ESEA

Elementary & Secondary Education Act

What Parents Need to Know

Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc.

School Compact

 

The School:

The staff and parents/guardians at the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc. have high expectations of themselves and of the students at the school.  In an effort to provide the highest quality instructional program to the students at Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center and to show how the school and family are working together to educate the children at Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc., the staff and parents/guardians of Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center agree to implement the following programs and activities.

• AAEC will provide an academic program that is rigorous and challenging and provide and an accelerated science and math program.
• AAEC staff will provide after school programs for all students.
• AAEC staff will communicate with families on an ongoing basis regarding the student's academic progress.
• AAEC will implement a school program that emphasizes meaningful practice in all academic areas.
• AAEC will involve parents/guardians in the governance of the school.

The Home:

The schools and families of Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc. recognize that while both parties agree that the expectations listed here are necessary in order to strengthen the communication and commitment between the home and the school, rare occasions may arise where one or both parties will have difficulty fulfilling all or part of this compact.  It is also recognized that the schools purpose is to support the community and its families in whatever manner is necessary and reasonable within its ability to do so, and likewise, it is the family's responsibility to support the child and the school community.

• Parents/guardians at AAEC will send their children to school appropriately dressed, prepared to learn and on time.
• Parents/guardians at AAEC will encourage their students to read each night.
• Parents/guardians will attend at least one parent/teacher conference a year to discuss the academic progress of their children.
• Parents/guardians at AAEC will assist their children with their homework assignments on a regular basis to ensure completeness.

The family-school compact from AAEC focuses on improving student academic achievement by setting high expectations for all students and for all of the school's partners.  The compact is only one piece of a larger family-school partnership focused on shared responsibility of the compact into a cohesive plan of action.  

Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center 
Charter School Parent Involvement Policy 

The Board of the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Community Charter School (AAEC) believes that all parents and families want the best for their children and acknowledges research showing that children do best when parents are enabled to play four key roles in their children’s learning:
1.  Teachers (helping children at home)
2.  Supporters (contributing their skills to the school)
3.  Advocates (helping children receive fair treatment)
4.  Decision-makers (participating in joint problem-solving with the school at every level).
                
The Board recognizes parents/guardians are full partners with educators, administrators, and the Board to achieve the best possible learning experience for each child. A strong program of communication between home and school must be encouraged, continually evaluated and maintained so the school and community are connected in meaningful and productive ways.

In order to institute and maintain this program of communication with parents and to facilitate and maintain active parental involvement, AAEC will:

•    Continue to involve parents in the joint development of the plan under No Child Left Behind Part A — Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies Subpart 1 — Basic Program Requirements Sec.1112, LEA Plans commonly referred to as the Consolidated Application and the process of school review and improvement under Sec. 1116 Academic Assessment and LEA and School Improvement. If the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Consolidated Application (section 1112) is not satisfactory to the parents of participating children, AAEC will submit any parent comments with such Consolidated Application when it submits the Consolidated Application to the Arizona Department of Education.

•    Plan implement, assess and, as necessary, revise effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

•    Build the school’s and parents' capacity for strong parental involvement through collaborative school-parent planning, ongoing parent-school communication and integration of parents into professional development and other school activities.

•    Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies under Title I, Title II and Title IV with parental involvement strategies under such 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

•    Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parent involvement policy in improving the academic quality of AAEC, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in authorized activities (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 findings of such evaluation will be published and made available for review by parents, and will be used to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parental involvement policy.

AAEC will distribute the Parent Involvement Policy to parents of all of its students. The educators of AAEC will develop a School Plan for Parental Involvement that will explain the means by which the bulleted items above will be implemented and maintained. The directors will convene a separate panel comprised of parents and school personnel for the purpose of developing the School Plan for Parental Involvement. Parents will  be notified of the Policy and Plan via letter written in an easily understandable and uniform format. AAEC will also provide such notice in languages other than English to parents who require it. The Policy and Plan will also be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.

As a component of the School Plan for Parental Involvement, AAEC will jointly develop with parents of all children served by programs described in the Consolidated Application a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, the entire school staff, and 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 to help children achieve Arizona State’s high standards. The compact will — 
(1)    describe the school's responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the children to meet the State's student academic achievement standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children's learning. Parent responsibilities may include: 
a)    monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching; 
b)    volunteering in their child's classroom; and 
c)    participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time; and
(2)    address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through:
a)    parent-teacher conferences at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child's achievement;
b)    frequent reports to parents on their children's progress; and 
c)    reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and observation of classroom activities.
            (3)  be reviewed and updated annually.

