Robert K. Shafer Middle School

1. Robert K. Shafer Middle School Title I Annual Meeting 26 September 2018

2. Why Should I Know About Title I? Because it can make a difference in many lives! Title I can help: Parents understand their children better. Parents can also have more say about their child’s education. Students achieve more in school and feel better about themselves. Teachersbenefit from the suggestions and support that parents offer and from the satisfaction of seeing children succeed.

3. How Title I Works • The federal government provides funding to states each year for Title I. To get the funds, each state must submit a plan describing: • what all children are expected to know and be able to do • the high-quality standards of performance that all children are expected to meet • ways to measure progress. • State educational agencies (SEAs) send the money to school districts based on the number of low-income families. • The local school district(called a Local Education Agency, or LEA) identifies eligible schools and provides Title I resources.

4. How Title I Works (cont.) • Title I has always sought to preserve local decision making on basic program issues as to the grades served and the instructional techniques to be employed in a Local Educational Agency (LEA) or school district. • The Local Educational Agency (LEA) identifies eligible schools and provides funding. • Schools, with the guidance of their principals, school teams, directors, and school communities, decide how best to use their Title I funds.

5. Qualify vs. Served • Districts qualify for Title I funding based on the number of socioeconomically disadvantaged students residing in the district. • Students who receive services are those who show an academic need. • An academic need can be based on a combination of MAP scores, PSSA scores, Report card grades, and teacher recommendations.

6. Targeted vs. School Wide • A targeted program serves the students who are at academic risk and typically have less than 40% of their population deemed low income. • A school wide program is for schools or districts whose low income population is greater than 40%. • Robert K. Shafer Middle School is a School Wide Program.

7. Title I Objective • The annual Title I meeting is the place to start! It’s the perfect time to: • learn more about Title I • learn about your rights and responsibilities as a Title I parent • learn about parenting skills workshops • meet other parents and teachers • begin a process of communication and cooperation between parents and schools. • Your Title I program needs you to help: • determine program goals • plan and carry out programs • evaluate programs • work with your child at home- and even in school, as a teacher’s assistant or volunteer.

8. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy The School Improvement/Comprehensive Plan The Parent and Family Engagement Policy The Parent-School Compact States the goals and responsibilities of both parents, students, and schools. • Helps parents understand and take part in the school’s efforts. Invites parents to analyze data, contribute their goals for the future and assist in planning the improvement.

9. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy • The Bensalem Township School District creates a district-wide Parent & Family Engagement Policy. It includes: • Involving parents in process of School Improvement Planning • Providing coordination and technical assistance to the schools in planning effective parental and family engagement to improve academic achievement and school performance • Building capacity for strong parental involvement programs for each school

10. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy • Parents must be given an opportunity for input. Parents can participate in the following ways: • Introduction Meeting (Sept) • School-Parent-Student Compact Policy and Revision Meeting (Oct) • Technology Night (Oct) • Parent Survey (Nov) • Parent and Family Engagement Policy and Revision Meeting (Nov) • School Improvement Plan Revision Meeting (Dec) • Literacy Night (Jan) • Math Night (Feb) • Parent Survey (Mar) • Goals and Follow Up (May)

11. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy • Details how: • We will involve parents in the process of school review and improvement • We will provide the necessary technical assistance to parents to support and improve student academic achievement • We will build the parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement to improve student academic achievement

12. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy • The policy also must include: • How parents are involved in the development of the Parent and Family Engagement Policy • How parents are involved in the evaluation and revision of the Parent and Family Engagement Policy

13. Parent and Family Engagement Policy • Some highlights include: • The school district will put into operation programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents in all of its schools with Title I, Part A programs, consistent with section 1118 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Those programs, activities and procedures will be planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children. • Consistent with section 1118, the school district will work with its schools to ensure that the required school-level parental involvement/engagement policies meet the requirements of section 1118(b) of the ESEA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with section 1118(d) of the ESEA. • The school district will incorporate this district wide parental involvement/engagement policy into its District of plan developed under section 1112 of the ESEA. • In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement/engagement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school district and its schools will provide full opportunities for the participation of parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children, including providing information and school reports required under section 1111 of the ESEA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand. • If the Bensalem Township School District’s plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1112 of the ESEA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school district submits the plan to the State Department of Education. • The school district will involve/engage the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the 1 percent of Title I, Part A funds reserved for parental involvement is spent, and will ensure that not less than 95 percent of the one percent reserved goes directly to the schools. • The school district will be governed by the following statutory definition of parental involvement, and expects that its Title I schools will carry out programs, activities and procedures in accordance with this definition: • The school district will inform parents and parental organizations of the purpose and existence of the Parental Information and Resource Center in the State.

14. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I: Parent and Family Engagement Policy • At, Robert K. Shafer, the policy is reviewed and revised within the first few months of school. • To become involved in developing and reviewing the Parent and Family Engagement Policy, please contact the principal, Michael Stock at MStock@bensalemsd.org or the Title I Coordinator, Kristin Egan at kegan@bensalemsd.org

15. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I School-Parent/Family-Student Compact The Compact states the goals and responsibilities of the school, parents and students. Highlights of our Compact include: School: 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 achievement standards Hold parent-teacher conferences (at least annually in elementary schools) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class. • The Compact is one way to help carry out the school’s policy.

16. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I School-Parent/Family-Student Compact The Compact states the goals and responsibilities of the school, parents and students. Highlights of our Compact include: • Parent/Family: • Monitor attendance • Ensure that homework is completed, • Monitor the Home Access System, • Review the PSSA data that is sent home each school year, • Contact teachers/guidance counselors with any questions or concerns • Encourage my child to self-advocate, • Monitor the amount of television/technology/social media my child uses • Volunteer for field trips, • Participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my child’s education, • Promote positive use of my child’s extracurricular time, • Stay informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate, and • Serve, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being the Title I, Part A parent representative on the school’s School Improvement Team, the School Support Team or other school advisory or policy groups.]

17. Robert K. Shafer’sTitle I School-Parent/Family-Student Compact The Compact states the goals and responsibilities of the school, parents and students. Highlights of our Compact include: • Student: • Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need it, • Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time, • Track my progress using MAP score data, • Set academic goals and monitor my progress, • Set behavior goals and monitor my progress, • Set social goals and monitor my progress, • Have a positive attitude, • Come to class prepared and ready to learn, • Be respectful to my peers and adults, • Be kind and helpful to one another, • Make safe and healthy choices, • Utilize technology appropriately and, • Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices and information received by me from my school every day.

18. Robert K. ShaferTitle I School-Parent/Family-Student Compact • At, Shafer, the Compact is reviewed and revised within the first few months of school. • To become involved in developing and reviewing the School-Parent Compact please contact the principal Michael Stock at MStock@bensalemsd.org or the Title I Coordinator, Kristin Egan @kegan@bensalemsd.org

19. Robert K. ShaferTitle I School Improvement/Comprehensive Plan • The School Improvement Plan (Comprehensive Plan) is the school’s roadmap. It details: • Where the school is now (data) • Where the school needs to go (goals) • How the school will get there (plan) • How the school will know if the plan is working (review and revise)

20. Robert K. Shafer’s Student Demographics for the 2017-2018 School Year

21. Robert K. Shafer’s School Performance Data • Performance on the PSSA

22. Robert K. Shafer’s School Performance Data • Performance on the Keystones

23. Robert K. Shafer Middle SchoolSchool Performance Data • Robert K. Shafer will be assigned a designation based on these performance indicators as part of the state’s School Performance Profile. • Robert K. Shafer will indicate designation of Priority, Focus or Reward in collaboration with administrators, faculty and staff, parents, and students. • Robert K. Shafer’s School Performance Profile for 2017 is a 50. The 2018 score will be out in October.

24. ADDITIONAL RIGHTS In addition to the parental responsibilities of participating in the development of the Parent & Family Engagement Policy, School-Parent-Student Compact, and the School Improvement/Comprehensive Plan, parents have additional Rights to Know.

25. Title I Budgets • 1% mandated Title I set aside Parents must be involved in the discussions concerning how the funds are spent.

26. School and District Requirements • Schools must strive to build capacity of parents to help their students achieve at high standards.

27. Note: • Schools are only required to hold regular parent input meetings if the parents themselves request them. • Also parents must request workshops on the standards, assessment, and the curriculum.

28. Teacher And Paraprofessional Qualifications All teachers and instructional paraprofessionals have to be qualified. Currently, all Robert K. Shafer staff are highly qualified.

29. Teacher Qualifications • Highly qualified teachers have completed: • State certified/ licensing examination and hold a BA degree. • New teachers demonstrate knowledge, teaching skills, and pass rigorous tests or • Non new teachers pass rigorous tests or state evaluations. • The area of certification must match the teaching assignment.

30. Paraprofessional Qualifications To be highly qualified, instructional paraprofessionals must have: Completed two years of higher education study, or have an Associate degree, or complete a formal assessment

31. Right to Know Qualifications • You have the right to request the qualifications of your child’s teacher and any instructional paraprofessionals who work with your child. • To learn the qualifications of the staff, you can make an appointment with the principal.

32. Right to Know 4 Week Letter You will be notified when your child is taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

33. Your Title I Program Needs You! • Learn about your local Title I program. • Take advantage of what Title I has to offer. • Get involved in your child’s education. #ShaferBrave