WHAT THEY ARE | WHY THEY’RE VALUABLE | CONSIDERATIONS | SAMPLE
		PARENT-FRIENDLY, GRADE-LEVEL STANDARDS BROCHURES A tool districts can use to communicate expectations for what students should be learning at each grade level Developed by Corpus Christi Independent School District

WHAT THEY ARE

Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) publishes eight standards brochures, each in a different color for grade levels PreK-K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, middle school, and high school. Each brochure contains the district's standards in all subject areas. The standards are translated into short sentences in parent-friendly language, and the brochures fold out to poster size.

The brochures list one or more performance standard for each content standard. In language arts, for example, the first content standard is to "develop skills in listening, interpret what others say and make presentations." The standard is followed by two performance standards.

Because the standards are arranged by level and subject, parents can see how the content and performance standards change from one grade to the next.

The district mails the brochure pertaining to the appropriate grade level to each student's home.

WHY THEY’RE VALUABLE

The brochures serve as ready references of grade-level standards for parents and teachers in the following ways:

• The poster-size brochure can be hung on the wall or refrigerator for families to use in conversations about what their child is learning and doing in school.

• Teachers hang them on classroom bulletin boards as a reference of the standards.

• They are used during parent/teacher conferences to explain the standards that students at that grade level are expected to meet. This reinforces the importance of families using the brochure at home.

The brochures have also become a good reference for community partners. For instance, the Corpus Christi museum, which works with the district to provide experiences for students, uses the brochures to design activities that help students meet standards.

CONSIDERATIONS

The process to create the brochures requires significant time. The district spent an entire summer working with an outside firm to translate the standards into parent-friendly language. The district administrator heading up the project spent considerable time reviewing the firm's work to ensure accurate translations.

Evie Martin, CCISD's administrative officer for academic standards, suggests that if funding is the obstacle for a district considering creating similar brochures, administrators should think about how to reallocate money spent on existing parent communications at the district and school levels. Martin suggests also using a portion of the budget for parent activities at Title I schools.

"It costs us about the same to send these grade-specific brochures as it did to send booklets outlining the entire set of district standards," says Martin. "These new brochures are so important because we believe strongly that parents need this information."

SAMPLE

Download a pdf file of CCISD's middle school parent-friendly standards brochure.

For additional information on CCISD's efforts to work with families, see the district's Family Education Web site (www.familyeducation.com/TX/corpus_christi).