In addition, AAEC will: 
1. Convene an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to which all parents be invited and encouraged to attend, to: a) inform parents of the school's participation in programs described in the NCLB legislation;  b) to explain the requirements of these programs; and c) to explain and answer questions about the rights of  parents to be informed about and involved in these programs.
(1)    Offer meetings throughout the year, to which all parents will be invited, to promote parent-school communication and increased parent involvement in their children’s education. These meetings will be scheduled at times that are convenient to parents, including mornings and evenings. To the degree practicable and permitted by law, the school will use NCLB program funds to provide transportation, child care, or home visits, as such services relate to parental involvement.
(3) Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs under NCLB including the planning, review, and improvement of the school parental involvement policy and the joint development of plans required by the NCLB.(4) Provide parents: 
(A) timely information about programs supported by NCLB and included in the Consolidated Application;
(B) a description and explanation of the curriculum in use at the school, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet; and
(C) if requested by parents, opportunities for regular meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. (Provide assistance to parents, as appropriate, in understanding such topics as the State's academic content standards and State student academic achievement standards, State and local academic assessments, the requirements of the Consolidated Application, and how to monitor a child's progress and work with educators to improve the achievement of their children.)
(5)    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, as appropriate, to foster parental involvement;
(6)    Educate teachers, pupil services personnel, principals, and other staff, with the assistance of parents, in the value and utility of contributions of parents, 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;
(7)    Adopt and implement model approaches to improving parental involvement.
(8)    Establish a parent advisory council to provide advice on all matters related to parental involvement;
(9)    Develop appropriate roles for community-based organizations and businesses in parent involvement activities;
(10)    Provide other reasonable support for parental involvement activities as parents may request.
 

Parent’s Right-to-Know

Professional Qualifications of Classroom Teachers

On January 8th 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  A provision of this new Title I law requires all districts to notify parents of all children that they have the right to request and receive timely information on the professional qualifications of their children’s classroom teachers.

*According to the new NCLB law (Section 111-State Plans (6) Parents’ Right-to-Know),  LEAS must report:

(A)  Qualifications-At the beginning of each school year, a local educational agency that receives funds under this part shall notify the parents of each student attending any school receiving funds under this part that the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers, including at a minimum the following:

1.    Whether the teacher has met State qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.

2.    Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which the state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived.

3.   The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.

4.    Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

(B)   Additional Information – In addition to the information that parents may request under subparagraph (A), a school that receives funds under this part shall provide to each individual parent:

1.    Information on the level of achievement of the parent’s child in each of the State academic assessments as required under this; and

2.   Timely notice that the parent’s child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

Because the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center at South Mountain receives Title I Part A funds, all teachers must be highly qualified by the end of 2005-2006 whether or not they are paid with Title I funds (Sec. 1119 (a) (2). State Plan). This means that any teacher that is hired prior to the first day of the 2002-2003 school year has four years to obtain the necessary credentials.

Note:  The notices and information provided to parents shall be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent possible must also be provided in a language that parents can understand.

NCLB-Notice of Assignment of Teachers During the Year

In January 2002, the new federal law, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was passed by Congress.  The purpose of this letter is to inform you about a provision in this new law that requires all districts to notify parents regarding qualifications of their student’s classroom teacher.  Every district that receives Title I funds must ensure that all teachers teaching in “core academic subjects” are highly qualified not later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year.  This means that any teacher who was hired prior to the first day of the 2002-2003 school year has four years to obtain the necessary credential.

In the event that your student has been assigned, or taught by a teacher who is in the process of completing the requirements for full certification, you will be notified by letter to your home when applicable that indicates the professional education of the teacher.  If your student also is provided by services by  a paraprofessional, the additional summary of his/her qualifications will also be attached.

As we implement this new law, the district’s goal is to continue to keep parents informed about new requirements in a timely manner to enable us to work as partners in the education of our students.

