Please read this page, visit the FAQ area,
and print the timeline and checklist before beginning the process.

Getting Started

1. Form an action team—Required team members should be reflective of your school community and should include:

• The principal or assistant principal
• At least 1 community members (e.g., representatives from area businesses, community organizations, senior citizens, etc.)
• At least 5 parents. Parents should not be school staff and must have children currently enrolled.
• At least 2 students (only required for middle/junior high and high schools)

• At least 2 teachers

The duties of the action team are to:

• Register the school and make sure all required forms and documentation are completed and part of the application packet

• Inform the school of the National Standards and the Certification Program
• Distribute the parent surveys
• Compile and analyze the results from the survey
• Complete the online survey
• Create a comprehensive Parent Involvement Plan based on the survey results and group consultation
• Collect supporting documentation.
• Share survey results with the school community

Find out the strengths and time constraints of everyone that is part of the team, make a task list, and have people be in charge of certain duties. For example, the parents and students can help spread the word about the survey, the teacher or principal can be in charge of collecting the supporting documentation, etc. However, EVERYONE should participate in creating and approving the parent involvement plan.

2. Register your school online

Have a team representative visit National PTA’s website at www.pta.org/picert to register your school. Keep the 11-digit registration code and put it in a safe place for future reference; your team will need the code later in the certification process. Once all required fields have been completed print 2 copies, one for the team’s records and the other to send in as part of the completed packet. You will also have access to the surveys that will be distributed to the parents of the school.

Applications are accepted on a revolving basis. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open and print the survey document; a link is provided on National PTA’s website to download the free software.)

3. Share the purpose of the Schools of Excellence Program

A meeting or series of gatherings should be held, or whatever is the best way to share information with parents, to inform them about the National Standards and the Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence Certification Program. This can be done at PTA meetings, Back to School Night, Open House, putting information up on the school website, etc. You may wish to invite the many PTA members who have participated in the Building Successful Partnership Trainings to give presentations on the benefits of parent involvement and how to implement the National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement.

4. Invite parents to complete the survey- The purpose is to make sure the survey results reflect the voice of as many parents as possible. This includes all races, cultures, ethnicities, family structures, socio-economic status, etc. The parents will fill out the survey that was downloaded and printed from the website. Please note: there are 2 different surveys. Your team may choose either one. We recommend using the short version of the survey. *A Spanish version is available.

It is important to create as many opportunities as possible and where appropriate for parents of your school community to complete the survey though we recognize that it may not be feasible to print hundreds or thousands of surveys. Some suggestions to make sure everyone has the opportunity to complete the survey are to include announcements on the website, e-mail, newsletter, or word of mouth, that they are needed to complete this survey. If they are interested, they can attend a special meeting or see a PTA representative to get more information.

Let parents know that they are to think about the parent involvement practices used throughout the school year, and respond as accurately as possible to each question on the survey. Responses to these questions will help your school community identify those areas in which your school excels and those areas in need of improvement.

The team will then collect the surveys and simply tally (NOT AVERAGE) the responses for each question. See the example below.

5. Complete the online assessment—once the team has collected all of the surveys and tallied (NOT AVERAGED) the results, log back on to the website under the “Already Registered” area. Enter the 11-digit code that was given when the team registered to access the online version of the survey. The team representative will complete and submit the online survey. This is done by typing in the number of responses for each question. For example: Question 1: if a total of 20 people marked Always, type in 20. If 50 people marked Regularly, type in 50, if 5 people marked Rarely, type in 5, and if 1 person marked Never, type 1. Each box should have a number in it so make sure you include a zero rather than leave a box blank.

Example:

Print 2 copies of the results. You will need to send in copy and keep a copy for your records.

6. Create a Parent Involvement Plan - This should be done after reviewing the survey results. After looking at the areas that need improvement, the plan should have realistic goals that need to be made according to findings from the survey results. Ideally, there should be at least one goal per standard. The template provided online and the examples can be used to get you started.

Parent Involvement Plan: The Parent Involvement Plan must include the following:

• The goal or objective
• Who will be involved?
• What materials/resources/activities are needed?
• When will the goal be achieved?
• How will you measure the outcome?

7. Send documentation and parent involvement plan via postal service. The team should submit the following to National PTA, 1400 L St, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006:

• A copy of the application
• A copy of the registration page
• A copy of the completed online survey with results
• No more than 2 pieces of supporting documentation per standard (Documentation such as, but not limited to: a school calendar indicating when information will be sent home, newsletters (in various languages), announcements, report cards, examples of student handbooks, and the like will help the evaluation committee at National PTA understand what the school is currently doing to increase, support and retain parent involvement.
• The parent involvement plan
• The appropriate processing fee

Please keep a copy of all application materials for your records. All documentation sent to the National Office will be kept used for research purposes. Applications are not considered complete unless all documentation is sent.

8. Publicize your success—Four to six weeks after submitting the school’s application packet your school will receive notification of its certification. Schools will receive one of two certificates: The Recognition of Commitment or the Schools of Excellence Certificate. *Certificate of Excellence lasts for 3 years.

Visit Celebrate Your Success in the certification area online where you will find resources to help you publicize your success, from writing a press release to planning a public relations campaign.

These distinctions indicate that your school has demonstrated a commitment to making parent involvement a top priority by working to develop a quality parent involvement program based on the National Standards.

Processing Fees

PTA schools $100.00

Non-PTA schools $175.00

All application processing fees are nonrefundable.