1. Westfall Local School District
TITLE I
PARENT HANDBOOK
2011-2012
Approved by Westfall Local Board of Education
November 21,2011
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2. Title I Schools
Westfall Elementary School, Janice Gearhart ………………………………..Principal
Westfall Middle School, Kathy Payne……………………………………………..Principal
Deborah Younge…………………………………………………………………………….Title I Coordinator
Cara Riddel…………………………………………………………………………………….Superintendent
Westfall Elementary
9391 State Route 56
Williamsport, OH 43164
740-986-4008
Westfall Middle School
19545 Pherson Pike
Willamsport, OH 43164
740-986-2941
District Office
19463 Pherson Pike
Williamsport, OH 43164
740-986-3671
MISSION STATEMENT: In partnership with students,
parents, teachers, staff and community, the Westfall Local
School District will provide quality educational services
that nurture academic, social and civic skills,
enabling students to become productive, life-long learners.
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3. Title 1
Title I is a federally funded program designed to improve educational opportunities by
providing aid to elementary and secondary education. The intent of Title I is to expand
learning opportunities while supplementing basic skills instruction in reading and math.
This program serves students who have need of improving their reading and/or math
skills.
The goals of the Title I program are to:
Individualize reading/language arts and math instruction according to
student needs
Increase reading/language arts and math achievement
Increase student self-esteem
Involve children with parent(s) in reading/language arts and math activities
at school and at home
TITLE I PROGRAM AT WESTFALL
The Title I is a K-8 School-wide Program at Westfall Elementary and Westfall Middle
School designed to improve the educational success for all students enrolled within the
program. Based on the assumption that all children are capable of learning and that
student achievement is in direct correlation to expectations set, the following goal has
been set:
By 2013, all students in grades kindergarten through 12 will improve in all core
academics.
The Title I program is designed to reach as many students as possible providing them
with the opportunities and support needed to achieve higher standards of performance
within the classroom. Individual or small group help is provided to students who are
“struggling” with a given concept – determined by the classroom teacher through the
use of pre/post testing, daily work, and informal observations.
HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF
The Title I staff has met and/or exceeded the criteria set by the State of Ohio for highly
qualified teachers.
All Para-professionals within the school have met the requirements for being highly
qualified through passing the State Para-professional test or having the needed college
credits.
PARENTS RIGHT TO KNOW
What do I know about my child's teacher? The federal education law put in
place by President Bush called "No Child Left Behind”, requires that all parents in
a Title I school be notified and given the opportunity to request information about
the professional qualifications of classroom teachers instructing their child and
paraprofessionals that work with their child. If you are interested in this information,
you may send your request to the building principal who will provide a response.
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4. What is “No Child Left Behind” and What Does it Mean for Westfall Local
Schools?
On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB). This legislation includes the federal support that states and local school
districts receive for eligible schools know as Title 1. NCLB requires that every state and
school district develop and implement standards, assessments and accountability
system in Reading and Mathematics. Because the federal law focuses on many
concepts and instructional strategies that the Westfall Local School District has put in
place,
Consider these current district practices, which are the main elements of the
NCLB law:
1. A strengthened district-wide core curriculum aligned to state standards and
testing in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, and
standards-based instruction in all subject areas;
2. Investing in high-quality professional development for all teaches to ensure that
Westfall Local School teachers meet the definition of highly-qualified according to
federal guidelines, as well as an aggressive teacher recruitment programs;
3. An emphasis on accountability and assessment. These elements have been in
place in the state of Ohio through its Department of Education’s State, District
and School Report Cards, annual Value Added Growth Measures, and the
state’s list of schools that are low performing, improving, or in good standing.
4. A focus on proven strategies that work such as the districts Balanced Literacy
Framework, School Improvement Plans and academic Intervention Programs.
5. Expanded options for parents, such as the district’s Open Enrollment Process
which now gives priority to the most academically challenged students in the
lowest performing schools, the recently introduced Public School of Choice,
which offers student options for enrolling in neighboring district/buildings not in
school improvement and the Parents’ Right to Know about the status of their
children’s schools and teachers.
6. Schools are monitored annually on the Ten Components of a Title I Schoolwide
Program. These are:
1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment; 2. Schoolwide Reform Strategies;
3. Instruction by Highly Qualified Staff; 4. High Quality Professional
Development; 5. Attracting Highly Qualified Teachers; 6. Assistance to
Preschool Children; 7. Transition: Assisting Children to the next level;
8. Teachers in Decision Making; 9. Timely, Additional Assistance to Students
Experiencing Difficulty; 10. Coordination and Integration of Federal, State and
Local Programs.
