To help with Parent and Family Engagement requirements under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to meet the Civil Rights obligations of schools in working with Limited English Proficient (LEP) families and English Learner (EL) students across the state of Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is partnering with TransACT® Parent Notices. The ongoing partnership provides all local education agencies, representing hundreds of schools and teachers, with unlimited access to expertly written parent notifications that meet legal requirements; guidance on required audiences; and recommended timelines.
What is ParentNotices?
TransACT Parent Notices is an online subscription service to hundreds of legally reviewed, federally compliant, translated notifications. Your unlimited, district-wide subscription is provided by DESE to save time and cost associated with Parent and Family Engagement Requirements and the associated translations. The notifications/letters are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Gujarati, Hmong, Lao, Marshallese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
SIS Integration Added: Effective for the 2021-22 school year, DESE is providing ParentNotices SIS Integration to Arkansas districts. ParentNotices SIS Integration makes sending compliant parent notifications easier and faster:
- Fill in the notices with student information (including roster data) retrieved from the student information systems (SIS)/eSchool.
- Deliver notices to parents’ preferred devices, including desktop browsers, mobile phones, and tablets.
- Invite parents and families to read, review, and respond to notices via the “Parent-View” mobile-friendly interface.
Next Steps for ALL Districts to Access the Upgraded ParentNotices:
Users who registered for TransACT ParentNotices in 2019-20 or 2020-21 were sent an email link to verify their registration in the upgraded ParentNotices system. To activate any additional educator’s subscription, please contact support@transact.com
To start your district’s easy SIS Integration, District Technology Coordinators need to
Fill out the integration request form using the QR code on the attached flyer or navigate to: http://gg4l-5314445.hs-sites.com/transact-parent-notices-arkansas
Watch for an email from a Global Grid for Learning (GG4L) SIS Integration Specialist within 24 hours; District Technology Coordinator or SIS Coordinator will coordinate with GG4L for a simple, straightforward integration process.
Navigate to https://arkansas-dese.parentnotices.com/ in order to login and access your ParentNotices portal. Notices may be downloaded for distribution at any time or distributed electronically once SIS integration is complete for your district.
Learn More about TransACT ParentNotices by registering for a free 45-minute webinar at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/1135833311569532429
For further information concerning implementing TransACT ParentNotices or serving English Learners, please contact Tricia Kerr at Tricia.kerr@ade.arkansas.gov or at 479-267-7450.