You may want to print and keep a copy of these FAQs for future reference.

What is the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification?
The Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification is designed as a comprehensive program based on National PTA's National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs. The program offers schools the opportunity to evaluate a school's strengths and accomplishments in parent involvement while shedding light on areas that may need improvement. Being part of this program can also bring recognition, credibility, respect, and pride to a school and its community.

How was this certification created?
The policies and procedures of this program were developed by National PTA and reviewed by members of the program's advisory board. The launch of this program was preceded by an extensive pilot program with seven schools located throughout the country. The results of this project were also used to establish these policies and procedures.

Who can participate in the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification?
Any school community can participate in the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification.

What type of technology do I need to participate in the program online?
For schools wishing to register and complete the assessment online we can recommend a few things to keep in mind that will help reduce and/or eliminate any problems you may encounter:

• Use a newer computer (1995 or newer) with Internet capability.
  
  
• When you connect to the Internet it is important to keep in mind the time of day you are using the system, as some times are much busier than others. Check to see that your connection speed is registering at, at least 28.8. Anything lower than this may contribute to problems as you navigate the site. If you receive a low connection speed try and dial up again at a later time.
  
  
• The assessment contains JavaScript functions that are supported in JavaScript 1.1. Therefore, we recommend that you use an Internet browser that can support these functions. Netscape Navigator 3.0 or higher and Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher are supported. Use a computer that has these versions or upgrade to one of these versions before you complete the assessment online.
  
  
• Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator 3.0 or higher.
  
  
  • Download the latest version of Internet Explorer for FREE. System requirements should be observed. Previous versions can also be found online. Or you can purchase the CD. Shipping and handling is $5.00 US, plus tax.
    
    
  • Download the latest version of Netscape Navigator for FREE! Or you can purchase the CD. Shipping & Handling is $2.99.

Due to problems that are inherent in using any type of technology, we cannot guarantee a trouble free experience, but hope that these tips are helpful.

How do I register for this certification?

A representative will need to register the school on National PTA's website. Complete all of the required fields for the school information form. The person completing the form will then receive an eleven-digit code and be able to print a copy of the assessment. This code should be used to return later when your school is ready to complete the assessment online.

Can we complete the National PTA parent involvement assessment as a district?
No. Each school applying from a particular school district must apply as an individual school. The program does not accept district registrations.

Why are certain people required as team members for the assessment?
National PTA requires that a school's assessment team include the principal, a teacher, a community member, 3 to 5 parents, and a student (for middle and high schools only). These people represent key stakeholders in the school community; their involvement in the process is needed to make any parent involvement effort inclusive and meaningful.

Can I print a copy of the parent involvement assessment?
Yes, we recommend that teams print a copy of the assessment to keep for their records. Once the assessment is complete, a copy of the results should be printed and shared with the school community.

After you register as a user in the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification website area, you will be taken to a page where you'll find a PDF version of the assessment document which you can print out. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open the PDF-formatted document.
Once all of the surveys are collected and tallied, the team should designate one member to go back to the website and complete the assessment document online (found in the Step 1 area) and then print out the application to keep for your records (found in the Step 2 area). This process will take about an hour. The team will then need to create a parent involvement plan and submit any necessary documentation along with the appropriate processing fee. Be sure to allow for enough time to gather these documents, which may take from a few hours to a few days depending on the pieces you wish to include.

How much time will it take a team to complete the assessment?
As no two school communities are the same, there is no uniform timeline for completion of the assessment and certification process. In some cases, it may take a few months, in others it may take up to one year.

The first step—registering and printing out a copy of the assessment (available as a PDF in the Step 1 area of the site)—will take about 15 minutes. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open and print the assessment document.

Once all of the assessments are tallied, the team should designate one member to go back to the website and complete the assessment online (found in the Step 1 area) and then print out the application (found in the Step 2 area) for your records. (In the section that asks for the applicants' suggestions for improving parent involvement, please submit only one or two ideas.) This process will take about an hour to an hour and a half. The team will then need to submit any necessary documentation along with the appropriate processing fee. Be sure to allow for enough time to gather these documents which may take from a few hours to a few days depending on the pieces you wish to include.

Your school can submit an application anytime of the year. The following timeline can be used as guide.

	Month One		Month Two		Month Three		Month Four

• Select team members and set your first meeting. Distribute a copy of the How to Get Started page and the checklist to each team member and discuss them so everyone on the team understands the process of participating in the program.
  
