The Bells City School System is conducting a “Child Find” for children ages 3-21 who have special education needs. Child Find is required by the individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and the state of Tennessee. Children who have, or are suspected of having special needs may be eligible to receive free services. The services will include an evaluation for the child’s suspected needs and special services based on the identified needs which could include speech/language therapy, vision services, services for the hearing impaired an deaf child, services for gifted students, and those with learning disabilities. If you know of a child that may need special services call the Special Education Department at your local school or contact the principal of a school in your area. Anyone can refer a child.

Descriptive Report on Services to English Language Learners (ELL) STUDENT IDENTIFICATION Every student who enters the Bells City School System completes a language survey form to determine if there is the influence of a language other than English. This will identify any languages other than English that are: a. First learned or acquired by the student; b. Used by the student in the home; c. Used by the student with friends outside the home. Upon enrollment, all schools in the School System conduct the Home Language Survey. When a parent is non-English or limited English speaking, a bilingual translator is provided, if necessary. The principal and/or classroom teacher is responsible for ensuring that within four weeks of enrollment copies of the survey are filed in the permanent record folder of the student at the local school and one copy is distributed to the ESL Teacher/Coordinator, language assessment is provided, and results are communicated to parents. If a language other than English is identified in any of the Primary/Home Language Survey responses, the student will be identified as a potential ELL student. A language assessment, CELLA (Comprehensive English Language Learners Assessment), is conducted by the ESL teacher to determine language proficiency. Tennessee is by law an “English-only” state, and all instruction and assessment must be in English. Language instructional programs, such as ESL, designed to increase the English language proficiency must be based on sound educational research, theory, and practices. STUDENT LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT If entering at the beginning of the school year, within four weeks of enrollment and completion of the Home Language Survey, the ESL teacher administers the CELLA (Comprehensive English Language Learners Assessment) to identified students, and communicates the results and support services available to parents. Parents are given the option to waive services. Students are eligible for services in accordance with the state ESL guidelines. If entering after the school year has begun, the assessment and notification to parents must occur within 2 weeks. Assessment of English Language Proficiency. a. Students who are non-English language background will be administered the ELDA (English Language Development Assessment) each spring to determine their English language skills. b. Students who score less than proficient on any subtest of the ELDA are classified as ELL and provided services in the ESL program. c. Students are exited from ESL services when a proficient score is attained. d. All students served in the ESL program shall be administered the ELDA annually to re-establish eligibility or to determine readiness to exit, as well as to measure progress. These scores will be kept on file to document eligibility and provide data for submission to the State Department of Education regarding program accountability and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). e. All data related to student eligibility will be maintained in the student’s permanent folder and the ESL department. PROGRAM PARTICIPATION The ESL program is designed to meet the educational needs of ELL students. The ESL curriculum provides for the development of English language proficiency skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Primarily, the ESL curriculum guide emphasizes the development of competency in language acquisition. ESL services must be based on the student’s needs. The following guidelines are used in determining instructional services: ESL Services: a. Must be delivered by a certified teacher with English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement, or a certified teacher pursuing the additional endorsement. b. Provided by an educational assistant must be under the supervision of an ESL teacher. c. Must be delivered during the regular school day, although supplemental support may include tutorials after school or summer school programs. d. For beginner or intermediate level ELL students must be provided daily, or if daily services are not possible, equivalent with approval by the State Department of Education. e. Grades and classroom success must be monitored by the ESL department or ESL teacher. f. ELL students are entitled to modifications in content and grading to the extent that they can be successful. Students cannot be failed based solely on language proficiency. Staffing and resources are provided sufficient for adequate and effective implementation. g. Parents of ELL students are provided communication in a language they understand, to the extent practicable. STUDENT PLACEMENT AND SERVICES ESL student identification and services should be based on the guidance provided in the Tennessee ESL Program Guide. As an initial step in placement the ESL teacher and Guidance Counselor conduct a review of prior educational records. If educational records or achievement test scores are not available, or the records indicate the student is not achieving on grade level, the district will administer the CELLA to determine appropriate level of services. A Cumulative Profile sheet on each student who is assessed is placed in the permanent record and also a copy is kept with the ESL teacher. Current and/or past grades, if applicable, will be considered in the placement process. These services are offered as needed: a. Modification of regular classroom assignments and tests b. Pull out individual or small group instruction by an ESL teacher. c. Appropriate technology activities / other instructional activities. d. Peer tutoring q After-school and summer programs, if offered q Parent involvement. e. Other special programs / supplemental services for which the student qualifies f. Monitoring academic progress of ELL students. The district has a policy that ensures age appropriate grade level placement and prohibits retention based solely on lack of English language skills. Students who are documented as ELL are also entitled to other services, as appropriate. Language proficiency cannot be criteria for exclusion. Other possible services include Title I, Special Education, Gifted and Talented, or Vocational Education programs. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PERSONNEL ESL COORDINATOR a. Recommends, implements, and maintains program policies, procedures, schedules, and budgets. b. Ascertains that the goals and requirements of the program are met. c. Supervises annual system-wide Home Language Survey of national origin minority students. d. Supervises annual English proficiency testing, including ordering of testing materials, dissemination, development, and maintenance of records. e. Monitors the progress of exited students. f. Coordinates ESL services with all other departments of the school system. g. Plans staff development activities in conjunction with the Supervisor of Instruction. h. Meets regularly with program staff and other school system administrators. i. Oversees the preparation and dissemination of program communications such as brochures, videotapes and newsletters. j. Coordinates and disseminates project reports. PRINCIPAL: a. Ensures student enrollment forms, including the Home Language Survey, are completed for each student enrolling in the School and will be maintained in the cumulative folder. b. Informs the ESL teacher serving the school of new arrivals. c. Provides appropriate / comparable space for ESL instruction. d. Ensures that ELL students are provided appropriate ESL services. ESL TEACHER: a. Enforces policies and regulations as established by the Board of Education. b. Creates and maintains an instructional climate that is conducive to learning. c. Assists with the identification of ELL students using appropriate assessment instruments. d. Plans and implements ESL instruction based on diagnosed needs of each individual student. e. Evaluates student performance in the ESL class and provides classroom teachers with input regarding progress. f. Maintains records on each student attending the ESL class. g. Attends professional development for increasing knowledge of ESL strategies and methodology. h. Provides information on ELL students to state and federal agencies when requested. i. Assists ELL students in understanding American culture and encourages all students to understand other cultures. j. Functions as a resource member of the local school staff. q Conducts in-service training for staff on ESL intervention and instructional strategies. REGULAR EDUCATION TEACHER: a. Ensures student enrollment forms, including the Home Language Survey, are completed for each student enrolling in the School and will be maintained in the cumulative folder. b. Communicates closely with the ESL teacher regarding the ELL student’s progress and class assignments. c. Provides to the ESL teacher required information for completing reports to state and federal agencies. d. Takes advantage of staff development opportunities to increase understanding of ELL students’ needs and to learn effective ESL strategies. e. Modifies tests and assignments when needed and appropriate. TRANSITION AND EXIT TRANSITIONAL ELL STUDENTS Support services for transitional ELL students can take many forms, depending on the individual needs of the student. The Coordinator of the ESL program or the ESL teacher should monitor the student’s performance in the classroom by checking the student’s report card and test scores and by discussing each student’s progress with the classroom teacher. Students are offered other services as appropriate. EXIT CRITERIA Students exit from ESL services based on proficiency in all areas of language- listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The criterion used to document the student’s proficiency is proficiency determined by ELDA scores in reading, writing, listening and speaking and must be provided to support the decision to exit a student from the program. Other criteria to be considered if proficiency is determined by ELDA are ESL Coordinator approval, teacher recommendations, TCAP scores, classroom performance and if applicable M-Team recommendations. . ELL students are monitored for 2 years after meeting exit criteria. These are considered transitional years to ensure grade level success. The first monitoring year the ELL student is classified as T1 (transitional 1), and the second monitoring year the student is classified as T2 (transitional 2). These two additional years allow for the student to be counted as ELL for district reporting. If indications arise that the T1 or T2 ELL student is not being successful, then support services are again offered, based on student needs. Services could be limited to a specific content area, or the student could be offered ESL Program services again, if necessary. PROGRAM EVALUATION a. All students are eligible to enroll regardless of immigrant status. b. If a student does not have a social security number, a pin number is assigned. c. Our district has effective procedures to identify and assess students who have a primary or home language other than English. d. An annual needs assessment is conducted with all appropriate personnel and support staff providing input to aid in determining program effectiveness and to identify areas of need. e. Our district maintains a database containing information on students who have a primary or home language other than English which includes: § Date of Entry § Date of birth § Grade level § Home Language § Current School § Achievement test data § Proficiency Level § Supplemental Programs participation. PROGRAM MONITORING Our district annually completes the state LEP survey, which reports the number of ELL students being served by each school. This information is used to determine the staffing necessary to meet the needs of ESL students for each school year. Our district communicates important school information to ELL parents in a language that they can understand, to the extent practicable. Bells City School has a procedure whereby the parents or legal guardians may waive alternative language services for their child. Our district informs the parents of the potential educational implications of waiving these services. Students who are no longer eligible because of proficiency in English, or those who never qualified for ELL status, must be reported to the state department of education as Non-English Language Background (NELB) on the annual data collection survey. Grades, academic progress in English and content areas, retention rates, drop-out rates, participation in other programs, graduation rates, and performance on state assessments are all monitored and/or reported. Any deficiencies found in providing adequate language support services will be corrected and a timeline for implementation provided.

