ESSA Parent and Family Engagement Policy
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC.
ESSA Parent and Family Engagement Policy
Governing Board For Approval on May 13th 2025
Statement of Purpose
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. is committed to providing quality education to every student.
Partnerships with parents, family members, and the community are essential to this goal as neither home nor school can achieve this goal independently. We believe in the importance of working together to make a positive impact in the academic growth, character growth, and development of every child. Everyone gains if school and home work together to promote high student achievement. Parents and family members play an important role as their children’s first teachers, and their support is critical to their children’s success. Although the responsibility of making decisions of school policy belongs to the Governing Board and Executive Director, families are involved on an individual level and through organized parent groups. We recognize that an effective partnership between school and home sets each scholar up for success by garnering family support of our school and reinforcement in the home for the school’s activities and expectations.
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. agrees to implement the following statutory requirements:
The school 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 1116 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Those programs, activities and procedures are planned and operated with meaningful consultation with parents of participating children.
Consistent with section 1116, the school will work to ensure that the required parental involvement policies meet the requirements of section 1116(b) of the ESSA, and each include, as a component, a school-parent compact consistent with section 1116(d) of the ESSA.
The school will incorporate this parental involvement policy into its LEA plan developed under section 1112 of the ESSA. In carrying out the Title I, Part A parental involvement requirements, to the extent practicable, the school 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 ESSA in an understandable and uniform format and, including alternative formats upon request, and, to the extent practicable, in a language parents understand.
If the LEA plan for Title I, Part A, developed under section 1112 of the ESSA, is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, the school district will submit any parent comments with the plan when the school submits the plan to the State Department of Education.
The school will involve the parents of children served in Title I, Part A schools in decisions about how the one 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 is 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: Parental involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—
o that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
o that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
o that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child;
o the carrying out of other activities, such as those described in section 1116 of the ESSA.
Develop Jointly
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will develop an annual Site-Based Decision-Making Committee (SBDM) to assist with the annual family engagement efforts. The Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. Site-Based Decision Making Committee will be comprised of parents, members of the community, teachers, operations staff and school administration. This committee will annually review the ESSA Parent and Family Engagement Policy and revise it as necessary. The Title I principal, with input from the school SBDM committee, will make recommendations as necessary to revisions of the district policy.
Build Capacity of School
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will provide coordination, technical assistance, and other necessary support to assist and build the capacity for our Title I, Part A school in planning and implementing effective parent and family engagement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance. The school principal and administrative staff will provide support and training to teachers and staff to promote the parent and family engagement opportunities.
Coordinate Services
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will coordinate and integrate parent and family engagement strategies, to the extent feasible and appropriate, with other federal, state and local laws and programs.
Annual Evaluation
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will assess the needs of the parents and children in the school community using a variety of tools including a survey questionnaire. The findings will be used to revise the Title I program to meet the current needs. Workshops or other training will be made available to educators and parents to address these needs. Parents will be notified about training opportunities.
The SBDM committee will review and evaluate all aspects of the parent and family engagement program. Parents will be asked for their input on the content and effectiveness of the Title I parent and family engagement programs though an annual evaluation of the Title I Program. The evaluation will include an assessment of overall parent and family engagement and identify barriers to parent and family participation that still need to be overcome, needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning, and strategies to support successful school and family interactions. The community will be consulted in the design, development and implementation of the Title I program. Each year Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will assess the needs of parents and children in the community through a variety of measures, including parental suggestions. The school will welcome and receive recommendations about the Title I program.
Design Evidence-Based Strategies
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. through its Comprehensive Needs Assessment and Integrated Action Plan process will use the finding of the annual evaluation to design and incorporate objectives that will lead to more effective parental involvement. The SBDM committee will annually review the School’s Parent and Family Engagement Policy based on the results of an annual review.
Involve Parents in Activities
Parents can become involved in their children’s education through a variety of ways. Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. values both the at-home contributions of parents and those that take place at the school or in the community. Reading to children at home and talking with them at family meals or other family outings are as important as volunteering at school and serving on advisory committees. Many types of parent and family engagement are needed in school-home-community partnerships to help all children succeed. Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will offer many opportunities for parent and family engagement in the school including, but not limited to the following:
• Parents may contribute through volunteer programs;
• Parents may attend initial Teacher Meeting/Family Orientation;
• Parents may participate by attending school meetings at a variety of times;
• Parents may participate in curriculum nights;
• Parents are invited to serve on committees;
• Parents are invited to attend parent/teacher conferences;
• Parents are surveyed to get their input about school.