  
• Visit the website and read the How to Get Started page and the FAQs
  
  
• Talk to your principal about the program and the benefits of participating.
  
  
• Print out the checklist and the How to Get Started page for the program from the website.

• Set your second team meeting. Select one member of the team to register your school on the website and complete all the demographic information on the registration form.
  
  
• Print the registration form before submitting it, also print the Directions for Assessment page, a copy of the PDF version of the assessment from the website, and the Log-in Code page, and put them in a safe place.
  
  
• Decide on a how you all will inform the school community about the National Standards and why the PTA uses them as their method of measurement. Some ideas: putting the Standards and an explanation in newsletters, on the website, talking about them at PTA meetings and teachers' meetings, holding a special meeting.
  
  
• Announce to the school community that they are invited to participate in taking a survey about parent involvement.
  
  
• Decide on date, times and places where participants can come and take the survey.

• Hold meetings for people to take the assessment/survey.
  
  
• Tally assessment results
  
  
• Elect one member from the team to re-enter the website with your log-in code to complete the assessment online.

• Gather your supporting documentation.
  
  
• Create a parent involvement plan based on the results of the surveys.
  
  
• Request a check from your school.
  
  
• Keep a copy of everything for your records.
  
  
• Mail a copy of the supporting documentation and parent involvement plan, along with your check to National PTA.

How does a school qualify for Certification of Excellence?
National PTA believes that schools that implement and uphold the National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs demonstrate a commitment to excellence in parent involvement. Certification recognizes schools that have worked to create and develop quality parent involvement programs based on the Standards. A school may apply for the Certification of Excellence distinction after it completes the assessment, creates a thorough parent involvement plan, and gathers its supporting documentation. Your application will be processed and reviewed once it arrives at the National PTA office. Your application will be judged based on

1. a completed application
2. the quality of your parent involvement plan based on the survey results
3. and the supporting documentation.

Schools that do not receive certification will receive Recognition of Commitment in parent involvement. This distinction indicates that your school is committed to pursuing excellence in parent involvement.

What is considered "supporting documentation" for Certification of Excellence?
Once your school has registered, completed the assessment and the application, additional supporting documentation is required. Supporting documentation is a way for program evaluators to see your school's parent involvement program in action. Sample documents must be submitted in support of the goals for each of the six standards. At least one document is needed for each, and no more than two for any given standard. (A one-page narrative description may take the place of one sample document in each Standard area.)

All documents must be dated and represent examples of programs/activities that are currently taking place at the school. Documents should be labeled with the name and number of the corresponding standard (e.g., I. Communicating) in the upper righthand corner. Some examples of supporting documents are listed below.

I. Communicating— evidence that demonstrates two-way communication. Examples include parent feedback from surveys on various topics, forms that ask parents to report information (i.e. child's needs and learning styles, getting to know the family, etc.) letters to parents, copies of pages from school's listserv or website that demonstrate two-way communication (i.e. parent bulletin boards, chat rooms, online quizzes/surveys), or evidence of participation in parent/teacher conferences.

II. Parenting—evidence of parenting workshops, classes, or meetings, sign in sheets from parenting events, workshop evaluation forms.

III. Student Learning—evidence of parents involved in classroom activities or school wide events that focus on learning, tutoring, homework assistance or maintaining teacher quality, examples of parent feedback forms ( i.e. report card feedback forms, parent/teacher conference feedback forms), evidence of homework assignments for parent/child to complete together, copy of classroom newsletters, communications that explain skill expectations for grade levels, or a sample of a individualized education plan or portfolio for a student created with parent input.

IV. Volunteering—list or calendar of typical parent volunteer jobs/responsibilities, logs of volunteer hours for a specific month or event, example of a survey of volunteer interests/talents.

V. School Decision Making and Advocacy—Parents are participating in meetings, attendance sheets of PTA or other decision-making meetings, letters or petitions.

Parents should be involved in the creation of the plan and it must be based on the National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs. The plan should state what parent involvement activities take place throughout the year in each standard area. Include details such as what steps will be taken; by whom, by what date, what resources are needed, and how the results will be measured. You can view an example of a parent involvement plan by clicking on the following link. Your plan should be tailored to reflect your school community.

