1. Effingham County Middle School Annual Title I Parent Meeting September 22, 2016 9:00 A.M. Parents and Schools Partners in Education

3. Our Mission Statement As a community of learners, in cooperation with stakeholders, our mission at ECMS and for our district is: To provide rigorous and relevant instruction in a safe environment to enable all students to obtain a high school diploma as a foundation for post secondary success.

4. What is Title I? Title I is the largest federally funded program for elementary, middle, and high schools. Through Title I, money is given to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Title I funds help educators improve teaching and learning in economically disadvantaged communities. Each district uses Title I money for extra educational services for children most in need of educational help. The focus of the Title I program is on helping all students meet the same high standards expected of all children. *The focus of all Title I programs is to help eligible students meet the same high academic achievement standards expected of all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status and background.

5. Guyton Elementary Rincon Elementary Sand Hill Elementary Springfield Elementary Effingham County Middle School

6. How does our school spend Title I money? Reduction in Numbers Teachers Interventionist & Parent Liaison Salaries Literacy Coach Math 180 Intervention & Professional Development Math/Science Night

7. Our Participation in Title I ECMS is Schoolwide Title I. This means that school staff work to improve the school’s educational program in an effort to increase the achievement of all students, particularly those who are low achieving and thus could benefit from extra support or services.

8. What are our school’s Title I schoolwide requirements? High quality instruction Strategies and methods to improve teacher quality and professional development A comprehensive needs assessment that identifies the school’s strengths and challenges in key areas that affect student achievement. A developed comprehensive schoolwide plan that describes how it will achieve the goals it has identified as a result of its needs assessment. The school annually evaluates the outcomes and the plan’s implementation to determine whether the academic achievement of all students, and particularly of low-achieving students, improved, whether the goals and objectives contained in the plan were achieved, and if the plan is still appropriate as written. 40% of students enrolled receive free/reduced meals Title I requirements apply to, and opportunities are available to, all students, parents/guardians, and staff of the school Schoolwide program use Title I funds to increase the amount and quality of learning time. In this way, they embrace a high-quality curriculum, according to a comprehensive plan that ensures all children meet the state's challenging academic standards. Schoolwide program serve all children in a school. All staff, resources, and classes are part of the overall Schoolwide program.

9. What is our school’s Designation Status and what does this mean? Under the 2015 renewal of Georgia’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver, certain Title I schools continue to be designated as Reward, Priority, or Focus Schools. The Waiver allows the use of the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) as the comprehensive report card for all schools in Georgia — measuring how well the school is doing in areas such as achievement, progress, and challenge. Points are awarded in these areas based on Subject areas such as reading and math, and closing achievement gaps among groups of students. ECMS CCRPI score added up to 69.9 for 2015- 2016. ECMS has not been given a Priority or Focus school designation this year, which means we are a Title I school that is continuing to provide a quality education to all of our students.

10. Our Schoolwide Goals Goal 1: Increase % of students performing above the “Beginning” level on the 2017 GMAS ELA subtest by 5%. Goal 2: Increase % of students performing above the “Beginning” level on the 2017 GMAS Math subtest by 3%. Goal 3: Increase CCRPI points from 69 to 74 during the 2016-17 school year. Goal 4: Increase school climate by decreasing number of referrals (events) by 5% and decreasing numbers of students with chronic absences (6 or more) by 5%.

11. Programs/supports in place at ECMS to help your child Literacy Block Read 180 Math 180 Morning/Afternoon Tutoring

12. What curriculum does our school use? ECMS uses the county-wide approved curriculum Georgia Standards of Excellence

13. What tests will my child take? 6 th Grade – Georgia Milestones (ELA and Math); Benchmark (Social Studies, Science); Common Unit Assessments (ELA, Math) 7 th Grade – Georgia Milestones (ELA and Math); Benchmark (Social Studies, Science); Common Unit Assessments (ELA, Math) 8 th Grade – Georgia Milestones (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (Online); Benchmark (Science, Social Studies); Common Unit Assessments (ELA, Math)

14. How do these test measure my child’s progress? These tests provide parents, school leaders, teachers, and students with a good idea of how the students are performing. The Milestones is cumulative and is based on the standards that students have been taught throughout the current school year.

