File: IFB-E1 (pdf)
Adopted: date of manual adoption
NOTE: Not an "official" regulation. Guideline only.
ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS
Procedure for Establishing an Alternative Program:
Teachers, administrators, parents, and students shall be encouraged to propose imaginative and innovative programs that may be chosen by students and their parents as an alternative to the conventional program. Groups or individuals who want to develop proposals should follow the guidelines below. This proposal must eventually be summarized on the form "REQUEST FOR NEW COURSES OR MAJOR MODIFICATIONS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS" for submission for final approval.
I. OPTIONAL ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS MAY BE GENERATED IN VARIOUS WAYS
A. A call for proposals for optional alternative education programs will be issued by the Superintendent through the Division of Instruction when the need for such a program(s) has been established at the District level.
B. The District administration and/or Board of Education may direct the development of an alternative program in response to the identification of specific District needs.
C. School Improvement Teams, through the principal, may submit to the Superintendent, through the Division of Instruction, a proposal for an alternative program within the school when the need for such an option has been established.
D. Schools may join together to submit a joint proposal, endorsed by their School Improvement Teams, for a new optional alternative program or school.
E. Parents, teachers, and patrons, individually or as a group, may submit to the Superintendent proposals for programs which differ significantly from the prevailing instructional program and for which they can show need.
NOTE: Please see also Board Policies IFA, IFB, and Regulation IFA-R.
II. CRITERIA
Alternative school programs must meet several criteria:
Goals. The program must represent an alternative strategy for achieving educational goals and objectives of the District. Although emphasis placed on specific goals may differ from other programs, District goals may not be eliminated, nor may substitute goals be used, without waiver from the Board of Education.
Budget. Alternative programs are expected to be funded by and be accountable to the District. Other than necessary start-up costs, the District-supported budget for any alternative program must not exceed the per pupil cost of other comparable programs at the same level, unless such additional costs shall be expressly ratified by the Board of Education.
Access. Alternative programs must be voluntary with equal access available to qualified students and teachers. In general, admission will be on a first-come basis, but some accommodation may be made to maintain sex and ethnic balance. Appropriate supportive and/or supplemental services will be provided for otherwise qualified students with special needs, in order for those students to benefit from the alternative.
Evaluation. During its first three years of existence, an alternative program will be evaluated annually. The evaluation will be based on how well the program is achieving District goals and its own goals and objectives. A comparative analysis of costs and benefits will be part of the evaluation design.
III. CONSULTATION
The Leadership Team of the Division of Instruction, the Staff Development Director, and the staff of the office of Strategic Planning and Alternatives will be available to encourage and offer assistance in the preparation of proposals.
IV. ALL ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM PROPOSALS MUST BE IN WRITING. THE DETAIL OF PART B MUST BE WRITTEN ONLY AFTER THE ABSTRACT (PART A) HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE LEADERSHIP TEAM OF THE DIVISION OF INSTRUCTION. THE "REQUEST FOR NEW COURSES OR MAJOR MODIFICATIONS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS" FORM SHOULD BE COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED WITH PART B.
PART A. Abstract
1. Basic Educational Assumptions and General Goals
Identify and explain relevant educational assumptions upon which the proposed program is based. Assumptions relating to the nature and purpose of education, the ways in which learning takes place, and the educational needs of pupils to be served by the program are suggested.
2. General Goals
Identify and explain the general goals of the program and the comparative emphasis to be placed on the various goals.
3. Brief Description
Describe the target population, unique features of the program, possible site requirements, and other characteristic elements which distinguish your program as innovative and imaginative.
4. Abstract Approval
Submit an abstract (Part A) for approval to the Division of Instruction at any time, but allow sufficient time to meet the deadlines specified in Part B. It is suggested that Part A abstracts be submitted to the Division of Instruction by April if final Board approval is anticipated in December; submit abstracts in October if final Board approval is anticipated for the following May. The Division of Instruction will give notification of their action within 30 days.
PART B. Detailed Program Proposal
1. Operational Plan
Describe the following aspects of the plan for operation of the program:
a. Any special curriculum emphasis in terms of content, methods, or materials.
b. Staff-pupil interactions within the program and with other existing programs, including pupil discipline; faculty relationships; scheduling of pupil's time; and sharing of facilities, equipment and materials, curriculum offerings, and specialists.
c. Areas in which staff, parents, and pupils will be involved in the decisionmaking process for implementation and operation of the program, and manner in which they will be involved. These areas may include selection of staff, materials, activities, and budget allocation.
d. Ways in which parents, paraprofessionals, and other community resource persons will participate in the program.
e. A description of the necessary staff roles in the program. This will include a clarification of the administrative responsibilities and time involved in the operation of the program.
f. Criteria and process for selection and enrollment of pupils.
g. Identification of District policies and administrative procedures which must be reaffirmed, modified, or waived in order to implement the program and rationale for why such modifications or waivers are necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of the program.
h. Facilities requirements for the program, including amount and design of space and desired location.
i. Support services required for the program, including paraprofessional, custodial, security, secretarial, pupil services, food services, and transportation.
j. A calendar of tasks necessary to implement the program.
k. Probable impact on other schools and programs
2. Budget
The budget should clearly indicate how operational costs are or will be comparable on a per-student allotment basis to ongoing costs of operating other programs at the same school level throughout the District. It should also indicate if "start-up" costs are being sought through private foundations, federal agencies, or Boulder Valley School District, and identify the nature of needed start-up expenditures.
3. Evaluation
Procedures for evaluation of teachers, pupils, and the program will be developed. The program's staff and members of the group who proposed the option will participate in development of the evaluation procedures in cooperation with the
District's Research and Evaluation Department. Annual evaluation of the program should be based on how well the program is achieving District goals and its own goals and objectives, with answers to these questions:
a. How will ongoing evaluative feedback be incorporated into program improvement and modification?
b. How will the information be collected? What form will the information be in? Who will provide the information?
c. Who will conduct the evaluation and who will report the findings?
d. How do the costs and benefits, expressed in dollars and by other measures, compare with the regular program?
NOTE: Please summarize appropriate information on the "REQUEST FOR NEW COURSES OR MAJOR MODIFICATIONS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS" form. Attach the form to Detailed Program Proposal (Part B).
4. Submission and Approval (See also IFA-R)
Detailed Program Proposals (Part B) must be submitted to the Division of Instruction by October 1 or April 1. Detailed Program Proposals will be critiqued and budget negotiated by November 15 or May 1. Proposals approved by the Division of Instruction will be forwarded for Board action in December or May.
End of File: IFB-E1