Parent & Family Engagement Policy

2023–24 Parent and Family Engagement Policy

1. Ferris ISD will reach out to all parents and family members and implement programs, activities, and procedures for the involvement of parents and family members in programs consistent with the requirements of ESSA Section 1116. Such programs, activities, and procedures shall be planned and implemented with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.

Remind app, District social media and website postings, and Skyward Family Access will be used to keep parents abreast of the latest information concerning their children's progress.
Teachers will engage in and document positive parent communication on a regular basis.
At least once each year, face-to-face parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled for parents of elementary students (PK-5). If the face-to-face format is not possible for the parent, the parent may choose to communicate by phone or email.
During pandemic type conditions, the District may utilize a virtual format such as Google Meets or Zoom to conduct parent-teacher conferences.
At transition points such as kindergarten to elementary, elementary to junior high, or junior high to high school, Ferris ISD campuses will invite parents to transition activities to help familiarize students and parents with expectations at the next level.
Ferris ISD will host a back-to-school activity prior to school opening, at which families can meet their children's teachers, tour the school building, and receive information on clubs and activities at each school.

2. Ferris ISD receives Title I, Part A funds. Our goal is to plan and implement effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance. Therefore, Ferris ISD will develop jointly with, agree on with, and distribute to, parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy.

A parent survey requesting input from parents on meaningful parent and family involvement activities will be conducted each year.
Ferris ISD'S Parent and Family Engagement (PFE) Policy for the upcoming school year will be evaluated by the District Education Improvement Committee (DEIC) each spring.
At a DEIC meeting in the fall semester, the committee (consisting of parents, community members, and staff) will use the findings from the spring evaluation, the spring parent survey, and current committee input to develop the PFE policy for the year. All parents of enrolled students will be invited to this meeting to allow for additional input.
Afterwards, the newly developed PFE policy will be posted on the District website. A Remind notification and social media posting will be made advising parents that the PFE policy has been posted on the website and that a written copy of the policy is available upon request. Additionally, copies of the policy will be available on any FISD campus and at Ferris ISD's central administration office.

3. Ferris ISD will involve parents and family members in jointly developing the District Improvement Plan (DIP) under section 1112 and the development of support and improvement plans under paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1111(d). Section 1116 (a)(2)(A).

Ferris ISD will include parents on all decision-making and advisory committees, properly training them for the areas in which they will serve (e.g., school safety planning, family/community involvement, etc.).
This enlistment of parents for membership on Ferris ISD committees will include membership on the DEIC. The committee will meet at least two times per year, wherein it will assist in developing the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA), developing the District Improvement Plan (DIP), monitoring formative assessments of the DIP strategies/activities, and eventually conduct a summative assessment/evaluation of the DIP. The committee will hold at least one public meeting after receipt of the Texas Academic Performance Report, and additional parental input for the plan will be sought at that time.

4. FERRIS ISD will provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all campuses within the district, in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and
school performance, which may include meaningful consultation with employers, business leaders, and philanthropic organizations, or individuals with expertise in effectively engaging parents and family members in education.

Ferris ISD will maintain district-business partnerships to provide students internships and on-site, experiential learning opportunities.
Ferris ISD will connect students and families to service-learning projects in the community.
District staff will provide a brief overview for parents of the required state assessments including information related to the state’s academic content standards, the state’s student academic achievement standards, the state and local academic assessments, including alternate assessments, the requirements of Title I, how to monitor their child’s progress, and how to work with educators.
Family nights for reading (literacy) and mathematics will be held at campuses to provide materials, resources, and training regarding how parents can help students with reading and/or math content.
District and Campus Education Improvement Committee meetings will be held to include parents in the development of the district and campus improvement plans.
English Learner parent and family nights will be planned throughout the year and translators will be available at the campus level for parents as needed.
Dyslexia and Autism parent and family nights and workshops will be offered and will provide parents with materials and resources to increase student achievement.
Parents are provided a list of services and resources on the district’s website at www.ferrisisd.org under the tab “For Parents.”
Campuses will provide periodic parent workshops focused on helping parents help their children at home.
The district will provide information through the Student Support Department for teachers regarding best practices for reaching out and effectively communicating with parents, as well as how to work with parents as partners to strengthen the home/school connection.