15. What proficiency level is my child expected to meet? 6 th – 8 th Grade students can score at four different performance levels: Beginning Learner: These students need substantial academic support to be prepared for the next grade. (When these assessments are used to determine promotion, students in this level will not be promoted to the next grade.) Developing Learner: These students need additional academic support to ensure success in the next grade. Proficient Learner: These students are prepared for the next grade level and are considered to be on track for college and career readiness. Distinguished Learner: These students are well ‐ prepared for the next grade level and are well ‐ prepared for college and career readiness.

16. Parents Right To Know As the parent of a child in a Title I school, you have the right to: Be involved in the planning and implementation of the parent involvement program in your school Ask to read the progress reports on your child and school Request information about the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher(s) including the degrees and certifications held, and whether the teacher is certified in their respective area of instruction Help to decide if Title I is meeting your child’s needs, and offer suggestions for improvement Ask about your child’s school designation under the new Georgia ESEA Flexibility Waiver Know if your child has been assigned, or taught by a teacher who is not highly qualified for at least four consecutive weeks Help develop your school’s plan for how parents and schools can work together

17. What is ESEA Public School Choice? Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year those Title I schools that were required to offer Choice due to the school's NCLB school improvement status, were no longer required to offer Choice under ESEA but rather follow Georgia’s Intradistrict Transfer option. Georgia’s Intradistrict Transfer option allows parents of students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school in Georgia to elect to enroll their student in a public school that is located within the school district in which the student resides other than the one to which the student has been assigned by the local board of education if such school has classroom space available after its assigned students have been enrolled. The parent shall assume the responsibility and cost of transportation of the student to and from the school.

18. How does our school spend Title I money? Materials for Parent Resource Area Chrome books for Parent Resource Area Family Transition Nights(Building Bridges) Supplies for Academic Workshops, meetings and training sessions at ECMS 1% of our Title I Budget is for Parent Involvement

19. What is required by law for parent involvement? District Parent Involvement Policy: Title I, which is part of the NCLB law, is the largest federal elementary and secondary education program. Title I funds help educators improve teaching and learning in economically disadvantaged communities. Because parents are so important for children’s success, Title I schools and school districts must have a plan that makes parents partners in their children’s education. School Improvement Plan: This plan is required by law and is a document that keeps a school focused and on track as school staff work together throughout the school year towards overall improvement and success for every student. School Parent Involvement Policy: A parent involvement policy tells you how the school will work with you and other parents to help all the students in the school meet high academic standards School-Parent Compact: A commitment and plan of action that helps children do well in school. The compact is a written agreement that spells out roles and responsibilities. It is a jointly developed plan that outlines what teachers, other school staff and parents need to do to help all students meet state education standards. Upon approval, copies of the 2016-2017 School Parent Involvement Policy and School-Parent compact will be provided to parents/students.

20. What opportunities does the school provide for keeping parents informed & parent involvement? Parent Teacher Conferences Open House Flyers School Messenger – Emails, Phone Calls School Website Parent Surveys Panther Parents Association Volunteer Opportunities School Council Parent Resource Area Reading and Math resources for home (Classworks) Parent University-Effingham Family Learning Nights/Workshops Title I meetings

21. Effingham County Middle School 1659 Highway 119 South Guyton, GA 31312 P: 912.772.7001. F: 912.772.7005 April Hodges, Principalahodges@effingham.k12.ga.us Travis Dickey, Assistant Principaltdickey@effingham.k12.ga.us Ginger Kessler, Assistant Principalgkessler@effingham.k12.ga.us Lyn Long, Instructional Supervisor llong@effingham.k12.ga.us Mikki Thomas, Parent Liaisonmthomas2@effigham.k12.ga.us

22. QUESTIONS/Evaluations

23. Thank you for being involved with your child’s education!