Teacher Qualification Notice

In an effort to keep parents informed about the qualifications of a teacher, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows parents to inquire at school whether their child(ren)’s teacher(s) have met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject taught.

Parents may inquire whether a teacher is under emergency or conditional certificate through which state qualifications were waived, and they may request information about undergraduate or graduate degrees the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area (s) of concentration.

North Thurston Public School’s annually conducts an audit of teacher assignments to assure that no teachers are assigned to areas for which they do not meet Washington State certification and/or endorsement requirements. Only on rare occasion does the District seek a waiver to certification. When this does occur, it is typically for a teacher who is within a few credits of completing the endorsement and is actively working on such completion. There are currently no teachers in our Title I schools providing student instruction under a state waiver.

Parents can also ask about paraprofessionals working with their child in reading, writing, or mathematics. We can tell you whether your child receives help from a paraprofessional and whether he/she meets state qualifications and or licensing requirements. All of our paraprofessionals that assist children in reading, writing or mathematics meet state qualifications.

Citizen Complaint Procedures

The following is an overview of the citizen complaint process. It is described fully in Chapter 392-168 WAC, Special Service Programs- Citizen Complain Procedure for Categorical Federal Programs. Find this WAC online: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=392-168

A citizen complaint is a written statement that alleges a violation of a federal rule, law or regulation or state regulation that applies to a federal program.

• Anyone can file a citizen complaint.
• There is no special form.
• There is no need to know the law that governs a federal program to file a complaint.

Follow steps 1 and 2 to complete the citizen complaint process.

1. File a Citizen Complaint with North Thurston Public Schools. Follow process outlined in Policy 4312 and Procedures 4312P in NTPS Policies & Procedures
2. If you are unable to reach a satisfactory solution, file a Citizen Complaint through OSPI. How to file a Citizen Complaint through OSPI

Title I, Part A is a federally funded program designed to help students who need extra support in school. Funds are given to each school district dependent on the number of low-income families in the district. Title I is based on the idea that all students can succeed. The state sets high academic standards that each child is expected to work toward achieving. North Thurston Public Schools, individual schools, and parents work together to plan programs to help children accelerate their learning.

To qualify for a school-wide program, a year of comprehensive planning is required, with district staff and outside technical assistance involved. The goal is to improve or restructure the instructional program while addressing the ten components of successful schools. In this program model, all low-achieving students can receive Title I service as needed. A school is eligible for this funding if it serves an attendance area where 44.1 percent or more of the children are from low-income families. The following schools are identified as having Title I, Part A school-wide programming in North Thurston Public Schools:

• Chambers Prairie Elementary
• Lacey Elementary
• Lydia Hawk Elementary
• Mountain View Elementary
• Pleasant Glade Elementary
• Seven Oaks Elementary

Each Title I school creates an individual school improvement plan that aligns program work and additional support school wide. The primary goal of the programming is to ensure all students, particularly those who are low achieving, demonstrate proficient and/or advanced levels on state achievement standards. High expectations and targeted support are hallmarks of our programming. Additional assistance to core instruction is provided using the following service delivery models:

• In-class supplemental model (Push-in)
• Pull-out class model 
• Before and after school support
• Summer school support in ELA for 3rd grade students
• Instructional Specialist Support

Buildings, in consultation with the district and the school support team, design programs and professional development activities that support their goals. Parent involvement and transition activities are key components in these plans.

Our schools are committed to continuous improvement. The school improvement plan is a living document and as such is reviewed and modified semi-annually to assess how well the plan is working and to document outcomes.

Parent Involvement

Parents are encouraged to participate in the design of their school’s yearly revision of the school improvement plan, participate on committees, to volunteer at school, to attend parent conferences and open house, and to work closely with their child at home and with the teachers at school. Parents are invited to participate in the planning of the district family involvement events and other parent activities available at their neighborhood schools. A Parent Compact and Parent Involvement Policy are developed with parents and distributed yearly to families. Many schools also have a Parent/Child Take-home Reading/Math program to encourage children to read at home.

We follow our district policy and procedures (4130 and 4130P) to ensure full compliance with District, State, and Federal regulations. The policy and procedures are reviewed annually.

All of our schools host a variety of events to garner parent participation in school programming. One such event is Open House. This event is held at the beginning of the year, a perfect time to review the school wide plan and to invite and educate families on how they can partner around their student’s schooling.  Parent conferences are another time we solicit parent involvement in school improvement planning. These happen both in October and March each year.  A parent survey is given to solicit information as well.  We are always looking to improve parent involvement. As such, we are seeking to reduce the barriers to greater participation. We have been discussing best practices and lessons learned in other schools and districts. Schools are implementing new strategies all the time. If you need more information about how to get involved, contact your school and ask how you can get involved!

Private Schools

Low-performing private school students who live within the Title I school attendance area are eligible for Title I services. Criteria similar to that of the public school may be used to determine student eligibility. Public and private school staff must collaborate on what services and settings are most appropriate and possible. Services must be secular, non-ideological, and equitable to those provided to public school students. Student academic progress must be reported to the district staff.