Meeting 04/2010 LFI 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: Program Exemption Requests Under the Innovative Education Initiatives Act Type of Executive Summary: Action Action on First Reading Discussion Information Policy Implications: Constitution General Statute #115C-238.50 Part 9 (General Session 2003-277 Senate Bill (5) SBE Policy # SBE Policy Amendment SBE Policy (New) APA # APA Amendment APA (New) Other Presenter(s): Mr. Rob Hines (Director, LEA Projects) Description: An Act to Establish the Innovative Education Initiatives Act, Section 2, Article 1 of Chapter 115C-238, Part 9, Cooperative Innovative High School Programs authorizes boards of trustees of community colleges and local boards of education, boards of governors of the UNC System and the independent colleges to jointly establish cooperative innovative programs in high schools and community colleges that will expand students opportunities for education success through high quality instructional programming. These cooperative innovative high school programs shall target: high school students who are at risk of dropping out of high school before attaining a high school diploma, or high school students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction. GS 115C-238.53, (f) states Except as provided in this Part and pursuant to the terms of the agreement, a program is exempt from laws and rules applicable to a local board of education, a local school administrative unit, a community college, or a local board of trustees of a community college. The attachments for this item include a summary of additional waivers requested by applicants in addition to the standard set of exemptions provided with program approval. Resources: Input Process: LEA personnel and members of the CIHS Joint Advisory Committee, including representatives from the NC Community College System, UNC-General Administration, NC Independent Colleges and Universities, NC New Project, and NC DPI. Stakeholders: Local Education Agencies, Community Colleges, University of North Carolina, Independent College Personnel, High School Students, Parents, and School Staff Timeline For Action: This item is presented for Action on First Read at the April 2010 State Board of Education meeting. s: It is recommended that the SBE approve these exemption requests under the Innovative Education Initiatives Act as presented.
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Summary of additional SBE waiver requests by school for 2010 applicants to the CIHS Program 1004_LFI 1_Attach SBE Charlotte- Mecklenburg elearning Academy Waive requirements of 115C-84.2 ( Calendar Bill ), regulating the opening and ending dates of the public school instructional calendar. Definition of a school from the School Attendance and Student Accounting Manual - A SCHOOL is an organizational subdivision of a school system consisting of a group of pupils composed of one or more grade groups, organized as one unit with an assigned principal, or person acting in the capacity of principal, to give instruction of the type defined in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and housed in a school plant of one or more buildings. CMS e-learning Academy will be a virtual school without a physical facility. However, students enrolled in the e-learning Academy will be enrolled in virtual or on-site community college and university courses that begin prior to the August 25 th school opening date. Therefore a waiver from the public school opening date to align with the community college and/or university opening date is hereby requested for the CMS e-learning Academy. The e-learning Academy is a district level virtual high school rather than a physical plant facility. In lieu of a building level principal it is requested that the state funds under this act be allowed to support a district level administrator. An Assistant Director position would act in the capacity of Principal for the e- Learning Academy within the District s Curriculum and Instruction Office. 1
Charlotte- Mecklenburg elearning Academy AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP To be included in ADM, a student must have a class schedule that is at least one half of the school s instructional day. Students who have a schedule less than one half of an instructional day must be assigned as visiting students and will not be included in ADM. ASSIGNMENT AND ENROLLMENT (G.S. 115C-3) Each local board of education is authorized and directed to provide for the assignment to a public school of each child residing within the local education agency (LEA) who is qualified under the laws of North Carolina for admission to a public school. e-learning Academy students will be enrolled simultaneously in both home base school on-site high school courses and one or more online or off-site courses. These students will have an equivalent full daily class schedule, yet they may be on-site for less than one half of the school s whole instructional day. It is requested that the e-learning Academy students with an equivalent full time class schedule be included in the home base school s Average Daily Membership (ADM). e-learning Academy students will be taking college courses and/or high school courses online through the Learn and Earn Online, UNCG ischool, and the NC Virtual Public programs. In order to better facilitate and administer these opportunities it is requested that participating e-learning Academy students be allowed to be simultaneously enrolled in two high schools within the District. However, the students home base high school shall be the school of record for accountability purposes. 2
Charlotte- Mecklenburg elearning Academy GCS-M-001: Course for Credit" Allow students to meet graduation requirements by substituting a collegelevel course for an approved high school course, as appropriate. This includes permitting multi-course sequences to meet requirements, and includes all core curriculum areas and foreign languages. School must specify in their application the high school course(s) to be replaced (i.e., English II) and the associated college-level course(s) (i.e., ENG 211 and 212) for which credit will be given. e-learning Academy students will have access to a wide range of potential college-level transfer and technical courses following the common course library adopted by the NC Community College and UNC Systems. Given this extensive access to college-level courses, it is requested that the school file an annual report indicating which college-level courses are replacing high school NC Minimum Admission high school credit requirements and/or high school elective credit requirements rather than specify this information within this application. 1004_LFI 1_Attach under specified (annual report maintained that documents course crosswalk) " 115C-238.53. Program operation. Allow students to enroll in summer community college courses for which they are eligible even if they have not taken the equivalent of one-half or a fulltime schedule of high school courses during the proceeding year. " 115C-238.53. Program operation. Allow the community college to develop or offer a course, even though such a course is available from at least one high school in the district. Allows for acceleration and/or credit recovery options for e-learning Academy students who want to continue their education during the summer term. Eliminates the supplanting of high school courses and provides additional options for e-learning Academy students whose home base school may not offer a similar course offered at another high school within the district. community college waiver. community college waiver. 3