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5. Westfall Local School District
Title 1Policy Guidelines Parent Involvement
Philosophy of Parent Participation
Westfall Local School District recognizes that parents are their children’s first and
most influential teachers. The involvement of parents helps children learn more
effectively. Research has demonstrated that parental involvement increases the
effectiveness of Title I programs.
By working with teachers and by reinforcing and promoting learning objectives in
the home, parents can dramatically improve their children’s educational
achievement. Both research and intuition confirm that parental consultation and
involvement are key ingredients in successful educational programs.
Westfall Local School District Schoolwide Title Program will include these
activities in its program:
1. At least one public meeting will be held annually to explain the Schoolwide Title
Program.
a. All parents will be invited.
b. Community members of the Westfall Local School District will be encouraged to
participate.
c. The purpose of the meeting shall be to discuss with parents the programs and
activities carried out with School-wide Title funding, inform parents of their
rights to consult in the design and implementation of Schoolwide Title
projects, solicit their input, and provide parents an opportunity to establish
mechanisms for maintaining on‐going communications among parents,
teachers, and agency officials.
2. Parent’s suggestions in planning, developing, and implementing the School-
wide Title Program.
3. Parents will be encouraged to assist in Schoolwide Title projects in planning and
implementing them.
4. Timely information, materials and suggestions will be provided to help parents
promote education of their children in their homes.
5. Copies of this policy will be sent home with each student and posted on the
school website.
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6. Westfall Local School District Parent Involvement Policy
Westfall Local School District will do the following:
1. Involve parents in the joint development of a written parental involvement policy
that describes ways of meeting the following requirements in Title I of NCLB:
Notification to parents of the policy in an understandable format and language
Periodic updates of the policy to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
2. Hold an annual meeting, at a convenient time, for all parents. The purposes of this
meeting are to:
Inform parents of their school’s participation in the Title I program.
Explain the requirements of Title I.
Explain the right of parents to be involved.
3. Parental involvement meetings at various times, such as morning or evening.
4. Involve parents in an organized, ongoing, and timely way in the planning, review, and
improvement of Title I programs, including the school parental involvement policy and
the School-wide Program Plan.
5. Provide the following items to the parents:
Timely information about Title I programs
Opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by parents, to:
Make suggestions.
Receive timely responses to them.
Participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.
6. Develop jointly with the parents or caregivers of participating students a school-parent
compact that outlines:
The shared responsibility of parents, students, and the entire school staff to improve
students’ academic achievement
The shared responsibility between the school and parents to help children achieve
the statewide academic content standards
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7. The school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a
supportive and effective learning environment that helps children served under Title I
meet the statewide academic content standards
The ways in which parents will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning,
such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching;
volunteering in their children’s classroom; participating, as appropriate, in decisions
related to the education of their children and the positive use of their children’s
extracurricular time
The importance of ongoing communication between teachers and parents through
(at a minimum):
Frequent reports to parents about their children’s progress
Reasonable access to staff
School messenger
School newsletters
Reasonable opportunities to volunteer at the school, participate in their children’s
class, and observe classroom activities
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8. School-Parent / Guardian Compact
Westfall Elementary School Westfall Middle School
9391 State Route 56 West 19545 Pherson Pike
Williamsport, Ohio 43164 Williamsport, Ohio 43164
740-986-4008 740-986-2941
Title 1 Federal Program
Westfall Local Schools and the parent/guardians of the students participating in activities, services, and
programs funded by Title 1, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) agree that this
compact outlines how parents/guardians, the entire school staff and students will share the
responsibility for improved academic achievement and the means by which the school and
parents/guardians will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high
standards.
This compact will be in effect for the 2011-12 school year.
School Responsibilities
Westfall Elementary and Middle School will:
1. Provide high quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning
environment that enables the participating children to meet the State’s student academic
standards of what students should know and be able to do and provide evidence of your
child’s/children’s progress toward meeting those goals.
2. Hold parent/guardian-teacher conferences two times annually during which the compact will be
discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Specifically those conferences will
be held in the fall and spring quarters prior to interim progress reports. Report cards will be
sent winter quarter and at the end of the school year.
3. Parents/guardians may access the staff for consultation by calling the school office. Please allow
48 hours for a response from the teacher. Teacher email can be accessed through the district
website.
