NFP Handbook

Northshore Family Partnership aims to establish an inclusive, supportive community of families that seek an alternative model of learning for their children where parents serve as the primary educators. We envision a place where parents/families collaborate in a true partnership with teachers as both plan for instruction, observe student growth, and prepare for learning activities that excite and motivate each child. We seek to create a learning environment where students learn with peers and participate in meaningful, real-world learning experiences.

Program Mission

The Northshore Family Partnership, with its Foundational Principles, was started in 2018. The mission of Northshore Family Partnership is to create an inclusive, supportive community of families seeking an alternative learning model for their student(s) where families collaborate with teachers to both plan for instruction, observe student growth, and prepare for learning activities while creating an environment where students learn with peers, participate in meaningful, real-world learning experiences, and develop a sense of belonging.

OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) Oversight

All WSLPs, monthly progress reports, work samples, and all other documents required of an ALE in compliance with state law may be collected and stored to provide the required documentation to the OSPI as outlined in WAC 392-121-182 items 9-10.

Program Description

The Northshore Family Partnership (NFP) operates as an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) under WAC 392-121-182 of public education. As a public school, enrolling in this program has no cost. Students enrolled in this program are reported to the state as public school students attending an alternative learning model. This program recognizes that families and certified teachers are educators for their students.

We foster a strong school-to-home partnership. NFP supports families with classes, resources, and community. Following an onsite, alternative learning experience model, this program will offer collaborative learning for all students.

Families work with an advisor, a certified Northshore School District teacher, to develop an individualized Written Student Learning Plan (WSLP) that supports the student to meet district and state standards. The district curriculum is available for families. Families are responsible for tracking the standards noted in the WSLP and ensuring their students are making monthly progress. ALE programs require that students receive 27 hours and 45 minutes of instruction per week, as outlined in the WSLP. This can occur through a combination of NFP on-site classes and at-home instruction.

Program Components

On-site Classes

NFP offers on-site classes for all students. NFP classes involve inquiry-based learning, where students engage in collaborative activities with their peers. Examples include project-based and student-centered learning, in-class discussion and debate, empathy for different people and perspectives and how they relate, designing solutions that solve original problems in original ways, and building relationships. In most cases, students are not expected to complete work for their on-site classes at home. All class expectations are outlined in the syllabus for each class.

Weekly Contact

Students are required to make two-way weekly contact with a certificated NSD teacher. This can be done by attending a class or two-way communication via email, phone, video, or video conference. Weekly contact must be made by the student by Thursdays at noon. After the 2nd consecutive missed contact, the student will be put on an Intervention Plan of Support. If a student is absent for the week due to illness, weekly contact is not required from the student, but the parent is required to contact their advisor and the front office to let them know by Thursday at noon. If there is an arranged absence communicated to the advisor and front office, weekly contact must still be made to the advisor by Thursday at noon in order to remain compliant.

Drop-off Option

Students enrolled in contiguous classes may be dropped off and picked up promptly after their last class/lunch/recess. If students are not enrolled in contiguous classes, parent/guardian must remain on campus to supervise their student(s) in the designated area (family lounge/quiet room) or take them off campus.

Written Student Learning Plan (WSLP) and Progress Reports

Families / guardians will establish a WSLP with an advisor who monitors and supervises monthly progress related to the plans. Each month, families/guardians submit a monthly progress report. The advisor will review student growth and report that adequate progress towards learning goals have been met, and as such will on occasion request work samples from parents. Families can use office hours for additional support. All WSLP reports will be due on the 15th of the month.

Family Responsibilities

Advising

Families are required to meet with their advisor before classes start to develop their WSLP, which details their student's learning goals for the school year. On the 15th of each month, families are responsible for submitting monthly progress reports to their advisor. (Note: If there is a change in the submission date due to holiday or an unplanned disruption, your advisor will communicate the alternate date in advance)

Families who enroll in this program opt to facilitate learning under the supervision of a certificated teacher (WAC 392.550.025). Families are responsible for providing instruction that meets the academic needs of their child with a goal of meeting or exceeding state standards. They are free to select methods, materials, and any secular curriculum they choose to teach foundational academic skills to their student(s). Any curriculum not provided by Northshore School District will be the family’s responsibility to purchase.

Families will provide and report upon at-home core instruction and student progress.
Families are responsible for providing standards based instruction in all subjects that are required for promotion to the next grade. This includes instruction in Math, Science, Social Studies(history, civics, geography, economics), English Language Arts(reading, writing, listening, speaking), PE, and Fine Arts.
All at-home instruction is documented in the monthly progress report. NFP classes are not reported on the progress report as these classes are assessed by the teacher.
Families are responsible for ensuring that their student(s) make weekly contact with a certificated teacher. This must be through direct personal contact on-site or remotely or through attendance in classes or events.
Families unable to fulfill the requirements of the WSLP will be placed on an Intervention Plan of Support(see below). See below for details.