Charlotte- Mecklenburg CMS Hawthorne High School Waive requirements of 115C-84.2 ( Calendar Bill ), regulating the opening and ending dates of the public school instructional calendar. 115C-238.54. Funds for programs. (a) The Department of Public Instruction shall assign a school code for each program that is approved under this Part. HHS is located within a CMS facility rather than on a community college or university campus. However, the HHS Independent Cohort students will be enrolled in community college classes prior to the CMS opening date; therefore a waiver from the public school opening date to align with the community college s opening date is hereby requested for HHS. HHS is an alternative placement school with an existing school code. If successful, this application will convert HHS to a public but special school for high school students at high-risk of dropping out before graduation. In order to continue its financial and student records without interruption, CMS is seeking a waiver from being issued a new school code to HHS and requests that the HHS current school code be allowed to continue. 4
Gaston County Bessemer City High School To allow ECHS students to have the college courses RED 090 (Improved College Reading) and ENG 090 (Composition Strategies) count as a high school elective as long as the student has an 80 or higher average upon completion of the courses. RED 090 and ENG 090 include reading comprehension and writing strategies. These developmental courses combine to six () semester credit hours and are prerequisites to most curriculum classes. Students completing these courses with an average of 80 or higher are able to enroll in college English. Some of the ECHS students have placed in developmental reading and or writing and we would like them to be able to have high school elective credit for successful completion of these courses. 1004_LFI 1_Attach this is allowed so long as all students meet minimum SBE elective requirements. To allow credit for English III and IV to be met using college level courses. To grant permission to Gaston College to enroll ECHS students in community college course regardless of age. Students will begin taking college level English courses their fourth year of the five-year program. In order to have credit for English III and IV, they must use college courses. These students do not meet any of the current interpretations of the Administrative Code to all the college to enroll them. CU-1; community college board waiver. 5
Gaston County Bessemer City High School To allow Gaston College and Gaston County Board of Education to develop curriculum that permits students to meet graduation requirements using college level courses taught by college faculty. Creating a seamless curriculum between high school and college is paramount to the success of the Early College Program at BCHS. Policies that prevent postsecondary courses from meeting core high school requirements will significantly delay the students progress toward degree completion. CU-1; Allow the school to operate on a calendar similar to the community college calendar, which has an earlier start date than August 25 and takes into consideration the 180 days of public school attendance. NC Statute 115C-84.2(d) Allow ECHS students to attend school on Veteran s Day as well as staff. NC Statute 115C-84.2 b(4) Allow the Early College Program at BCHS to administer the state EOC/VoCATS testing program following waiver approval of a revised high school calendar. Students calendar must include all community college days. The community college students attend before August 25th. Students will be absent from required community college classes since the community college is in session on Veteran s Day. State testing under a revised high school calendar will be on different dates than traditional high school approved testing dates. Do not grant waiver; wellestablished precedent based upon state law. 1 this is already permitted. 2 1 Students may choose to attend community college courses on Veteran s Day, but may not be penalized by the community college or school system if they choose not to attend; staff attendance shall not be required. 2 Under current accountability testing parameters, EOC testing windows are flexible ranges based upon schedule type block or regular. For block schedules, the window is the last week of the course, regardless of calendar date. For regular schedules, the window is the last two weeks of the course, regardless of calendar date.
5 Guilford County Andrews Aviation Academy To allow credit for Health and Physical Education course to be met using college level course. Calendar waiver of 115C-84.2: Waive requirements to allow for a different start and end date for the school calendar. Students will be required to have a Health and PE course to meet high school and college requirements. GTCC classes start earlier in August than GCS classes. GTCC classes end in early May as opposed to GCS classes ending in early June. Students attending classes at GTCC would have to attend them according to the GTCC calendar. 1004_LFI 1_Attach CU-1; Allow students to meet graduation requirements by substituting a collegelevel course for an approved high school course, as appropriate. This includes permitting multi-course sequences to meet requirements, and includes all core curriculum areas and foreign languages Substitute courses GTCC course ENG 111 for GC high school course English 11 GTCC course ENG 112 for GC high school course English 12 GTCC course SPA 111 for GC high school course Spanish 1 GTCC course SPA 112 for GC high school course Spanish 2 GTCC Aviation course for GC CTE course GTCC Aviation course for required GC high school elective courses CU-1; packet and minimum SBE elective requirements must be met. 7
5 Guilford County Andrews Aviation Academy Allow Andrews Aviation Academy students to test out of required high school courses by taking and passing the End-of-Course test. Allow Andrews Aviation Academy students to test out of required non-eoc high school courses by scoring 85 or higher on requisite final exams. Allow the NC principal certification requirements to be waived. Students must score at the 70 th percentile or higher on the EOC to obtain the exemption. Students must score at least an 85 on the course final exam. Allow the Director of the Academy to act as administrator of the academy without principal certification requirements. TST-1; TST-2; allowed under P-2; 8