetings which will be open to all interested families in the system. The District's Family Coordinator will assist in these meetings as needed. Meetings will be open to all interested families in the system and schools will advertise activities throughout the system by posting dates, times and locations on the district's school calendar and web site. And informational meeting regarding the "No Child Left Behind" act will be held in the fall of each school year at each Schoolwide school.
School-Family-Student Compacts have been jointly developed with families that outline how families, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and families are responsible for supporting their children's learning.

At least two Parent-Teacher conferences will be help annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as it relates to the individual child's achievement.
Parent / Guardians will receive frequent reports on their child's progress.
Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's learning will be provided.
Parents / Guardians will receive notification if a district employs a teacher for over four weeks who does not meet the NCLB highly qualified requirements.
Parents / Guardians will be notified that they may request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teacher.

Capacity for Strong Family Involvement will be built by providing assistance to families of children served by the schools in understanding such topics as the State's academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, student curriculum, both state and local assessments, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.

Materials and training will be provided to help families work with their children through the Family Learning Center and each school.
On-going activities will be provided for all those who are involved in the child's education.

The Tipton County School District will coordinate and integrate with family involvement programs such as Head Start, pre kindergarten and other programs.
The Family Learning Center (FLC) will provided training and a lending library to assist families with their educational needs and overall quality of life. A "satellite" center will be located at Crestview Middle School. FLC training opportunities and resources will be publicized and sent home to families. The information will also be shared at family meetings at the beginning of school, PTO meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and conferences with parents / guardians of individual students.
A Family Involvement Web Site will be available through the county's internet site and each school will provide parenting information and web pages.
The LEA will provide full opportunities for the participation of families with limited English proficiency or with disbilities.