Communication Plans

1
Communication Plans

• Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board
• 2003

2
Informed, Involved Parents

• A number of initiatives are planned or under way
  to provide better information and give parents
  more opportunities for involvement.
• Learning for Life
• Planning for Student Success
• N.S. Dept. of Ed. 2002

3
Comprehensive and Effective Communication

• It is essential that communication with parents
  regarding their childrens learning foster and
  maintain successful home-school partnerships
• Reporting Policy Framework, N.S. Dept. of Ed.
  Pilot Draft September 2002

4
Effective Communication

• Consistency
• Clarity
• Opportunity

5
Boards need to ensure that comprehensive
policies, procedures, and practices are in place
to provide

• Information about the expected learning outcomes
  of the provincial program
• Timely and meaningful information about student
  progress and achievement in relation to expected
  learning outcomes
• Opportunities for parents and students to engage
  actively in the communication process

6
Proactive

• It is essential that parents/guardians be
  informed as soon as possible when their children
  are experience difficulties.

7
Comprehensive Communication Implementation

• Implementation of the Schools Communication Plan
  and the Teachers Communication Plan will begin
  in September 2003

8
Key Components of Comprehensive Communication
Include

• The Schools Communication Plan
• The Teachers Communication Plan

9
The Schools Communication Plan

• The schools communication plan outlines how
  information on student learning will be
  communicated to parents during the year.

10
The Schools Communication Plan

• The schedule for reports, formal meetings, and
  parent-teacher conferences
• The range of formal and informal communication
  methods used by school throughout the year
• The protocol for parent communication with the
  school including contact information
• Individual school practices (e.g., school Web
  site, newsletters, homework hot-line)

11
Roles and Responsibilities

• Principals
• -The Education Act requires principals to
  -communicate regularly with parents of the
  students 38(2)(d)
• -ensure that provincial and school board
  policies are followed 38(2)(f)
• -The principal is responsible for the
  Schools Communication Plan which should be sent
  to parents in September. It is expected that the
  Schools Advisory Council and school staff will
  contribute to the development of the plan.

12
The Teachers Communication Plan

• -provides an overview of the instructional
  program
• -describes how the teacher will communicate
  further information on the program during the
  year
• -invites parents to communicate with the teacher

13
The Teachers Communication Plan

• Outlines what formal and informal methods the
  teacher will use to communicate with parents
  about their childrens learning
• Indicates what parents might expect to receive,
  for example annotated samples of student work
  that demonstrate the students progress toward
  expected learning outcomes
• The plan should be a reader friendly/no longer
  than necessary.

14
The Teacher Communication Plan Should Include

• An overview of the program/course
• The teachers expectations of the students for
  learning success
• Information on the variety of ways that student
  learning will be assessed
• Information on evaluation procedures
• The range of formal and informal communication
  methods used by the teacher
• The ways in which the parent can initiate
  communication with the teacher

15
Teacher Communication Plan

• The plan should be a reader-friendly document and
  be no longer than necessary to include the
  information noted above
• Communicate with parents about adaptations/accommo
  dations
• Communicate with parents about individual program
  plans

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Roles and Responsibilities

• Teachers
• -Teachers have a special responsibility to
  explain accurately what progress students have
  made in their learning and to respond to parent
  and student inquiries about learning
• -The Education Act requires teachers to
• -review regularly with students their learning
  expectations and progress26(1)(h)
• -communicate regularly with parents in accordance
  with policies established by the school board
  26(1)(r)
• The teacher is responsible for the Teachers
  Communication Plan