5. Ferris ISD will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies under Title I, Part A, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other relevant Federal, State, and local laws and programs, including public preschool programs, and conduct other activities, such as parent resource centers, that
encourage and support parents in more fully participating in the education of their children.

Through district-community partnerships, Ferris ISD will facilitate families' access to community-based programs (e.g., health care and human services) to ensure that families have resources to be involved in their children's education.
FERRIS ISD will invite community partners to share resources at student/parent events.
When possible, parent involvement meetings will be coordinated among booster clubs, special education, ESSA, migrant, ESL, etc.

6. Ferris ISD will conduct, with the meaningful involvement of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent and family engagement policy in improving the academic quality of all schools served under this part, Section 1116 (a)(2)(D). This includes identifying:

Barriers to greater participation by parents in activities authorized by this section (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background);
The needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers; and
Strategies to support successful school and family interactions.
Ferris ISD'S Parent and Family Engagement policy for the 22-23 school year shall be evaluated at a DEIC meeting in Spring 2023. All parents of enrolled students will be invited to this meeting to provide input. Barriers to greater participation by parents in activities (as indicated above), needs of parents to assist with the learning of their children, and strategies to support successful school/family interactions will be discussed.

7. Ferris ISD will use the findings of such evaluation to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parent and family engagement policies.

Evidence-based strategies, suggested by parents and other committee members, from the evaluation of the FERRIS ISD PFE 22-23 policy will be used to update and develop the 23-24 PFE policy and parent and family engagement program in Spring 2023.

8. Ferris ISD will involve parents in the activities of the schools served under this part, which may include establishing a parent advisory board comprised of a sufficient number and representative group of parents or family members served by the local educational agency to adequately represent the needs of
the population for the purposes of developing, revising, and reviewing the parent and family engagement policy and provide such other reasonable support for parental involvement activities under this section as parents may request.

Ferris ISD has a Parent Ambassador Committee, campus PTOs, a Band Booster Club, an All Sports Club, and various other parent-led organizations. Title I, Part A information is disseminated at the campuses through their Annual Title I meetings. To solicit parent participation at the Annual Title I Meeting, publicity concerning the annual meetings will be distributed to all parent-led organizations. Parent invitations for the annual Title I meetings will also be sent to parents via email groups, through Remind, and posted on campus websites and social media accounts.
Ferris ISD shall provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities. Parents can make such requests by contacting the campus principal's office by email, in person, or by phone. Support can be translation services, physical access, printed materials, etc.

9. To ensure effective involvement of parents and to support a partnership among the school involved, parents, and the community to improve student academic achievement, Ferris ISD shall:

Provide assistance to parents of children served by the local educational agency, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the challenging State academic standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of the parent and family engagement program, and how to monitor a child’s progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children; Section 1116 (e)(1)
- Ferris ISD will offer family nights to inform families of the State academic standards children are expected to meet in each grade level. These workshops will include how the campuses assist students in meeting these challenging standards.
- Parents will be advised of how to monitor their child's progress through weekly grades, progress reports, and nine-week grades.
- Parents will be asked to provide suggestions for educators in how educators might improve instruction to raise achievement levels for their children.
- The requirements of the parent and family engagement program will be discussed at the annual Title I meetings at the campuses.
Provide materials and training to help parents to work with their children to improve their children’s achievement, such as literacy training and using technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), as appropriate, to foster parental involvement.
- Ferris ISD will provide workshops and materials for parents on specific subject matter/curriculum at the appropriate grade level for their children and information as to what parents can be doing to support their child's learning.
- Ferris ISD will post on the district website and/or print suggestions for parents on home conditions (such as plenty of rest) that support learning at each grade level and provide information for parents on homework policies and on monitoring and supporting student work at home.
- Ferris ISD will provide information for parents on technology usage/abuse by students including copyright piracy.
Educate teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals, other school leaders, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent programs, and build ties between parents and the school.
- Ferris ISD will solicit parent input on teacher training including the value of parent involvement through a spring survey.
- The district will provide staff training on the "value and utility of the contributions of parents as equal partners with the teacher in the education of their child" during the fall semester.
- District personnel will attend parent and family engagement training at Region X ESC when provided and/or other providers when available and practicable.
Ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to the parents of participating children in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
- Ferris ISD will utilize translation services and Remind to ensure that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and other activities is sent to parents in their home languages.

10. This District-wide Parent and Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, as evidenced by attendance sign-in sheets or other documentation of virtual meetings.