Families are encouraged to volunteer at our school. This can include signing up for volunteer opportunities, taking projects home to work on, being involved in the PTSA etc. It is Northshore School District policy that volunteers must fill out a yearly Northshore Disclosure Form, a State Patrol Background Check, and a Volunteer Application Form. The volunteer application should be filled out directly with the district by visiting this link or by visiting the NSD Website at nsd.org. Select “Get Involved” and then “Become a Volunteer”. Volunteer approvals are valid for one year. All visitors, including families, are required to check in at the office and wear a provided badge.

Reporting an Absence

Families must report absences through ParentSquare whenever a student will be absent or late otherwise the absence will be counted as an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences, or if a student does not make direct contact with their teacher/advisor, are counted towards insufficient student contact and can trigger an Intervention Plan of Support.

Extended/Frequent Absences

If a student is absent from more than 50% of onsite classes due to illness or vacation they will receive neither a satisfactory or unsatisfactory evaluation. Instead there will be a comment stating that no progress was able to be evaluated during this time. Teachers are not required to send work home.
If a student is absent from class for more than one month, without prior notification from the parent, they can be removed from that class. If there is room, they may be re-enrolled in the class upon their return.

Pick up Procedures (Please reference the link for a detailed breakdown of drop off/pick up procedures on page 8 of the NLO handbook)

Driver will place student’s name in passenger side window for ALL students
Driver will watch for directions from staff in the pickup circle.
Students will wait along the fence until a staff member directs them to their car.
Families who meet their student outside of the pickup circle must meet and greet their child at the gate.
If a student is riding with someone other than their parent, the office must be notified. If this fails to occur, the student may be retained at school until the parent is able to pick them up.

Inability to comply with all of the responsibilities described above may result in removal from this choice program.

Class Registration

Class Registration Procedures

Families will register for classes online. Returning families will have a window in which to register. After returning families have enrolled, the window for new families to enroll will open. Students may only register for one section of a class unless noted in the class description and only attend classes they are registered for. Students must be registered for contiguous classes and cannot have unsupervised gaps in their schedule, unless the parent plans to return to campus to retrieve their student or remain in the parent lounge with them during the gap period. Recess and lunch are part of the registration process.

Low Class Enrollment

If a class has less than 3 students enrolled in it at the end of any add/drop period, this class will be closed. In the event of this happening, parents will be notified via their advisor, who will assist in facilitating an alternative plan for that period.

Waitlists/Overload

When a class reaches maximum capacity, all remaining registrations will be added to a waitlist. Waitlists are active for the first 2 weeks during the add/drop period of the semester and are processed following this period.

Add/Drop

Students may add or drop a class up to 10 school days after classes start. After that time, schedules will be locked. If a request to add a class is made after schedules are locked, the principal, advisor, and course teacher will meet to determine if unique considerations warrant an exception. The advisor and class teacher should be notified if a student drops a class. Classes can be dropped at any time throughout the year, by the parent via SDS.

Missing Classes

After one month of missing a class(es), students may be unenrolled from the class unless a valid reason is presented.

Unsatisfactory Class Progress

After receiving unsatisfactory progress due to behavior or academic concerns, the parent, advisor, classroom teacher, and/or principal will meet to discuss the next best steps. Options may include dropping the student from the class or creating a plan of success for the student.

Teacher Absences

If a teacher is absent, a substitute or alternate situation will be arranged. If a substitute cannot be found, students may be moved to another same-aged classroom and participate in the lesson for that class.

Out- of-Grade-Level Class Placement

The priority is to make sure students have access to classes at their appropriate grade level before opening a class to out-of-grade-level students. Incoming families may not apply for out-of-grade-level until the second semester add/drop period.

Following the add/drop period, an out of grade placement can be requested via the Out of Grade Level form. The approval of the principal, advisor, and course teacher is required, using the criteria below to determine placement.
1. Demonstrated maturity commensurate with students in the requested classes as well as themes and content. This will be determined by observation in their current at-grade level classes to make a data informed decision.
2. Appropriate skills, background knowledge and stamina to function at the grade levels of the requested class.
3. For advanced math classes, submission of data or assessments showing skills and knowledge may be required.
Students who have been placed in out-of-grade-level courses will be monitored for success during a two-week trial period. If a student is found not to be successful, the family will be contacted, and the student will be removed from the class.
There will be a limit of 1 out-of-grade level course allowed to be added to a student’s schedule at any time.
Once a decision is made to allow or not allow a student to enter such a class, that decision is final and may not be appealed.

Teacher’s Assistant-student

Students may request at the start of a semester to join a class as a Student Teacher/T.A. Requests should be made and completed by the end of the add/drop period.

