American Preparatory Academy

District Parent and Family Engagement Policy for Title I Schools

American Prep recognizes that parent and family engagement is key to student achievement. We provide many opportunities for parents and family members to participate in, and stay informed of, their student's academic achievement. 

American Preparatory Academy trains staff annually during pre-service and teacher academy on how to communicate, build meaningful connections, and otherwise involve parents/families and the school. These topics are reinforced during professional development opportunities throughout the year as needed.

Additional details regarding Parent and Family Engagement are available in the annual Parent-Student Handbooks (PSHB) which are distributed annually, posted on the school websites, and available in Spanish at our West Valley campuses.

A)    Participation

Parent/Guardian Involvement. Parents can influence the success of their student in school more ways than any teacher or federal program. As an active participant in the Title I parent involvement plan, parents will serve as role models, showing students that they support his/her education, by completing their commitments in the Parent Compact. These include communication with teachers, ensuring student attendance, reviewing the Learning Plans daily, etc.

Meetings and Events. Parents are expected to attend Parent-Teacher Conferences, State-of-the-School and Re-enrollment meetings, and Parent Orientation, where our Title I topics are covered. Additionally, parents and families are invited and encouraged to attend school and afterschool events such as: Show-What-You-Know Assemblies, Lights On/Lights Off, Parent University, Parent Club, and others.

Volunteerism. American Preparatory Academy may ask families to provide volunteer service to their student's school. Volunteers are needed in classrooms, in the offices, for special activities and programs and for home projects. The Family School Organization (FSO) President is a parent selected each year by the school administration. The FSO President works with the school as the volunteer coordinator for campus events or activities. He/she organizes parent volunteer committees as necessary. Academic Support Teams (AST) are parent volunteers organized at the classroom level. AST parent leaders and team members work with the teacher, in and out of the classroom with such things as communication, field trip transportation, events, and academic support. 

Parent Training. Parent Orientation meetings, Parent-Teacher Conferences, School-Parent-Student Compacts, FAFSA and Parent University workshops, Adult English Language, Love & Logic classes, Parent Empowerment nights, and newsletter columns are examples of American Prep opportunities for parents to learn how to help their student(s) succeed at school and in their homes and communities. Additionally, Lights On and Lights Off events, Parent Information Booths, and Outreach Programs provide information to connect parents and families with community and government resources. Translators are available for parent meetings at the school.

B)     Communication

Policies. Communication at American Prep, as outlined in our school vision, will be positively framed and undertaken in good faith by all parties. Anyone with a question or concern is to take it to the person most able to address it and to no one else. This allows for all members of the community to feel safe and valued, and to have confidence that all concerns will be addressed to the point of satisfaction. Feedback from all stakeholders is essential for the school to be continually engaged in a process of improvement, and feedback is more likely to be shared freely when stakeholders are confident their feedback will be carefully heard and addressed. We have established a clear communication channel (see PSHB) through which we invite parents to bring any concerns or questions they may have. A member of the governing board serves as the Parent Advocate and is identified in the communication channel to assist with unresolved issues. 

Learning Plans are implemented as a means to support the student and parent in the communication process. A learning plan is issued to each student. In the younger grades, teachers write the weeks' lessons, subjects covered, and assignments on the learning plan for the students. In the older grades, students will fill in the subject areas on the learning plan in each class each day. Parents review their elementary student's learning plan each night. When assignments are completed, parents will initial the learning plan. If a student is unable to finish an assignment, the parent is to circle and initial the assignment indicating they are aware of the assignment that must be completed.

Learning Management Systems are available for parents to access the status of grades and assignments at any time. ALMA is the online tool for elementary and Skyward is the tool for parents to view their secondary student's progress.

The Americanprep.org Website is an essential resource for parents and the community. It provides parents vital information such as Reading University book lists, meeting and event notices, the school calendar, and the current Parent-Student Handbook.

Weekly Newsletters are sent to families including a calendar of special events, meeting notices, and other activities.

Translation and Language Assistance are available to families whose primary language is not English. Communications will be sent out in the families' primary language. View the APA Translation and Interpretation Services Policy for more information. 

C)    Input

Parent Surveys. American Preparatory Academy solicits our parents' and staff members' views on our programs through anonymous surveys. Families have the opportunity to express their level of satisfaction with all aspects of American Prep's programs. Results are tabulated and reported in our annual Comprehensive Needs Assessment. Major points from the surveys and the schools' responses are communicated via the school newsletter.

Parent Advisory Committee. The PAC is a campus-level committee of parents, elected by parents. Parents on this committee participate in Land Trust Community Council work, including annual review of parent and family engagement plans, compacts, Teacher and Student Succcess Act plans, etc. They are also invited to participate in the annual review of the school's Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA). The CNA includes demographic, attendance, assessment, and behavior data (all de-identified), as well as results from the annual Parent Survey. Together, with a representative number of admin and other district/school staff, the PAC helps to develop the annual School Improvement Plan. Additionally the PAC and school improvement team utilize data collected from the CNA and Parent Surveys to identify needs and potential barriers to engagement of parents and families at the school, as well as strategies to support successful family-school interactions. Finally, PAC members are invited to participate as parents for site visit interviews required by accreditation, Title I, and other monitored activities.

The Americanprep.org Website provides opportunities for parents and family members to provide feedback using a confidential feedback form located under "Contact Us."