BELLS CITY SCHOOL Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Directory Information Notice The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, requires that Bells City School, with certain exceptions, obtain parents written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records. Student’s parent(s) or eligible students have the right to: 1. Inspect and review the student’s education records; 2. Seek correction of items in the record which are believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights, including the fight to a hearing upon request; 3. File a complaint with the appropriate state or federal officials when the school system violates laws and regulations relative to students records; 4. Obtain a copy of this policy and a copy of such educational records; 5. Exercise control over other people’s access to the records, except when prior written consent is given, or under circumstances as provided by law or regulations, or where the school system has designated certain information as “directory information.” Parent(s) of students or eligible students have two weeks after notification to advise the school system in writing of items they designate not to be used as directory information. The records custodian will mark the appropriate student records for which directory information is to be limited, and this designation will remain in effect until it is modified by the written direction of the student’s parent(s) or the eligible student. DIRECTORY INFORMATION “Directory information” means information contained in an education record of a student which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. It includes, but is not limited to the student’s name, address, telephone listing, electronic mail address, photograph, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, grade level, enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate; full-time of part-time), participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, degrees, honors and awards received, and the most recent educational agency or institution attended. If student’s parent(s) or eligible students do not want Bells City School to disclose directory information from their child’s education records without their prior written consent they must notify the school district in writing each school year by August 15.

TO: Parents of Bells City School FROM: Charles Williams, Director of Schools Charlotte White, Federal Programs Director RE: Parental Notification Under No Child Left Behind Act Your child attends a school receiving federal funds under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title Programs. This money is used, based upon, and implemented through the Tennessee Consolidated Planning and Needs Assessment Process. Title I of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, Pub. L. 107-110 requires support of parents’ right-to-know about educational issues in the Bells City School System. As a parent, you have a right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher(s) and any paraprofessional providing support to your child. All of our teachers and paraprofessionals are highly-qualified according to state standards. If you have questons regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher, please contact Charlotte White, Federal Programs Director. Bells City School is not a school identified for school improvement. As reported on the State Department of Education currently released 2005-2006 report card, Bells Elementary School is in good standing. Our school met the state goals in Language/Arts and Math. To access further information about our student progress, including assessment results and overall school and building performance, go to http://www.state.tn.us/education/. Click on: Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, then click on: Test Results, next click on: Tennessee Report Card, lastly click on: Parts I, II, III, IV, or V and on select a system, click on: Bells. At this website you will also find that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has awarded accreditation to Bells City School. Accreditation is based upon an evaluation of each school to determine if the needs of the students and community, as well as, the standards of the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools, are being met. Should Bells City School employ a teacher for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet the highly qualified requirements, parents of students will receive notification. Bells City School provides all parents information about the achievement level of their child on each state academic assessment. These reports are sent to each parent as soon as the results are received from the state department. Bells City School provides a program for Limited English Proficiency students. When a child registers for school, a Home Language Survey is completed. If a language other than English is spoken by the student or in the home, the school will assess the child’s language proficiency to determine his/her eligibility for Bells City School’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. Criteria utilized to determine eligibility are on file and available upon request from parents. Crockett County Migrant Education provides services to Bells Elementary students. A recruiter/advocate contacts families that may qualify as migrant. Services are determined as a result of these interviews with the family. Criteria utilized to determine eligibility are on file and available upon request. Parental involvement policies were sent home with each student. This fall we hope to include the policy in the student handbook. Meetings are held each year which provide information about Title I programs and to answer any and all questions, receive feedback, ideas, etc. from parents concerning their children and the title programs. School-parent-student compacts are given out at the beginning of the school year, which are signed, returned, and kept on file at school. These compacts are reviewed and updated, as needed, by parents during the year. Bells City School System is required to notify all parents that we have Title I services in our school. Bells Elementary Title I is an inclusion program that offers assistance to students that may need extra help in the areas of reading and math. Students must meet certain qualifications to be eligible for this service. Our school has qualified for either Targeted Assistance Title I Program or Schoolwide Title I Program. At this time we are a Targeted Assistance School. This program allows us to limit this special service to children who need it the most. At our spring parent meeting a vote is taken to determine if we should continue as a Targeted Assistance Program or change to a Schoolwide Program. Bells Elementary School is a safe and drug-free school. We are proud to announce that our school system was the recipient of a Safe School System Award given by the Tennessee School Board Association. We provide students with a safe environment to learn. Some of our teachers have been trained by the Tennessee School Safety Center to implement a No Bullying program. Although some of our teachers have been through the training, the program emphasis will be taught by our guidance counselor in our guidance classes. If and when there is a need, Bells City School System will provide written notice to the parents of each child enrolled in a separate school for homeless children of the choice of schools that homeless children are eligible to attend, that no homeless child is required to attend a separate school, and that homeless children must be provided transportation services, educational services, and meals through school meal programs. Bells City School System strives to provide all students with complete privacy rights. Parents have the right to inspect all records, instructional materials, and any instrument used to collect personal information from their child. All personal data information, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, etc. are used only by school personnel, and are never disclosed without the written permission of a parent or guardian. Under the Tennessee State Board of Education’s Unsafe School Choice Policy, any public school student who is the victim of a violent crime as defined under Tennessee Code Annotated 40-38-111(g), or the attempt to commit one of these offenses as defined under Tennessee Code Annotated 39-12-101, shall be provided an opportunity to transfer to another grade-level appropriate school. A copy of the incident report will be given to the parents of the victim.

