for families

How families can use this guide

This parent guide has been created as an overview of what students know and are able to do in the Sumner School District.

This guide can be used with the report card to provide more information. The goal is to help parents support their child’s academic development.

When children and parents talk regularly about school, children perform better academically.

A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level, or cultural background.

When parents are involved in their child’s education they do better in school.

The following rating scale is used to assess student achievement:

At Home
Three kinds of parental involvement at home are consistently associated with higher student achievement: actively organizing and monitoring a child’s time, helping with homework and discussing school matters.

There are things you can do that will help your child be a successful student:

• Communicate with your child about school. This includes talking to him/her about his/her friends, activities, teachers, and assignments.
• Show enthusiasm about school and homework.
• Set realistic goals for your child.
• Help your child get organized. Break down assignments into smaller, more manageable parts.
• Provide a quiet study corner in your home complete with school supplies.
• Let your child do their homework, support them when necessary, but allow them to finish the work.
• Expect and praise genuine progress and effort.
• Build connections between what is taught and what your child already knows and understands.
• Discuss your child’s progress with his/her teacher.

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