Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division 04 - Financial Services **
Rule 005.04.02-003 - ADE 145 - Rules and Regulations Governing the Funding of Alternative Learning Environments
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 005.04.02-003
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
1.00 Regulatory Authority
1.01 These rules and
regulations shall be known as the Arkansas Department of Education Rules and
Regulations Governing the Funding of Alternative Learning
Environments.
1.02 These rules and
regulations are enacted pursuant to the authority of the State Board of
Education under Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-20-323 and
6-11-105.
2.00 Purpose
The purpose of these rules and regulations is to establish a mechanism for the funding of eligible Alternative Learning Environments.
3.00 Definitions
3.01 The Department. The Arkansas Department
of Education.
3.02 Alternative
Learning Environment (ALE). An environment conducive to learning, in compliance
with Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-18-508, and 6-18-509 (Supp. 1997), as
amended by Act 1549 of 1999, Section 19(f).
3.03 Eligible ALE. An ALE consisting of a
non-traditional or flexible instructional program, designed to improve student
achievement in the core academic subjects which the students could not achieve
in a regular classroom environment, and which meets the eligibility
requirements for funding purposes.
3.04 Alternative Learning Student. A student
enrolled in an eligible ALE for a minimum of twenty (20) consecutive days per
school year.
3.05 Full Time
Equivalent (FTE) Alternative Learning Student. An alternative learning student
who has at least six (6) hours per day of student/teacher interaction time in
the ALE.
3.06 Half Time Equivalent
Alternative Learning Student. An alternative learning student who has at least
three (3) hours per day of student/teacher interaction time in the
ALE.
3.07 Quarter Time Equivalent
Alternative Learning Student. An alternative learning student in Kindergarten
through Grade 6 who has at least one and one-half (1 ½) hours per day of
student/teacher interaction time in the ALE.
4.00 Alternative Learning Environment Eligibility Requirements
4.01 To receive
funding, an eligible ALE must meet the following eligibility requirements:
4.01.1 Have students supervised by a
currently licensed teacher.
4.01.2
Have a student/teacher ratio in the ALE of no more than twenty (20) to one (1).
If an aide is employed in addition to a licensed supervisor, the
student/teacher ratio shall be no more than twenty-two (22) to one
(1)
4.01.3 Provide each alternative
learning student access to the services of a school counselor or a mental
health professional.
4.01.4 Provide
a curriculum including mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts
correlated with the regular classroom instruction or with the standards for the
tests of General Educational Development (GED).
4.02 The Department shall randomly monitor
school districts to ensure that ALEs have been established, are conducive to
learning, and are providing intervention services designed to address
individual needs of students. Each school district shall be monitored at least
once every three (3) years.
5.00 Funding for Alternative Learning Environments
5.01 Funding shall be based on
the current year's total FTE of alternative learning students enrolled in
eligible ALEs.
5.02 The Department
shall calculate a funding factor equal to the amount of funds budgeted for ALEs
divided by the total statewide results of Section 5.01.
5.03 For each eligible ALE, the Department
shall distribute funds equal to the school district's FTE of alternative
learning students times the results of Section 5.02.
5.04 These funds shall be distributed in two
installments.
5.04.1 The first installment
will be calculated using the FTE of alternative learning students documented at
the end of the first quarter. This installment will distribute 25% of the funds
budgeted.
5.04.2 The second
installment will be calculated using the FTE of alternative learning students
documented at the end of the third quarter. This installment will distribute
the remaining funds budgeted. The Department shall calculate the second and
final installment to adjust for data changes between the first quarter FTE of
alternative learning students and the third quarter FTE of alternative learning
students.
6.00 Restricted Use of Funds
6.01 Any funds
received by a local school district under this regulation may only be expended
for eligible ALE programs.
6.02
Funds distributed shall be exempted from inclusion in calculations of
Additional Base Funding (Ark. Code Ann. § 6-20-303 ) and the Federal Range
Ratio (
34
C.F.R. §
222.61, et seq. (1994)) under
the exemption provision for revenues generated for students with special
educational needs. (See:
34
C.F.R. §
222.63(c)(3)
(1994) and Ark. Code Ann. § 6-20-308(a) (Supp. 1997))
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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