ESEA Info

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted on December 10, 2015, replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and is the latest reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Although NCLB was designed to make changes in teaching and learning to increase students’ academic achievement, the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) provision under NCLB was eliminated from the ESSA. Despite this fact, all educators in New Jersey still are required to hold the appropriate state certificate/license for their given position.

Under the ESSA, all schools receiving Title I funds must inform parents of their right to ask schools about the professional qualifications of their child’s teachers and paraprofessionals. Our high school receives Title I funding and we are happy to share this information with you upon your request. Additionally, schools are required to provide timely notice that a student has been assigned or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.

New Jersey has some of the most qualified teachers in the country, and we are extremely proud of the quality of the teaching staff in the Livingston Public Schools. All our teachers have college degrees, and many have advanced degrees. In addition, every teacher continues learning through professional development activities and our teachers are evaluated each year to make sure their teaching skills remain at the highest possible level.

I encourage you to support your child’s education and communicate with your child’s teacher(s) on a regular basis. For more information on ESSA, and the role of parents, please visit the United States Department of Education’s (USDE) website at http://www.ed.gov/essa. Questions regarding this notification should be sent to me at ntopylko@livingston.org Thank you for your continued partnership in education.

Natalie Topylko
LPS Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Testing

Livingston Public Schools School-Parent Compact

Livingston High School and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded by Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the challenging State academic standards.

This school-parent compact is in effect during the 2023-2024 school year.

Required School-Parent Compact Provisions School Responsibilities

Livingston High School will:

1. Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the challenging State academic standards as follows: providing classroom “lab” environments which will support students in their attainment of college preparatory math classes.

2. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows: student progress reports, Genesis student grade book which is accessible to parents, teacher communication with parents via phone call and email, report cards inclusive of comments.

3. Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows: Back to School Night in September, Teacher Schoology Pages, emails, phone calls, meetings as required.

4. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s school through participation in Parent Teacher organizations such as the PTA and PT Council and to observe classroom activities if appropriate.

Parent Responsibilities

We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:

● Monitoring attendance.

● Making sure homework is completed when assigned

● Monitoring the amount of media (computer/cell phone/television/gaming devices) consumed by my children daily.

● Participating in decisions relating to my children’s education.

● Promoting positive use of my child’s extracurricular time.

● Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district, either received by my child or by mail, and responding, as appropriate.

● Serving, to the extent possible, on policy advisory groups, such as being the Title I, Part A parent representative on the school/district/state committees such as School Improvement Team, the Title I Policy Advisory Committee, the District wide Policy Advisory Council, the State’s Committee of Practitioners, the School Support Team or other school advisory or policy groups.