4. Parents/guardians are offered opportunities to volunteer, participate, and observe classroom
activities and assemblies.
5. Parents/guardians can access student progress reports using Progress Book.
6. Parents/guardians will be informed of upcoming events at school via student take-home notices
and school website. http//www.westfall.k12.oh.us/ and school messenger.
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9. Parent / Guardian Responsibilities
We, as parents/guardians, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:
1. Monitor my child’s attendance.
2. Making sure homework is completed while providing a place and time for my student to work.
3. Monitoring the amount of television, video games, and internet use.
4. Volunteering at school.
5. Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school promptly by
reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail
and responding, as appropriate.
6. Serving to extend possible, on policy advisory groups, such as Title 1, Part A parent/guardian
representative on the School Improvement team, the Parent Collaboration Council, or other
school advisory or policy groups.
Student Responsibilities
We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the
State’s high standards. Specifically, we will:
1. Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.
2. Read at least 30 minutes (or age appropriate time) every day outside of school time.
3. Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare, all notices and
information received by me from the school every day.
______________________________________ __________________
Signature of School Representative Date
______________________________________ __________________
Signature of Parent/Guardian Date
______________________________________ __________________
Signature of Student Date
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10. EVALUATION OF THE TITLE I PROGRAM:
Parents of students participating in the Title I program will have the opportunity to
evaluate the Title I program. This evaluation will include a section pertaining to the
effectiveness of the parental involvement policy, areas of strengths and weaknesses,
and barriers to be overcome. The Title I staff, with the help of the Parent Advisory
Council (PAC), will use this information to evaluate the program and to make changes
within the program as needed.
Schoolwide Plan
The Westfall Schoolwide Plan was approved by the Board of Education and the Ohio
Department of Education (ODE) for implementation the year of 2011-12. The Plan is on
file in the office. The plan was reviewed by the Title 1 planning committee (Building
Leadership Teams) prior to submission to ODE.
TITLE I COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
A parent, student, employee, or district stakeholder who has a complaint regarding the
use of federal NCLB funds and is unable to solve the issue, may address the complaint
in writing to the district’s superintendent. Disputes addressing the enrollment,
transportation (including inter-district disputes), and other barriers to the education of
children and youth experiencing homelessness are also addressed under this
procedure. Parents, guardians, and unaccompanied youth may initiate the dispute
resolution process directly at the school they choose, as well as at the district or
district’s homeless liaison’s office. The parent or guardian or unaccompanied youth shall
be provided with a written explanation of the school’s decision including the rights of the
parent, guardian, or youth to appeal the decision. Students should be provided with all
services for which they are eligible while disputes are resolved.
The superintendent will investigate, within one week, the circumstances of the complaint
and render a decision, within two weeks, after receipt of the complaint.
The superintendent will notify the complainant of the decision in writing.
The complainant will be allowed one week to react to the decision before it becomes
final.
The complainant will either accept or disagree with the decision and will provide such
acknowledgment in writing, addressed to the district superintendent.
If the issue is not resolved with the superintendent, the complaint will be forwarded to
the district’s Board of Education for further review. The parent or guardian or
unaccompanied youth shall be provided with a written explanation of the district’s
decision including the rights of the parent, guardian, or youth to appeal the decision.
Unresolved complaints may be forwarded by the stakeholder to the Ohio Department of
Education for review. (Consult Ohio Department of Education Complaint Procedure)
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11. Complaint Resolution Policy
It is the policy of the ODE to investigate all allegations of noncompliance with state or
federal
law, rules, or regulations. In order to initiate a complaint with the ODE that a school
district or the ODE has violated State law or regulations, or federal law or regulations
that apply to any covered federal program, a complainant must submit a written, signed
complaint that: 1) describes the pertinent facts; 2) identifies the alleged violations of the
law; and, 3) recommends how the complainant would have the ODE resolve the
complaint. The complaint must be mailed to the ODE. Complainants include any: public
agencies, parents, and other individuals or organizations. The ODE will not accept or
investigate allegations of violations from anonymous sources. The ODE will strive to
resolve all complaints within 60 days of receipt.
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12. Westfall Local Schools
Family Engagement Calendar
Westfall Mall/ Round Up: Annual Meeting
Open House
Elementary Parent Conference
Elementary Family Training
Middle School Parent Conference
Middle School Family Training
Family Literacy Night
Math Expo
Family Curriculum Night
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