Right to Receive Teacher Information

Federal law requires that we share with you the qualifications of teachers in Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center.  There are questions you may ask, including:

• Is my child’s teacher licensed to teach the grades or subjects assigned?
• Has the state waived any requirements for my child’s teacher?
• What was the college major of my child’s teacher?
• What degrees does my child’s teacher hold?
• Are there instructional aides working with my child?  If so, what are their qualifications?

The Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center ensures that all teachers have at minimum a bachelor’s degree, and 67% have advanced degrees, 17% are currently working towards obtaining advanced degrees.  If you would like to review the state qualifications  and resumes of your student’s teachers you may do so by providing written notice to the school.  If you would like more information about the school please feel free to contact the district office at 602-297-8500.

Homeless Students

Homeless students in the district will have access to the education and other services needed to ensure that an opportunity is available to meet the same academic achievement standards to which all students are held.

A liaison for students in homeless situations will be designated by the district at each site to carry out duties as required by law.  Please speak with the Principal at the site in which your child is attending in order to receive further information.

The district will ensure that homeless students are not stigmatized nor segregated on the basis of their status as homeless.  A homeless student will be admitted to the district school in the attendance area in which the student is actually living or to the student’s school of origin as requested by the parent and in accordance with the student’s best interest.  Transportation will be provided to and from the student’s school of origin at the request of the parent, or in the case of an unaccompanied student, the district’s liaison for homeless students.

Release of Student Information/FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."

Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.

Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31)

1. To personnel within the district who have legitimate educational interests;
2. To personnel of an education service district or state regional program where the student is enrolled or is receiving services;
3. To personnel of another school, another district or institution of post-secondary education where the student seeks or intends to enroll;
4. To personnel connected with an audit or evaluation of federal or state education programs or the enforcement of or compliance with federal or state legal requirements of the district;
5. To personnel determining a financial aid request for the student;
6. To personnel conducting studies for or on behalf of the district;
7. To personnel in accrediting organizations fulfilling accrediting functions;
8. To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
9. For health or safety emergency;
10. By request of a parent of a student who is not 18 years of age;
11. By request of a student who is 18 years of age or older or emancipated;
12. Because information has been identified as “directory information.”

Personally identifiable information will not be released without prior signed and dated consent of the parent, student 18 years or older or emancipated.

Under FERPA, student information commonly referred to as “directory information,” includes such items as names, addresses, and telephone numbers and is information generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.  AAEC must provide military recruiters access to secondary students’ names, addresses, and telephone listings.  A parent or student 18 or older may opt-out of releasing this information by simply providing written documentation that this information is not to be released by the school.

Personally identifiable information includes, but is not limited to:

1. Student’s name, if excluded from directory information, as requested by the student/parent in writing;
2. Name of the student’s parent(s) or other family member;
3. Address of the student or student’s family, if excluded from directory information, as requested by the student/parent in writing;
4. Personal identifier such as the student’s social security number;
5. A list of personal characteristics that would make the student’s identity easily traceable;
6. Other information that would make the student’s identity easily traceable.

Notice of and/or request for release of personally identifiable information shall specify the records to be disclosed, the purpose of disclosure and the identification of person(s) to whom the disclosure is to be made.  Upon request of the parent or eligible student, the district will provide a copy of the disclosed record.

Transportation Policy

Monthly public city bus passes are available to all students currently enrolled within the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center.  The parent or legal guardian can request a student be issued a pass for transportation purposes to attend the program.  In addition, this form of transportation will be utilized to accommodate students if the school the child is attending, is receiving Title I funds and has requested to transfer because his/her school has been identified as needing improvement, corrective action or restructuring.  Transfers of this type will be permitted only to schools that are deemed a safe school and that has not been identified as needs improvement, corrective action or restructuring.  The obligation of the Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc. will terminate at the end of the school year if the school from which the student transferred is no longer in improvement status.  Arizona Agribusiness is a Arizona State Charter school and does not identify any district boundaries.

The family-school compact from AAEC focuses on improving student's academic achievement by setting high expectations for all students' and for all of the school's partners. The compact is only one piece of a larger family-school partnership focused on shared responsibility of the compact into a cohesive plan of action.

Under NCLB, schools must provide students' names, addresses, and telephone listings to military recruiters, when requested, unless a parent opts out of providing such information. A parent may opt out by notifying their school that they do not want his/her child's directory information released. Please contact Suzanne Drakes at 602-297-8500 or info@aaechighschools.com in order to have your information not released.