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Standards for Accreditation

State Required Information -Standards for Accreditation

  • 1-A.4 Each public school district shall adopt a school calendar and provide planned instruction per day in accordance with the laws of the State of Arkansas and the rules of the Division. By August 1, the school calendar shall be posted on the district website under State Required Information. (D/C) (WCL)
    1-B.2 Annually by September 1, each public school district shall post its written discipline policies on the district website under State Required Information (D/C) (WCL)
    1-B.3 Each public school district shall develop and implement a written health and wellness plan as part of the district's AR App that must be submitted annually to the division by October 1. (D/C)

  • 2-B.1 Each public school district board of directors shall adopt a student attendance policy and include the attendance policy in the student handbook. (D/C) (WCL)
    2-B.3 Each public school shall not admit any student who has not been age-appropriately immunized as required by state and federal laws and rules unless the student has an exemption. By December 1, the school must post the required exemption report pursuant to Arkansas Code § 6-18-702 on the district website under State Required Information. (S/C) (SOA)
    2-C.1 Each public school district shall develop and implement a written plan for providing comprehensive school counseling services to all students in the public school system pursuant to Arkansas law or Division of Elementary and Secondary Education rules. By September 1, the written plan shall be posted on the district website under State Required Information. (D/C) (WCL)
    2-H.2 Each public school district shall comply with the annual dyslexia reporting as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-41-606. (D/P) (WCL)

  • 3-A.1 Each public school district board of directors shall adopt and update written policies for the fiscal operation of the school district pursuant to Arkansas law or Division of Elementary and Secondary Education rules. By October 1, the written policies shall be posed on the district website under State Required Information. (D/C) (WCL)
    3-A.2 Each public school district shall adopt written personnel policies, including the salary schedules for the licensed and classified staff. By September 15, the written policies shall be posted on the district website under State Required Information. (D/C) (WCL)
    3-A.9 By September 1, each public school district shall post all student handbooks on the district website under State required Information. (D/C) (WCL)
    3-A.10.1 Beginning September 15 of each year, any public school district identified in Section 3-A.10 shall submit written quarterly reports to the Division detailing the district's outstanding desegregation obligations and the district's efforts towards obtaining full unitary status and release from court supervision. The detailed plan shall include the district's progress towards meeting its obligations and timelines for reaching a determination of full unitary status and release from court supervision. (SOA)
    3-B.1 Each public school in Arkansas shall develop, with appropriate staff and community participation, a school-level improvement plan. School improvement plans should be aligned with district goals. Components of the School Improvement Plan shall include: academic achievement and growth, literacy support plan, family and community engagement, health and wellness, and transitional opportunities for early childhood or post-secondary success including intentional planning of course offerings. The school-level improvement plans shall be approved by the local school board and posted to the district website under State Required Information by August 1. (D/C)
    3-B.2 Each public school district board of director shall systematically and at least annually explain its policies, programs, and goals to the community in a public meeting that provides opportunities for parents and other members of the community to ask questions and make suggestions concerning the school program pursuant to Arkansas law or Division of Elementary and Secondary Education rules. The report shall detail the progress of the district and schools toward accomplishing program goals, accreditation standards, and proposals to correct deficiencies. The report shall be made available to the public and the public shall be notified of the meeting. The most recent report shall be posted to the district website under State Required Information by September 1. (D/C) (SOA)

  • 4-B.1 Each public school district shall employ a full-time superintendent or charter school executive officer to oversee all operations of the public school district. (D/P)

  • 5-A.1 Each public school district shall have a written plan for parent, family, and community engagement, including the scheduling of at least two (2) parent-teacher conferences each year, pursuant to Arkansas law or Division of Elementary and Secondary Education rules. By October 1, the plan shall be posted on the district website under State Required Information, as part of the district's AR App. (D/C) (WCL)