Parents will be informed on school activities through various avenues of communication throughout the school year. Websites, newsletters, teacher notes, the school marquee, conferences, personal contacts, phone calls/text messages, emails, Class Dojo, and written notices will be used to establish and maintain open lines of communication with parents. Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will welcome and respond to efforts by parents to communicate with the school.
Parental Involvement Statement of Commitment (Compact):
The Executive Director shall develop a Parental Involvement Compact according to Title I requirements, that is presented to families during the initial home visit.
The Parental Involvement Compact shall contain:
The expectations for parental involvement;
Specific strategies for effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance; and
A process for continually involving parents/guardians in its development and implementation;
How parents/guardians, the entire school staff, and students share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement;
The means by which the school and parents/guardians build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the state's high standards; and
Other provisions as required by federal law.
At each parent conference, teachers walk through all performance metrics with parents (we have translators in each classroom). Each teacher has the data specific to each student. Additionally, we offer four family nights (at various times) to make sure all parents understand the curriculum and give tips on what they can do at home. The Executive Director shall ensure that the Compact is distributed to parents/guardians of students receiving services, or enrolled in programs, under Title I.
Parent-School Compact
School Contact ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian _____________________________________
Student ____________________________________________
This compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high standards. This school-parent compact is in effect during the entire academic school year.
School Responsibilities
Because Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. believes every student can learn and wants to provide every student with a first class education, Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC. will:
• 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 by employing only highly qualified teachers, by using only research-based methods in the classroom, and by assessing student progress regularly to determine progress toward meeting those standards.
• Hold parent-teacher conferences (twice a year) during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Specifically, those conferences will be held during the fall and spring.
• Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress.
Specifically, the school will provide reports when a child’s assessments demonstrate need for additional assistance or when a child is in danger of failing a course during a reporting period.
• Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents after school, by calling the school’s office phone number.
• Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities.
• Involve parents in the planning, evaluation, and improvement of the school’s Parental Involvement Policy, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.
• Involve parents in the joint development of its Integrated Action Plan, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.
• Hold an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A programs, and to explain the Title I, Part A requirements, and the right of parents to be involved in Title I, Part A programs. The school will convene the meeting at a convenient time to parents, and will offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening, so that as many parents as possible are able to attend. The school will invite to this meeting all parents of children participating in Title I, Part A programs, and will encourage them to attend.
• Provide information to parents of participating students in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon the request of parents with disabilities, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.
• Provide to parents of participating children information in a timely manner about Title I, Part A programs that includes a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
• On the request of parents, provide opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions, and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.
• Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in at least math, language arts and reading.
Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned or has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified within the meaning of the term in section 200.56 of the Title I Final Regulations (67 Fed. Reg. 71710, December 2, 2002).
Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
Because I/we, as parent(s)/guardian(s), believe that education is important, I/we will support our children’s learning in the following ways:
• Making sure my child is in attendance every school day, on time.
• Making sure my child attends tutoring time that has been set up for him/her.
• Making sure that homework is completed.
• Monitoring amount of television my children watch (so that it doesn’t interfere with homework).
• Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children’s education.
• Promoting positive use of my child’s extracurricular time.
• Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school either received from my child, or by mail, and responding as appropriate.
• Serving, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being on the Title I Policy Advisory Committee, the “Child Study Team” or other school advisory or policy groups.
Student Responsibilities
Because I believe that my education is important, and that I am responsible for being successful in school, I will:
• Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.
• Read at least 15 - 20 minutes every day outside of school time.
• Be respectful to my teacher and other school staff.
• Put my best effort into my school work and homework.
• Ask for help when I need help with my school work or homework.
• 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.
Signatures
School-Parent Compact
Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center INC.
____________________________________________
Student
__________________
Date
____________________________________________
Parent/Guardian
__________________
Date
____________________________________________
Teacher or School Representative
__________________
Date
