TransACT Blog

TransACT’s Parent Notices team looks forward to the National ESEA Conference every year. It gives us the opportunity to meet with and learn more about our current customers as well as stay up to date on the topics that are at the forefront for educators working in ESEA (ESSA) programs across the country. We’ve poured over the schedule and wanted to provide you with some presentations that we think would be worth checking out at the virtual National Association of ESEA State Program Administrator's Conference, February 8-11, 2021.  

TransACT ParentNotices supports compliance with federal Parent and Family Engagement Requirements under ESEA (ESSA), Section 504, and IDEA with expertly written and pre-translated mobile-friendly notifications that are written by federal programs experts. A subscription to ParentNotices includes unlimited, district-wide access to our federally-required notifications and parent engagement guidance. ParentNotices allows you to:

• store and standardize existing forms
• create new forms and automate approvals
• integrate class roster data from a student information system (SIS)
• send forms to parents and families on any device
• collect digital signatures when required
  

Remind is a communication software platform that enables two-way messaging to support the engagement between school districts and parents and families as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Millions of educators, students, and parents use Remind to connect with the people and resources that help them teach and learn. 

“We are excited to partner with Remind in support of enabling educators to engage with parents to improve outcomes for all students. Our ParentNotices users will be able to authentically engage parents in the services and support that they are eligible for under ESEA (ESSA), Section 504, IDEA and more, while also remaining compliant with federal and civil rights laws. We appreciate Remind for making this integration simple and intuitive for everybody involved and for the impact it is having on teachers and families across the country.” said Alex Jarzebowicz, CEO of TransACT Communications.

Family engagement in children’s academic lives produces numerous benefits for the student and the school. A focus on parent engagement can spur profound changes in classrooms. Involved parents often yield more positive experiences for everyone in the school system. Schools excel when parents support learning and classroom rules at home.

In December 2020, the U.S. Congress passed a funding bill that included the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), which included over $54.3 billion for K-12 education. This is approximately four times the funding provided to K-12 by the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act.

Online learning presents many challenges for learners. The challenges for English learners (ELs) and other student populations are also significant. Extenuating circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated these challenges for learners and reduced or eliminated peer-to-peer interaction in remote environments. Culturally and linguistically diverse students need opportunities to collaborate with peers, to draw on funds of knowledge and contribute to the learning of the class.

TransACT ParentNotices published a free resource to support school districts in keeping our communities informed, healthy, and safe on September 1st, 2020. As the holiday season often includes travel, we want to highlight the complimentary COVID-19 letter template for state and local education agencies, schools, and out-of-school-time programs. 

Effective school-to-home communication plays a vital role when it comes to achieving successful student outcomes. However, staying in compliance with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements when communicating with parents and family members can prove quite challenging for schools and districts, especially with the increases to Parent and Family Engagement requirements under ESSA.

Parents and families play an integral role in their children's education, and establishing meaningful two-way communication with them fosters student success. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) establishes communication guidelines with parents who do not proficiently speak English. The right technology supports schools’ compliance with these rules, especially when parents have limited English proficiency (LEP). 

Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a fiscal restriction called ‘Supplement not Supplant’ that includes federal, state, and local funds and laws. This means that if there is a federal, state, or local law that requires EL related programs, services, activities, or expenditures, then Title III funds cannot be used to pay for the things required by other laws. 

TransACT^® ParentNotices is an unlimited, district-wide subscription to expertly written, translated parent notifications. ParentNotices is aligned with federal communication requirements (including Civil Rights, ESSA, Section 504, and IDEA) and supports teachers in creating an inclusive communication strategy for all families. In a recent product update, TransACT ParentNotices released features to support parents in understanding the school's communications: a translated "Parent-View."