  • 4.01.1 The school-level improvement plans, including the literacy plan required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2914(b) shall be posted by August 1;
    4.01.2 The written discipline policies shall be posted by September 1;
    4.01.3 All student handbooks shall be posted by September 1;
    4.01.4 The school calendar shall be posted by August 1;
    4.01.4.1 If a school district chooses to implement an alternative calendar based on hours instead of days as authorized under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-10-106, the alternative school calendar shall be posted by August 1;
    4.01.5 Written bullying policies adopted in accordance with Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-514 unless the policies are contained in the student handbook.
    4.01.6 The comprehensive school counseling plan as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-2005, shall be posted by September 1;
    4.01.7 The plan for parent, family, and community engagement, including the scheduling of at least two (2) parent-teacher conferences each year, the parental involvement plan, which is found in AR App., of all public schools in the district, and informational packets as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-1702, shall be posted by the AR App specified deadline;
    4.01.8 The three (3) year teacher and administrator recruitment and retention plan required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-1901;
    4.01.9 An open-enrollment charter school shall post the most recent version of its written charter contract.
    4.01.10 A written policy for the selection, relocation, retention and challenging of materials under Arkansas Code § 6-25-105.The school district shall have a written policy for addressing challenged material that is physically present in the library and available to the public and meets the requirements stated in subsection (c) of this section. If the policy is not in the handbook, must post separately.
    4.02 Annual school performance report posted no later than 10 days after it is posted on the Division's website.
    4.03 A public school district receiving Level 2--Collaborative, Level 3--Coordinated, Level 4--Directed, or Level 5--Intensive support shall post the public school district support plan as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2914(d) no later than ten (10) days after submission to the Division.
    4.04 When a public school district is receiving Level 5--Intensive support, a school is identified as in need of targeted or comprehensive support, or the public school district is in fiscal distress, the district must, within fifteen (15) calendar days of status notification and no later than August 1, post a parent-friendly explanation of why and what the district is doing to be removed from the classification.
    4.05 By December 1, a public school shall post the vaccination and immunization report required by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-702(b) that provides information regarding the:
    4.05.1 Number and percentage of students within the public school who have been granted from the Department of Health an exemption from the requirement to obtain one (1) or more vaccinations as required under
    Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-702;
    4.05.2 Number and percentage of students within the school who have failed to provide the school proof of the vaccinations required under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-702; and
    4.05.3 Number and percentage of students who have not obtained an exemption from the Department of Health.
    4.06 Must post all granted waivers within 30 days of approval.

  • 5.01.1 By October 1, post written policies for the fiscal operation of the district
    5.01.2 5.01.2 Current comprehensive financial data reports including:
    5.01.2.1 Local and state revenue sources
    5.01.2.2 Administrator and teacher salary and benefit expenditure data;
    5.01.2.3 School district balances, including legal balances and building fund balances;
    5.01.2.4 The district budget for the current year.
    5.01.3 A financial breakdown of monthly expenses of the district
    5.01.4 Salary schedules for all employees, including extended contract and supplementary pay amounts
    5.01.5 All current contract information of all district employees, including, but not limited to, salary, benefits, stipends, supplementary income, leave time, and all other contract terms; and
    5.01.5.1 Social security numbers, telephone numbers, personal addresses, and signatures shall not be published.
    5.01.5.2 Superintendent performance targets shall be included with their contracts, pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-123(a):
    (1) Student achievement for the entire public school district.
    (2) Student achievement for public schools within the public school district that have received any variation of a school performance letter grade designation of "C", "D", or "F" under §§ 6-15-2105 and 6-15-2106 and State Board of Education rules;
    (3) Graduation rates for the entire public school district; and
    (4) Graduation rates for public schools within the public school district that have received any variation of a school performance letter grade designation of "C", "D", or "F" under §§ 615-2105 and 6-15-2106 and state board rules.
    (5) Superintendent performance targets required § 6-17-123(b)(1).
    5.01.6 The annual school district statistical report from the previous year.

  • 6.01 Each district is required to post district licensed and classified personnel policies and salary schedules required under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-201 et seq. and Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-2301 et seq
    6.01.1 Each district shall post its reduction in force policy required under Arkansas Code § 6-17-2407.
    6.02 By August 1 of each year, a district must provide the Division with the website where its current personnel policies and salary schedules may be found
    6.02.1 This information is currently collected in state reporting cycles 1-9
    6.02.2 The website address must be entered correctly in each cycle, especially if there are changes to the website address.
    6.04 A district failing to meet the requirements of this Section by September 15 will not receive in any year any additional state foundation funding from the Public School Fund until the personnel policies and salary schedules are posted to the district’s website.

  • 7.01 The superintendent of a district shall annually report the results of the district screening required under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-41-603.
    7.02 Before July 15 of each year, a district shall report on the website of the district, or in writing to the parents of each student in the district, the following information:
    7.02.1 The dyslexia intervention programs used during the previous school year that were specifically responsive to assisting students exhibiting characteristics of dyslexia;
    7.02.2 The number of students during the previous school year who received dyslexia intervention; and
    7.02.3 The total number of students identified with dyslexia during the previous school year.
    7.02.3.1 For purposes of Section 7.02.3, “identified with dyslexia” means students exhibiting the characteristics of dyslexia through a school-based or outside evaluation; and
    with a formal dyslexia diagnosis.

  • 8.01 When any school of a district, or the district, is determined by the State Board of Education to be in Accredited—Probation or Accredited—Corrective Action status for failure to meet the Standards for Accreditation, that district, after exhausting its rights to appeal, shall:
    8.01.1 Immediately after the State Board’s findings, publish the probationary status determination and findings of the State Board on the website of the district in an understandable and uniform format.
    8.02 Documentation shall be posted until the State Board removes the status.

  • 9.01 At least ten (10) days before the date of a regular meeting of its Board of Directors, a district shall publish on the district’s website a notice of the date, time, and place of the meeting.
    9.02 At least twenty-four (24) hours before a rescheduled regular meeting, a district shall publish on the district’s website a notice of the change in the date, time, or place of the regular meeting.
    9.03 The district must post the minutes of regular and special meetings of the school board.