Only 6-8th grade students are able to make these requests.
A request must be submitted to both the advisor and the teacher of the class they want to TA for.
Students may only request to be a T.A. for 1 class per semester
Students will complete an application contract indicating why they desire to T.A in the class and their promise to adhere to expectations as part of their role.
Students can request to TA a class in the appropriate grade band:
1. 6th grade students cannot typically TA for a 3-5th grade class. Some exceptions may be made if a student demonstrates added maturity and knowledge in the subject. Most 6th grade students will only be allowed to TA for K-2nd classes.
2. 7-8th grade may TA for any grade band.
If a student does not meet expectations for maturity and active assistance in the class, the family will be contacted and the teacher may ask to have the student drop the class.

Parent Educator Intervention Plan of Support (IPS)

Families who are unable to comply with NFP reporting requirements, or unable to document adequate student progress will be put on an IPS. An IPS might also be developed to address inadequate student contact or academic/behavior needs. The advisor will work with the family to create and implement the plan as indicated below:

Change in duration, frequency, or form of weekly contact, progress reporting, or modification of WSLP.
If progress for the following month is satisfactory, standard requirements for the program are reestablished.
Parent/guardian and student will be informed that if the student continues to demonstrate Unsatisfactory Progress, the student may be removed from NFP or registered classes.

Failed Documentation of Academic Progress

Documenting academic progress is required as a condition of participation in an Alternative Learning Experience program such as NFP. This requirement is met through monthly Progress Reports. Monthly Progress Reports will include parent documentation of student instruction at home, and comments from the teachers regarding on-site classes. If a parent does not report progress or is consistently late in reporting, they will be placed on an IPS (Intervention Plan of Support). If the plan continues beyond one month of 1:1 weekly contact, the principal will become involved.

Failed Weekly Contact

Weekly contact is a state requirement of NFP as an ALE. If your student has not attended class in a school week or is advisor-only, they must contact their advisor to tell them what they learned during the week. You may scribe for your child if they need help emailing advisors themselves. Failure to do so may result in an Intervention Plan of Support.

Students not attending in-person classes must make weekly contact by the Thursday 12:00 p.m. of that week. After the 2nd consecutive missed contact, the student will be put on a support plan.

Inadequate Student Progress

If what is being reported does not align with what is being observed by the certificated staff, parents may be required to provide documentation and work samples. If there are incongruences, NFP teachers, the family, and the advisor will work together to determine an academic plan ensuring student success.

From OSPI: Intervention plan

If it is determined that the family failed to make satisfactory progress or that they failed to follow the written student learning plan, an intervention plan must be developed for the student & family.
An intervention plan must be developed, documented, and implemented by a certificated teacher in conjunction with the family. For students whose written student learning plan includes only online courses, the intervention plan may be developed by the school-based support staff in conjunction with the student and certificated teacher and must be approved by the student's online certificated teacher.
At minimum, the intervention plan must include at least one of the following interventions:
1. Increasing the frequency or duration of contact with a certificated teacher for the purposes of enhancing the ability of the certificated teacher to improve student learning;
2. Modifying the manner in which contact with a certificated teacher is accomplished;
3. Modifying the student's learning goals or performance objectives;
4. Modifying the number of or scope of courses or the content included in the learning plan.
An intervention plan is not required if the evaluation is delivered within the last five school days of the year.

Climate & Culture

Supporting Student Behaviors at School

Our school community utilizes a tiered approach when addressing student conduct. We follow the expectations of being safe, respectful, and responsible. Families share information to ensure partnership between school and home.

Step I: Support for All Students. Staff will assist students in understanding the expected behavior and reinforce students' abilities to make safe, respectful, and responsible choices through positive reinforcement.

Step II: If students struggle with Step 1. If a student struggles with appropriate behavior, staff will clearly define the expected behavior and allow students to learn from their mistakes. The parent will be contacted by a teacher, staff member, or principal at this level.

Step III: If a student requires significant support the principal will always intervene, and work one-on-one with the student and their parent(s). Appropriate steps will be taken to provide students with opportunities for success.

Cell Phone/Device Policy

Northshore Family Partnership is in a unique situation being a multiage environment.

Cell phones or any communication device should only be used for emergency situations by students on campus during school hours. As such, cell phones, laptops, ipads etc. must remain out of reach during class times. Device usage is also not permitted during lunch and recess times as per district policy. If a student needs to use a cell phone, they should ask for adult permission before doing so. Students can also ask for permission to use one of our school phones if they ever need to call home.

For secondary students, cell phones may be used with the teacher's permission for class projects and activities.

Rights & Responsibilities

Together, students, families, teachers, staff and administrators share the responsibility in creating and sustaining an environment that enhances student achievement and well-being in the Northshore School District. NFP’s progressive behavior supports are aligned with the District’s Rights and Responsibilities.

NSD Board Policies are available for review online.

Students who believe they have experienced discrimination, harassment, intimidation, hazing or bullying, may file a complaint directly with any school staff member, file a complaint using an online form, file a complaint by email, or file a complaint by calling or texting 855-521-2665. Complaints can be filed anonymously. Complaint forms can be found at every school office.

Additional Resources

This handbook is reviewed annually to serve our community best.