Introduction The Bells Elementary School Family and Community Involvement Plan is based on a framework through which families, educators, and communities can work together to improve teaching and learning. The parent involvement provisions in Title I, Part A relative to the Bells Elementary School System consolidated application reflect shared accountability between schools and families. Our parental involvement plan involves flexibility, addresses local needs, and builds parents’ capacity to improve their own children’s academic achievements. The district employs personnel and allocates resources to implement and support the family and community involvement plan in accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA). Parents are offered insight into their child’s education and the professional qualities of teachers. Research shows when parents are involved in education, children do better in school and schools improve. Our school system encourages involvement from family and community stakeholders in the development of Bells Elementary School’s Family and Community Involvement Policy and Plan. Purpose The participation of parents (individually or by group) in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involves a focus on student academic learning and other school activities. Barriers which prevent meaningful interaction of family and community stakeholders are identified and efforts are made to eliminate these factors. One example, efforts are made to involve parents in the education of their children by sending all parent correspondence in a written language the parent can understand. General Information Goal 1: Improve the quality of family and community interaction. To ensure parents are involved in school, we invite parents to open house, which is an open meeting that is held at the beginning of school, at a convenient time. The purpose of this meeting is to inform parents of all programs available at the school, and their right to be involved. Our school involves parents in an ongoing and timely way to plan, review, and improve programs related to the Bells Elementary School’s Family and Community Involvement Policy and Plan. Regular meetings with flexible scheduling are held throughout the year, such as parent-teacher conferences, PTO meetings, parent volunteers, after school programs, and parenting classes that focus on improving parenting skills. The importance of communication between school and home on an ongoing basis whether in conferences, reports to parents, or through other means is emphasized as a part of family and community involvement. As a part of our emphasis on the importance of communication, our school provides parents with timely information about programs including a description and explanation of the curriculum, access to all learning materials relative to their child’s education, their children’s official records, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the proficiencies students are expected to meet. Reasonable access to staff and opportunities to volunteer and participate in student activities are also means through which communication is facilitated. To ensure the fullest possible parental participation, interpreters and/or written translations of printed material in a language or uniform format they understand are provided to parents with Limited English Proficiency, parents with disabilities, and parents of migratory children. Goal 2: Increase family and community understanding of the school setting as it relates to student achievement. Bells Elementary School jointly develops, with parents, a school-parent compact that outlines how parents, school staff, and students share responsibility for improved student academic achievement. This is accomplished, in part, by addressing homework, discipline, and attendance as factors that affect the level of student achievement. This compact describes the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables students to meet the State Academic Achievement Standards. The compact addresses the ways in which each parent and child will be responsible for supporting the child’s learning. Goal 3: Develop a monitoring and evaluative structure that ensures effective implementation of family and community involvement. The school shall appoint a parent advisory committee that will annually assess, through consultation with other parents and appropriate quantitative or qualitative assessments such as family, community, and stakeholder surveys, the effectiveness of the Family and Community Engagement Program. Survey data and student achievement data are reviewed in both aggregate and disaggregate formats. The committee will determine what action needs to be taken, if any, to increase parental and community participation. We continue to be in the process of monitoring and adjusting effective family and community involvement activities to not only meet, but also attempt to exceed local, state, and federal standards. Expected Results The provisions of our Family and Community Involvement Plan and Policy reflect our attempt to achieve best practice strategies to engage families in helping to educate their children, because students do better when parents are actively involved in the educational process, both at home and at school. Expected results of our plan and policy seek to achieve more than the goals stated in our plan. Ultimately through family and community involvement there will be other indicators of success which are: (1) higher grades, (2) improved test scores, (3) improved school attendance, and (4) long term success for students that enables them to become productive members of society. *In implementing parent involvement programs, activities, and procedures, the school may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. Title VI, Title IX, and Title II.

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Last Revised: October 1, 2007