In accordance with applicable provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the district will provide notice to parents of teacher qualifications, testing requirements and language instruction for English learners as set forth in this policy.
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
At the beginning of each school year, the district administration will notify parents of each student attending a Title I school that the parents may request, and the administration will provide on parental request and in a timely manner, information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including, at a minimum, the following:
- Whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
- Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualifications for licensing criteria have been waived.
- Whether the teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.
- Whether the student is provided service by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
TITLE I SCHOOLS
Additionally, Title I schools in the district must provide the parent/guardian of each enrolled student the following information in a timely manner:
- Information on the level of achievement and academic growth, if applicable and available, of the parent’s child in each of the state academic assessments required under federal law.
- Timely notice that the parent’s child has been assigned, or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.
TESTING TRANSPARENCY
At the beginning of each school year, the district will notify the parents of each student attending a Title I school that the parents may request, and the district will provide the parents on request in a timely manner, information regarding any state or district policy regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by federal law and by the state or district, which must include a policy, procedure or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.
The district will make widely available through public means (including by posting in a clear and easily accessible manner on the district’s website and, where practicable, on the website of each school served by the district) for each grade served by the district, information on each assessment required by the state to comply with federal law, other assessments required by the state and, where such information is available and feasible to report, assessments required district-wide by the district, consistent with applicable provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
For children previously identified as an English learner, not later than thirty (30) days after the beginning of the school year, the district will inform parents of an English learner identified for participation or participating in such a program, of the following:
1. The reasons for the identification of their child as an English learner and in need of placement in a language instruction educational program.
2. The child’s level of English proficiency, how such level was assessed, and the status of the child’s academic achievement.
3. The methods of instruction used in the program in which their child is, or will be, participating and the methods of instruction used in other available programs, including how such programs differ in content, instructional goals, and the use of English and a native language in instruction.
4. How the program in which their child is, or will be, participating will meet the educational strengths and needs of their child.
5. Ho such program will specifically help their child learn English and meet age-appropriate academic achievement standards for grade promotion and graduation.
6. The specific exit requirements for the program, including the expected rate of transition from such program into classrooms that are not tailored for English learners, and the expected rate of graduation from high school (including four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates and extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rates for such program).
7. In the case of a child with a disability, how such program meets the objectives of the individualized education program of the child under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
8. Information relating to parental rights that includes written guidance (i) detailing the right that parents have to have their child immediately removed from such program upon their request; (ii) detailing the options that parents have to decline to enroll their child in such program or to choose another program or method of instruction, if available; and (iii) assisting parents in selecting among various programs and methods of instruction, if more than one program or method is offered.
For children who have not been previously identified as an English learner prior to the beginning of the school year but is identified as an English learner during the school year, the district will notify the child’s parents during the first two (2) weeks of the child being placed in a language instruction educational program. Such notification will include the same information set forth above for children previously identified as English learners.
In addition to the notices to parents of English learners required by this policy, the district will implement an effective means of outreach to parents of English learners to inform parents how they can be involved in the education of their children and be active participants in assisting their children to attain English proficiency, achieve at high levels within a well-rounded education and meet the challenging state academic standards expected of all students. For purposes of this policy, an effective means of outreach includes noticing opportunities for, and holding, regular meetings with parents of English learners.
NOTICE REQUIREMENTS
The district or school will provide the notice and information required in this policy in a uniform and understandable written format, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that the parents can understand.
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LEGAL REFERENCE:
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Section 1112(e)(1(B)(ii))
34 CFR §200.61 – Parents Right to Know
ADOPTED: July 20, 2022
AMENDED: