Family & School Partnerships
To foster a strong sense of belonging, SMFCSD recognizes and values the linguistic and cultural diversity that our multilingual families bring to our community. We believe that family participation is an important factor in students’ success. Families are empowered by building collaborative relationships with the SMFCSD community.
SMFCSD's mission around multilingual learner family engagement is to create effective family-school partnerships that support student and school improvement. The goal is to build the capacity of both multilingual families and schools to connect family engagement with learning and engage families in diverse roles (advocates, supporters, monitors, co-creators, models) to improve student and school outcomes.
To strengthen students' learning and achievements, parents have the opportunity to participate in multiple district and school gatherings such as Parent-Teacher Conferences, District English Language Advisory Committee, English Language Advisory Committee, Parent Teacher Association, Back-To-School Nights, Open Houses, Town Halls, monthly Board Meetings, Coffee with the Principal and Superintendent, among others.
Resources for Multilingual Families
- Multilingual Family Brochures
- ELPAC
- Reclassification
- Attendance
- Know Your Rights
- Parent-Teacher Conferences
Multilingual Family Brochures
Multilingual Family Brochures
English
Español
Folleto para Familias de Estudiantes Multilingües
Diagrama de ELPAC y Reclasificación
Preguntas frecuentes sobre ELPAC
Criterio de Salida para Reclasificación
Folleto de Recursos Familiares
Folleto sobre la importancia de la Asistencia
Mandarin
多语言学习者家庭手册
ELPAC 和重新分类流程图
ELPAC常见问题解答
重新分类退出标准
家庭资源手册
为什么出勤很重要
ELPAC
ELPAC
English Language Proficiency Assessments for California
What's the ELPAC?
ELPAC stands for English Language Proficiency Assessments for California. There are two different kinds of ELPAC: the Initial ELPAC and the Summative ELPAC.
Initial ELPAC: Only administered once
Summative ELPAC: Administered once a year until a student demonstrates English proficiency and meets all reclassification criteria.
Why does my child have to take the Initial ELPAC?
When you first enrolled your child in a public CA school, you indicated on the Home Language Survey (HLS) that a language other than English is spoken in the home. The ELPAC helps the district determine the level of your child's understanding of the English language and whether they will need English Language Development (ELD) support.
Why was my child identified as an English Learner?
Students are identified as English Learners if they did not demonstrate English proficiency on the Initial ELPAC. A student will receive one of the following designations based off the answers to the Home Language Survey questions and/or the results of the Initial ELPAC.
What do the different designations mean?
- EL - English Learner
- IFEP - Initially Fluent English Proficient
- RFEP - Reclassified English Proficient
- EO - English Only
- LTEL - Long-Term English Learner
What kind of support will my child receive as an English Learner?
Students who are identified as English Learners receive additional support at the classroom level in the form of designated English Language Development (ELD) and integrated ELD.
How often does my child have to take the ELPAC?
Students will take the Summative ELPAC once a year until they demonstrate English proficiency and meet all of the reclassification criteria.
Introduction to the Initial ELPAC
English
Spanish
ELPAC Overview
English
Spanish
Reclassification
RECLASSIFICATION
What does reclassification mean?
Reclassification can be thought of as an English Language Learner’s (ELL) language graduation. It is the process of determining that an ELL has become Fluent English Proficient (RFEP). It is a major milestone and accomplishment for all English Learners.
What's the reclassification criteria?
At SMFCSD, English Learners must meet the following criteria* to be eligible for reclassification. Once the district has determined that a student meets all criteria, the family will be contacted for consent.
- Overall score of 4 on the Summative ELPAC
- Receive a passing score on the Basic Skills Assessment
- Nearly Met, Met, or Exceeded
- Scores from either the District Literacy Assessment or the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) may be used to fulfill this area
- Receive the teacher's recommendation to reclassify
*Keep in mind that students with an IEP or 504 plan have different criteria for reclassification. Please visit one of the following links for more information.
Pathways for Students with an IEP
Pathways for Students with a 504 Plan
How many opportunities does my child have to reclassify?
At SMFCSD, students have many opportunities to reclassify throughout the school year. Currently, students can reclassify three times a year: fall, winter, or spring/summer.
Basic skills assessments are administered during the fall, winter, and spring/summer and these scores, along with the most up-to-date ELPAC scores, are used to determine whether a student is eligible to reclassify.
Why is it important that my child reclassifies?
Attendance
Why Attendance Matters
Going to school every day helps children:
- Develop reading and math skills
- Have more opportunities to practice new skills
- Cultivate social and emotional skills
- Feel prepared for class every day
- Feel prepared for next year
What are the benefits of attending school daily?
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Preschoolers are more likely to build skills and develop good habits for showing up on time.
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Elementary students are more likely to read well by the end of third grade
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Middle and high school students pass their classes and stay on track to graduate
From kindergarten to 2nd grade, children learn to read. From 3rd grade onwards, they read to learn. This means that if a child does not read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade, they will most likely fall behind in school.
District Protocol
Know Your Rights
Know Your Rights
Multilingual learner families have several rights in our district. These include the following:
The right to enroll and attend K-12 public education
Your child has the legal right to go to school without fear of deportation or discrimination. You don’t have to show an alien registration number, social security number, or any other proof of citizenship or immigration status to get your child enrolled in school.
The right to be free from discrimination
Your child has the right to feel safe and welcome in the classroom, free from bullying and harassment. Schools have a legal obligation to ensure that students are not denied opportunities, treated differently, discriminated against, or harassed because of their race, color, or national origin.
The right to learn English and get translation services
If you are not fluent in English, you have the right to ask for interpretation services when you meet with your child’s teacher, the school principal or any other staff from the school or the school district that doesn’t speak your language. English learners (EL) students have the right to receive appropriate language assistance services to become proficient in English and to participate equally in their education.
The right to be informed and participate in schools
Parents have the legal right to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss their child’s progress in school, receive student testing results, and have access to their students’ records. Parents also have the right to participate in the development of school rules, and be a member of school councils and committees.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
During the school year, teachers will invite you to come to parent-teacher meetings (also called conferences) in the fall, and sometimes, there will be an additional conference in the spring for elementary students. This is very common in the United States. If you are invited to a conference, it doesn't mean your child is in trouble! Teachers try to meet with all parents. You can also ask for a conference any time.
Additional Resources
Unidos SMFC
Semillas
Semillas
The SMFCSD Multilingual Team strives to grow and nurture school and community parent leaders by planting seeds of empowerment and knowledge through parent education and empowerment events.
English Together
What's English Together?
English Together is an organization dedicated to supporting the Latinx community.
SMFCSD partners with English Together to provide...
English Together aims to establish important connections between people of immigrant origin and the English-speaking citizens who live around them.
Through English Together, we create opportunities for our community members to get to know each other better and build relationships.
How does it work?
1) You register and tell us how much English you know and where and with whom you want to use it.
2) We connect you with a community volunteer (your practice partner).
3) You practice English individually with that "practice partner." This is your personal support in English.
4) You meet via Zoom once a week for 8 weeks.
For more information, please visit the Inglés Juntos website.
Additional Resources
Parent Education and Empowerment Events
Community Building
Volunteer
What are the benefits of being a volunteer?
Who has to be an authorized volunteer?
Volunteers who work directly with students and are not under the direct supervision of a certificated staff member must be fingerprinted. This will include anyone driving students on a field trip.
How do I become an authorized volunteer?
Visit your child's school for more information on how to become an authorized volunteer. Each school site should have Livescan Request Forms with their school name printed at the top.
A Livescan Request Form is given to each parent/guardian wishing to be fingerprinted. This form is to be completed prior to your fingerprint appointment.
You will need to make your own appointment. You may go to ANY facility that uses “Livescan”. There are several UPS stores (check with store for fee) that use this technology or you may go to Contemporary Services Corp.
Contemporary Services Corp.
21216 Cabot Blvd.
Hayward, CA
650-524-8889
Fee is $47.00
You will need to bring the following items to your appointment:
- Driver’s license/California ID or Passport
- Payment for Livescan (personal checks ok) and
- Completed Livescan Request Form
The “yellow” part of the Livescan form must be returned to your child's school. The school will then submit it to Human Resources. This allows HR to check status on the prints if needed.
Once HR has received fingerprint clearance, it will be entered into AERIES.
https://www.smfcsd.net/district-departments/human-resources/volunteering
Parent Advisory Committees
ELAC/DELAC
What is the English Learner Advisory Committee?
The English Learner Advisory Committee is a school-level committee comprised of English Learner parents, staff, and community members whose role is to advise and assist school officials in making important decisions related to services and programs for English learners. Each California public school with 21 or more English learners must form an English Learner Advisory Committee.
Purpose of the ELAC
To provide parents of English Learners the opportunity to:
- Participate and assist in the development of the school’s needs assessments of students, parents and teachers.
- Advise the principal and school staff of the needs of English learners, including programs, instruction and support needs.
- Receive information and strategize on ways to support and bring awareness to the importance of regular school attendance.
- Advise the School Site Council on the development of the School Plan for Student Achievement.
- Elect a representative to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC).
Additional Responsibilities
- Send and receive information to/from DELAC.
- Send and receive information to/from the School Site Council.
ELAC Composition
English Learner Parent Members:
- The percentage of parents of English Learners in the ELAC must be at least equal to the percentage of English Learners in the school.
Other Committee Members:
- Principal or Designee
- Teachers of English Learners
- Other staff and parents
School Site Council
Sanctuary Task Force
Parent Advisory Committees Summary Table
Forms
Multilingual Learner Services Team
Elen Gutierrez | Community Service Specialist
Kenya Barba| Community Service Specialist