District Community Advisory Teams Handbook - Standard Operating Procedures APPROVED: April 5, 2021 - Fort Bend ISD
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Table of Contents Policy Cross Reference Sheet .......................................................................................................................2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................4 Philosophy ...................................................................................................................................................4 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................5 CAT Membership ..........................................................................................................................................6 Meeting Background & Structure .................................................................................................................8 Timeline ........................................................................................................................................................9 Exhibit 1: Agenda Example .........................................................................................................................10 Exhibit 2: Meeting Summary Example........................................................................................................11 District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 3 Approved 04.05.2021
Introduction Philosophy The Board believes that the highest levels of student success are best attained in a well-functioning, high- performing collaborative community of learners. Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) shall collaborate and partner with the community to support students to develop Profile of a Graduate attributes and to improve student outcomes and student achievement. Partnerships with the community are vital to the development of a true collaborative community with the District and within campuses and feeder patterns. District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 4 Approved 04.05.2021
Overview Background Obtaining constructive feedback from key community stakeholders is one of the high-level priorities for FBISD. It is vital to bring the community together to address key topics and help the District achieve transformative and collective impact in the community and across the District. In May 2019, the Board of Trustees adopted GK Policy Local to promote partnerships to inform, consult, collaborate and partner with key stakeholders in the community including: parents/guardians, nonprofit agencies, local business and industry, interfaith agencies, and community organizations. Partnerships and collaborations shall support the objectives and goals of the District and campus(es) and shall align with the Profile of a Graduate attributes. Community Advisory Teams Recognizing that needs vary across the District and by feeder pattern, the District will extend the “Inform, Consult, Collaborate, Partner” concept Inform outlined within GK Policy Local to create Community Advisory Teams (CATs) to discuss and seek feedback on key topics that align with District Partner goals and objectives. CATs will serve in an advisory capacity to help identify gaps in resources needed to support student learning and Consult Contribution development and inform the District’s efforts to address student and Levels community needs. CATs will be created for each feeder pattern to obtain feedback on key topics that are of importance to the District and understand specific needs, Collaborate challenges and opportunities within each feeder pattern. The intended outcome includes CAT members being well-informed on fundamental needs in their feeder pattern through a series of quarterly meetings. There is an intentional effort to ensure that the CATs include robust student and teacher engagement. This is evidenced by both middle school and high school student membership on CATs and teacher membership on the CAT as well as the opportunity for teachers to serve as breakout room facilitators. Composition CATs will include a core and diverse set of individuals representing campuses and District-approved groups within the feeder pattern and the community as illustrated in Table 1 below. Stakeholder groups include campus and instructional staff and leaders, members from Campus Planning Advisory Committees (which serve in an advisory role to the Principal), community members (e.g., health entities, local businesses, non-profit organizations), parents (e.g., parent organizations, volunteers) and secondary students. The recommended number and / or ratio for each stakeholder group are listed within the table. The District recommends no more than 50 members within each CAT to ensure that shared dialogue within each CAT meets the intended purpose and goals. District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 5 Approved 04.05.2021
CAT Membership Stakeholders Total Number of Members per Stakeholder Group District Administrator (acting in role of facilitator) 1 facilitator Facilitators can include staff from: • Department of School Leadership • Department of Collaborative Communities • Department of Organizational Transformation • Department of Social & Emotional Learning and Comprehensive Health Campus instructional staff & leaders 1 member per campus within the This may include individuals from the following positions: feeder • Teachers (Ranges from 6-12) • Counselors • Other professional staff • Campus administrator Campus Planning Advisory Committee (CPAC) members 1 member per campus • These members must also be parents at the school as this group is (Ranges from 6-12) serving in a dual role (CPAC member and parent) Community members 5 members (at least) This may include individuals from the following sectors and groups: • Health entity • Interfaith entity • Institutions of higher education • Local business • Non-profit organization Parents 1 member per campus within the This includes parents who have also served (but not limited) to the following feeder groups: (Ranges from 6-12) • Parent organizations (PTO, PTA, Booster Club, etc.) • Volunteer / VIPS Students 6 total members Students should exhibit the District’s Profile of a Graduate attributes. This (2 from the MS feeder campus/es) includes but is not limited to students involved in: (4 from the HS feeder campus) • Campus extracurricular activities and clubs (ex: volunteering, athletics, fine arts, etc.) Totals Maximum of 50 members * (Note: This does not include the District facilitator) District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 6 Approved 04.05.2021
Recruitment & Selection CAT members will be selected utilizing a thorough, objective approach to ensure diverse representation for each feeder pattern community. The District will work closely with the Communications team to disseminate messaging and garner interest from campuses and the community. Individuals interested in serving on the CAT will be asked to complete an application that will include questions related to their interest in serving on the committee, the feeder pattern they would like to represent and their experience supporting District and campus efforts. To ensure thorough student awareness of the opportunity to serve on a CAT, Collaborative Communities will collaborate with District Departments (DSL, Student Leadership, etc.) to ensure multiple communication venues are employed (Schoology communication, campus newsletter/announcements, engaging with Student Voices, etc.). A District-appointed staff and leadership team will review and assess each application and begin building out the CATs by feeder pattern with a lens on ensuring a diverse committee that represents the community and feeder pattern as broadly as possible. In the event there is insufficient membership within the feeder, the District will employ a nomination and / or referral process to ensure equity across all CATs with regard to numbers and participation within each group. In addition, the District will leverage support from existing stakeholder groups and committees (e.g., parent organizations, School Health Advisory Council, Volunteers in Public Schools, Gifted and Talented Advisory, etc.) to further promote and raise awareness. Roles & Responsibilities CAT Members • Attend all scheduled CAT meetings (approximately 4 times per year) • Be an active participant in the CAT meetings • Carefully and thoughtfully review the CAT meeting agendas in advance of the meetings and engage in productive dialogue with advisory team members • Remain objective to ensure that the CAT prioritizes the needs of students both District-wide (on District-specific topics) and within the feeder pattern (for feeder pattern-specific topics) District • Provide ongoing and consistent communication regarding District goals, objectives and strategic priorities • Assign committed District leaders to facilitate the CATs in each feeder pattern and provide additional staff as needed to serve as a resource during each meeting • Schedule quarterly meetings and establish key meeting norms • Assess campus needs across the District to help inform meeting agendas and prioritize support needed for all feeder patterns District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 7 Approved 04.05.2021
Meeting Background & Structure The CATs will meet approximately quarterly each academic school year to provide strategic guidance and insight on designated District topics. In addition, topics specific to a feeder pattern can also be discussed/addressed at these meetings. To establish consistency and alignment across each CAT, there will be a window of time established for each CAT to conduct the quarterly meetings (e.g., first two weeks of the month). The primary aim of the meetings is to ensure that every community has a voice. Through ongoing dialogue, the District aims to have a deeper level of engagement with the community to understand unique needs within each feeder pattern and receive input on key topics identified by District leadership. Agenda items could include: • The feeder pattern’s “Hopes and Dreams” which can include processing data and providing feedback on select District surveys • What is currently working well for students, staff and the community? • What is not working well for students, staff and the community? • Key questions from the Community Based Accountability Survey (CBAS) • Other topics as identified by District staff that could help inform District strategic planning efforts and initiatives. Meeting Facilitation Each CAT meeting will have a District-appointed facilitator to lead the meeting, ensure adherence to the established agenda and associated discussion topics and provide ongoing support. While subject to change, all meetings will occur in a virtual platform utilizing Zoom and breakout rooms to promote deeper discussion. Breakout Room Facilitation Professional staff across the District will be provided a leadership opportunity to serve as a District- appointed facilitator for small group / breakout room discussions among CAT members. This is an intentional opportunity by the District to support leadership development in teachers and staff members by investing in them with training on best practices and facilitation techniques. Professional staff (including but not limited to: campus administration, teachers, counselors, etc.) will be asked to self- nominate through submission of an online application form for consideration. Principal input will also factor into the selection of facilitators. Communication Feedback Meeting summary and next steps will be shared with CATs and posted on the District website within one week after each meeting. District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 8 Approved 04.05.2021
Timeline Date Action February 2021 Procedures brought to E-team for approval Week of March 29, 2021 Collaborative Communities/DSL notifies principals via PLCs and e- mail communication Week of April 5, 2021 Collaborative Communities to send second follow-up notification to principals Week of April 19, 2021 Communications Department to share opportunity with community at-large (e.g., Blackboard, social media, newsletter); Collaborative Communities to share opportunity with key stakeholders (e.g., VIPS, parent organizations, interfaith, etc.) April 19-30, 2021 Application window; Communications to send reminders about end submission date April 30, 2021 Application submission closes April 30 at 11:59pm Week of May 3, 2021 Collaborative Communities reviews applications received May 10-14, 2021 Implement supplemental nomination window (in the event of insufficient membership for a feeder pattern/s); Outreach to Principals (as necessary) for student and staff membership May 17-21, 2021 District-committee to review applications Week of May 31, 2021 Notify CAT members of acceptance July / August 2021 Communication to remind CATs of role, expectation and planned meetings for the year All dates below are tentative Late August/early September 2021 Kick-Off Meeting September 20-October 1, 2021 CAT Meeting 1 November 29-December 10, 2021 CAT Meeting 2 February 1-12, 2022 CAT Meeting 3 April 5-16, 2022 CAT Meeting 4: Close-Out District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 9 Approved 04.05.2021
Exhibit 1: Agenda Example AGENDA Community Advisory Team Feeder Community Advisory Teams (CATs) serve in an advisory capacity to Fort Bend Independent School District to help identify gaps in resources to support student learning and development and inform the District’s efforts to address student and community needs. PM Welcome District Facilitator PM Agenda Item 1 PM Agenda Item 2 PM Agenda Item 3 Adjournment Upcoming Meetings • November 2021 (insert window): • February 2022 • April 2022 District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 10 Approved 04.05.2021
Exhibit 2: Meeting Summary Example MEETING SUMMARY Community Advisory Team Feeder Community Advisory Teams (CATs) serve in an advisory capacity to Fort Bend ISD to help identify gaps in resources to support student learning and development and inform the District’s efforts to address student and community needs. The following agenda items encompass feedback from the meeting discussion. Please complete all sections, if possible, to guide the intended outcomes. (provide example to show each CAT what is expected) Create a table for each agenda item Agenda Item 1: • Best Practices: • Challenges / Barriers: • Expected Outcome: • Action Steps: • Overall recommendation: • Level of support: District Community Advisory Teams Handbook 11 Approved 04.05.2021
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