VI. Collaborating with Community—evidence of community partnerships to assist in the academic success of students, develop programs or raise funds. Examples of documentation can include documentation of in kind donations, press releases, articles on school's website, or local newspaper/magazine articles.

Once gathered, these documents should accompany a completed application form (signed by all team members), a copy of your parent involvement plan, and the appropriate processing fee.

What are the fees and deadlines for submitting applications?
The fee covers some, but not all, of the costs involved in processing applications. The fee is higher for non-PTA schools.

All application fees are non-refundable.

School affiliation	Certification of Excellence	Submission Date	Notification Date
PTA	$100	anytime	within 4–6 weeks of applying
Non-PTA	$175

School certification is a recognition that benefits not only the school but also the entire community. It is an excellent opportunity for a community partner and/or the school to contribute to the application fee.

How do I verify if my application was received?
National PTA cannot verify whether a particular school's application packet was received at the time of submission. Schools that are given distinctions will receive notification within four to six weeks of applying.

How long does a school's certification last?
Certification of Excellence is valid for three years. For example, if your school is certified at any time during 2006, the certification applies to all of 2006, 2007, and 2008. Certification would expire on December 31, 2008. Therefore, your school would need to apply again sometime in 2008 to maintain its certification status. Schools are encouraged to reapply, which entails: submitting a new assessment, application form, revised parent involvement plan, fee, and supporting documentation. Use the chart below as a guideline.

Submission Date	Certification is Good Through	Certificate and Seal read
Applying in 2006	Dec. 31, 2008	2006-2008
Applying in 2007	Dec. 31, 2009	2007-2009
Applying in 2008	Dec. 31, 2010	2008-2010

How do I change my registration information that was submitted electronically?
Send updated contact information to info@pta.org and it will be forwarded to the appropriate person. We cannot, however, change any of the information submitted about your school's program through the online assessment form.

What if I misplace my log-in code and need to get back into the assessment?
If you misplace the 11 digit log-in code your school receives when it registers simply go back to the certification page of our website. Click on the Already Registered button. Enter the e-mail address you entered when registering and your log-in code will be sent to you automatically.

What procedures do I follow if my school received Recognition of Commitment in the past and is now applying for Certification of Excellence?
If your school is re applying for certification it is very important that the best examples of supporting documentation for all standards (see question 7 and the application for examples of documentation), a parent involvement policy, and a comprehensive parent involvement plan are included. If you have previously received Recognition of Commitment and are applying for Certification of Excellence indicate on the application form in the area provided. The school must also include the $100 application fee when applying.

Where can I find resources to help my school improve its parent involvement program?
Once you have completed the online assessment, various resources pertaining to the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification will be highlighted for your use.

What are the benefits to participating in certification?
School certification brings many benefits to a community. Certification can be used in a school's public relations efforts to build support and respect for the school. Certification also can be used when a school applies for grants and funding. A strong parent involvement program can make a school attractive when recruiting quality teachers.

Some additional benefits of certification are

• School communities work together to earn a distinction by using a research-based assessment (copyrighted) as a tool to evaluate their parent involvement.
  
  
• Schools receive recognition for their parent involvement programs from a national organization that is the recognized authority on parent involvement: National PTA.
  
  
• The school's certification is recognized by the organizations of the advisory board that helped develop this certification: the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Education Association , the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and the National School Public Relations Association.
  
  
• Schools receive recognition for parent involvement programs that are based on National PTA's National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs, which have been endorsed by nearly 100 health and education organizations and individuals.
  
  
• The process of participating in certification is a unique opportunity for school communities to come together to learn and grow. Throughout the certification process teams work together to discuss and evaluate their efforts, and discover areas that need strengthening.
  
  
• Certification helps set a school apart and makes participation a noteworthy and newsworthy event. There have been both local and national public relations efforts and media coverage that have brought national recognition to the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification. This publicity in turn brings the national education community's respect and recognition to school communities that were certified.

In addition, schools receive

• A certificate to display; a sample press release to promote the school's achievement; an electronic, dated seal to use on school stationery, website, etc.; and the opportunity to purchase additional promotional items.
  
  
• Recognition on National PTA's website, in Our Children magazine.
  
  
• An electronic newsletter that contains information on current parent involvement research as well as best practices from the field.
  
  
• Direct assistance from National PTA's customer service department at (800) 307-4PTA (4782) or by email.