1. Welcome to Phillips Preparatory School’s Annual Meeting of Title I Parents

2. Why are we here? The Elementary Secondary Education Act requires that each Title I School hold an Annual Meeting of Title I parents for the purpose of… –Informing you of our school’s participation in Title I –Explaining the requirements of Title I –Explaining your rights as parents to be involved

3. How is a school selected for Title I funding? Title I funds are targeted to schools with high numbers of children from low income families. Title I funds are available to schools when at least 40% of the students in the school are determined to be from low income families. One of the criteria for determining this is the percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunches. Title I money is divided so that schools with the most low income students get the most funding.

4. What does it mean to be a Title I school? Being a Title I school means receiving federal funding (Title I dollars) to supplement the school’s existing programs for ALL students. These dollars are used at PPS for… –Identifying students experiencing academic difficulties and providing timely assistance to help these students meet the State’s challenging content standards. –Purchasing supplemental instructional staff/programs/materials/supplies –Conducting parental involvement meetings/trainings/activities

5. How are parents involved? Phillips Prep has been allocated $109,961.00 of those local school Title I funds for 2014-2015, an increase of $139.00 over 2013-2014. $2095 of PPS’s Title I allocation has been set aside for parental involvement: meetings, Parenting Day, mailings, and system-wide parental involvement activities. This is an increase of $20.00 over last year. Parent involvement allocation is typically used for final report card & summer mailings and materials.

6. Parent involvement funds are also used to help purchase student planners and counseling materials to be shared with both parents and students, as needed.

7. What is PPS’sTitle I Plan for 2014-2015? Our LEA (Local Educational Agency) Title I Plan addresses how we will use Title I funds throughout the school system. Primary instructional areas include: –Increase/Update of technology for instruction Computers & tablets will be purchased for classroom use. –Increase/Update digital resources in the library/media center –Additional assistance provided to struggling students PPS provides free after-school tutoring in Math, as well as in-school academic coaching assistance in Math.

8. –Student academic assessments Title I requires that students are tested in reading and math every year in grades 3 through 8. Our 6-th – 8 th grade students take the STAR Math and Reading tests periodically throughout the year as well as state-wide spring assessments. –Professional Development Teachers and administrators will receive professional development as we transition to an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, a process that will take approximately 3 years.

9. What is a Parent Involvement Policy? Every Title I school district and school must have a written parent involvement policy/plan which is updated yearly. It is in a language and format parents can understand. It spells out how parents will be involved in a meaningful way. The policy/plan is reviewed and revised each year, if necessary. PPS’s PTSA Board reviewed and approved the plan on September 12, 2014.

10. What’s included in PPS’s Parent Involvement Plan? PPS Parent Involvement Plan 2014-2015 (see handout) This plan will address how the school will implement the parental involvement requirements of the Elementary Secondary Education Act. Components will include… –How parents can be involved in decision-making and activities –How parental involvement funds are being used –How information and training will be provided to parents –How the school will build capacity in parents and staff for strong parental involvement

11. What is the School-Parent Compact? Every Title I school must have a School-Parent Compact. Compacts describe how the school and parents share responsibility for student achievement. At Phillips, parents and students sign the compact at the beginning of the school year. A copy is given to the parent/student, one is kept by the homeroom teacher, and a third copy is kept in the office. When students do not perform well, the compact will be reviewed by the administration, teacher, parent, and students.

12. Contents of PPS’s Compact School Responsibilities –Providing high-quality curriculum & instruction from highly qualified teachers in a safe, supportive, and effective learning environment –Monitoring student progress regularly –Reporting student progress on a frequent basis, in a variety of formats (notes, postings on iNow, progress reports, conferences, report cards, etc.) –Valuing the importance of communication between teachers and parents by providing reasonable, open access –Creating effective working relationships with all families

13. Contents of PPS’s Compact Parent & Student Responsibilities –Attendance, assignment completion, participation in school/class activities, adherence to PPS policies, participation in decisions relating to education and positive use of extracurricular time

14. What is ACIP? ACIP stands for ASSIST Continuous Improvement Plan and includes: –Executive Summary (handout) –Summary of Stakeholder Involvement in the Process –Stakeholder Feedback Diagnostic (Survey Results) –Student Performance Diagnostic (Summary of Testing Data and Needs Assessments) –Goals, Plans, Strategies, & Actions to Address Academic Needs of Students and Instructional and Management Areas related to Academic Success –Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement (Parental Involvement Plan – handout) –Professional Development Needs –Coordination of Resources/Comprehensive Budget

15. How are the qualifications of my child’s teachers determined? 100% of PPS teachers are HIGHLY QUALIFIED. Qualifications include College degree State & national teachers’ assessment test scores Full certification in the state of Alabama Competency in subjects taught You, as Title I Parents, have the right to request the qualifications of your child’s teachers.

16. Notifications for Parents PPS communicates information to parents in a variety of formats, in a language they can understand (whenever possible): monthly newsletter, school and teacher websites, PPS Facebook page, PPS Twitter account, notes & handouts, mailings, Remind text messages, emails, School Messenger phone & email messages, iNow, face-to-face conferences & meetings, etc. Topics include student progress, school events, meetings, PTSA information, county and school policies, qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals, Title I services, etc.

17. Title I Budget 2014-2015 $109, 961.00 Extended Day (after-school math tutoring) $4000.00 Pirate Camp (summer transition)$2000.00 Staff Development Funds for IB Program Development & Substitutes $6200.00 Math Teacher/Tutor (in-school)$12,500.00 Classroom Materials & Supplies$5066.00 Parenting Materials & Supplies$2095.00 Computers for Labs & Classrooms$26,800.00 Library Media Center Digital Resources $10,000.00 Copier Maintenance (Xerox)$18,000.00 State, Regional, & National Conference & IB Training Travel $23,300.00

18. Questions? Mrs. Brenda Hartzog (251) 221-2286 bhartzog@mcpss.com The Mobile County Public School System’s LEA/Parent Resource Center Office of Home-School-Community Involvement 1 Magnum Pass Paula Reese, Parent Specialist 221-5218 preese1@mcpss.com