ALS Policies and Procedures /
School District /
Terri Dial, Independence, MO /
7/20/2009 /

Table of Contents

Overview

ALS Positions/Rights

ALS District Coordinator

School Coordinator

Lab Teacher

General Classroom Teacher

TLC

Counselor

High School Credit

Enrollment Process

Credit Opportunities

Credit Recovery

First Time Credit

Credit Reporting

MS Learning Lab

District Programs/Use Options

Summer School

General Ed Teacher

Homebound

ELL

MO Options

Adult Education

Scholars’ Bowl

Guidelines

Documentation Forms

General Rules

Processes

Technical Help

Student Enrollment

Teacher Enrollment

PowerSchool

ALS Handbook

Student Log-on:

Classroom Guidelines

Freshman Lab Management

Class Structure

Recognition (examples):

Consequences:

After School Lab

Long Term Suspension

Trouble Shooting

Overview

The following Policies and Procedures will be followed by all HS and MS in the Independence School District. At no point will one building/administrator change the Policies and Procedures for their students. Only by a joint decision of the Assistant Superintendent of HS, HS Principals, MS Principals, and the ALS Coordinator can a policy be amended.

ALS will be used for the following programs:

  • Freshman Learning Lab
  • Long Term Suspension
  • Credit Recovery
  • First Time Credit
  • MS Learning Lab
  • Summer School
  • General Ed Classroom
  • Supplemental Material
  • Enrichment
  • Remediation
  • ACT Prep
  • MS Bench Mark Testing
  • Homebound
  • ELL
  • MO Options
  • Adult Education
  • Scholars’ Bowl

ALS Positions/Rights

ALS District Coordinator

  • Terri Dial – District Coordinator

The ALS coordinator will oversee the program for the Independence School District.

  • Policies and Procedures
  • Transcripts
  • Teacher training/enrollment
  • Curriculum alignment
  • Complete access rights.

School Coordinator

  • Pam Stafford - WCHS
  • Kim Sommers – THS
  • ? – VHHS
  • Lois Kruger-IA HS
  • Julie Slothower-Long Term Suspension HS
  • Fred Wright-Day Treatment/Safe Center
  • Dieter Bock-Long Term Suspension MS/Night School
  • Middle Schools?

Every school will have a coordinator responsible for the following:

  • Student enrollment
  • Class enrollment
  • Maintaining student ALS information
  • Trash can function-has to be cleaned out at the end of each semester.
  • Keeping Student Assignment Reports on file – 4 years
  • Maintaining a spreadsheet for the building that includes the following information:
  • Student name/ID number
  • Grade
  • Course(s) assigned – recovery/first time credit
  • Credit/grade earned

School Coordinators have rights to add/inactivate teachers, students, and classes to the building. Rights also include ability to reset students’ lessons.

Lab Teacher

  • Vickie Shelton – WCHS Freshman Lab
  • Steve Cassidy- THS Freshman Lab
  • - VHHS
  • Lois Kruger-IA HS
  • Julie Slothower-Long Term Suspension HS
  • Fred Wright-Day Treatment/Safe Center
  • Dieter Bock-Long Term Suspension MS/Night School
  • Mike Smith – PRMS
  • Are the other MS going to have an ALS lab?

Lab Teachers have rights to view reports, grade essays, and read only access to student lessons.

The above three positions will work together to make the ALS program successful in the Independence School District.

General Classroom Teacher

Classroom Teachers have rights to view reports, grade essays, and read only access to student lessons.

TLC

TLCs have rights view current lessons and author new curriculum/lessons in their own folder.

Counselor

Read only rights and ability to print reports.

High School Credit

Enrollment Process

  1. All students must meet with their counselor prior to being enrolled in an ALS course. The students and counselor will select the appropriate course in which the student needs to be enrolled. The counselor then submits the ALS Course Enrollment form to the ALS building coordinator in an email. Students who attend LT Suspension will be assigned their core classes prescribed by their home school counselor. Students will be given an ALS usage contract that must be signed by parent and student before starting the program. This form MUST be returned to the student’s counselor before students are allowed to begin working on their prescribed ALS course.
  2. School counselors will submit student ALS enrollment information to the building ALS coordinator.
  3. The ALS coordinator will process the request and then will inform the counselor and facilitator that the student is enrolled. The building ALS coordinator will keep a file of all ALS enrollment forms for the school year.
  4. The counselor will notify the student and send a parent letter home for notification. The student then may begin the course at their scheduled time.

Students that have IEPs are enrolled in ALS on a case-by-case basis. The student’s counselor, ALS administrator, and case worker will meet to determine if ALS meets the student’s academic needs.

Credit Opportunities

Credit Recovery

Who can apply? Any student who has previously failed a course or received an “I” and does not intend to recover it through administrative contract may complete the enrollment process for ALS Recovery.

GPA/ Calculate Grades - Credit Recovery students will receive a “Pass” for the ALS courses completed. This grade will not count towards the student’s GPA. Grades in the classes will be calculated as follows:

  • 25%=Goal Sheet + Notes
  • 75%= Student Progress Report (Pre-test (80%) + Practice + Mastery Test + Essay + Final)

Students will move through their lessons with the guidelines set below:

Pre-test80% or betterMove on to next lesson

Below 80%Complete Study lessonComplete Practice

(5 minute minimum)(80% or better)

Complete Mastery TestMove on to next lesson

(80% or better)

Complete all lesson; take Review TestTurn in notebook Lesson Completed

(70% or better)(25% of final grade)

Students may receive up to 3 attempts on a mastery test before it requires the coordinators reset. Students should never take the mastery tests back to back. Students who fail their first attempt should be encouraged to review their notes and review their study session. Upon completion of their review the student may attempt the mastery test again. Students should communicate this information to their instructor through the Academic Journal (see attachment). Academic Journals have two purposes: to keep track of the student’s progress with lessons/tests and to document attendance dates. The instructor may want to monitor the student’s progress through the ALS system. If a student exceeds six attempts the student may be required to start the course over.

The 80% Mastery can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of students with IEPs.

First Time Credit

Who can apply? Receiving a first time credit through ALS is only an option if a student is:

  • Enrolled in the Freshman Learning Lab.
  • Enrolled in a Vo-Tech class and needs a class for graduation that is only offered during the time the student is gone from the building.
  • Homebound
  • Enrolled in Long Term Suspension
  • Enrolled in IA HS
  • Enrolled in MO Options
  • Meeting senior graduation requirements

First Time Credit is not an option for a student that is kicked out of a general education class. The ALS Lab is not to be used as a disciplinary action.

GPA/ Calculate Grades – First Time Credit students will earn a letter grade for the ALS courses completed. This grade will affect the student’s GPA if the student has less than seven credits for that school year. Grades in the classes will be calculated as follows:

  • 25%= Goal Sheet + Notes
  • 75 %=Student Progress Report (Pre-test (100%) + Practice + Mastery Test + Essay + Final)

Students will move through their lessons with the guidelines set below:

Pre-testComplete Study lessonComplete Practice

(100% Move On)(10 minute minimum)(70% or better)

Complete Mastery TestMove on to next lesson

(70% or better)

Complete all lesson; take Review TestTurn in notebook Course Completed

(70% or better)(25% of final grade)

Students will be required to complete prescribed essays for specific lessons. They must receive a 70% or better to receive a pass on the essay.

The 70% Mastery can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of students with IEPs.

Freshman Lab-not all high schools have this option

Enrollment Process - There will be an evaluation process that involves a MS committee as well as the receiving HS counselor and administrator. This committee will determine the incoming 9th graders who are at risk and are candidates for the Freshman Academic Lab. If the student is a candidate for the Freshman Learning Lab they will be enrolled in the ALS classes that fit their individual needs. The student can be enrolled in no more than three classes per semester. At the end of semester 1 the academic lab facilitator will evaluate the students’ progress and determine whether or not the students will remain in the lab for the following semester. This lab is ONLY open to first year freshmen students.

GPA/ Calculate Grades –Letter grades will be assigned to students, upon the completion of assigned class, enrolled in the Freshman Lab. This grade will count towards the student’s GPA. Grades will be calculated as follows:

  • 25% =Goal Sheet + Calendar + Notes
  • 75% =Student Progress Report +Pre-test + Practice + Mastery Test + Essay

Grades will be set in accordance to the guidelines in place for First Time/Recovery courses.

Lab Guideline - The Freshman Lab will have one full time teacher running the lab. Because of the issues these students have (discipline, etc) one teacher may not be able to effectively manage/help all the students by him/herself. Each hour a teacher “aide” will come in the lab to help. The teacher aides are teachers in the building that have an extra hour off during the day.

The full time teacher will have training in the summer on the procedures that every student will follow.

Independence Academy

Enrollment Process – Students are enrolled into their classes by the building ALS Coordinator. Long-term and IA HS students are enrolled into ALS classes to fulfill their schedule needs.

GPA/ Calculate Grades – Long Term MS/HS – Letter grades will be assigned to students, upon the completion of assigned class. Grades will count towards the student’s GPA. Grades will be calculated as follows:

  • 60% Daily – notes
  • 20% Participation
  • 20% Tests

GPA/ Calculate Grades –Alternative HS – Letter grades will be assigned to students, upon the completion of assigned class. Grades will count towards the student’s GPA. Grades will be calculated as follows:

  • Average of Pretest and Test – must be 85% or better

Credit Reporting

After a student has completed an ALS class:

  1. The Building ALS Coordinator/Lab Instructor will complete the Credit Completion Form and print the Student Assignment Detail report. These documents will be delivered to the ALS Building Administrator for a signature.
  2. The ALS Building Administrator will sign the form and give it back to the ALS Coordinator/Lab Instructor.
  3. The Building ALS Coordinator/Lab Instructor will make a copy of the Credit Completion Form and deliver a copy to the building registrar. The original will be kept in the Coordinator/Lab Instructor’s ALS files.
  4. ALS classes will be entered into transcripts in the following way: ALS-Class Name (Eng I).

MS Learning Lab

Enrollment Process - Students will be hand-picked by building administrators to be enrolled in the MS ALS Learning Lab.

GPA/ Calculate Grades –MS students enrolled in the Learning Lab receive letter grades for courses taken through ALS.

Lab Guideline -One full-time teacher will be in charge of the lab.

District Programs/Use Options

Summer School

Enrollment Process - Students may sign up for an ALS course that meets one of the three criteria:

  • Credit Recovery in core classes
  • First Time Credit for summer graduates
  • Administrative approval

GPA/ Calculate Grades – Final Grades will be calculated as they are through the regular school year. Grades will be reported to students’ home school through the summer school office. Records will be maintained by the summer school administration and a progress sheet will be given to each ALS Building Coordinator that specifies which student courses have not been completed.

General Ed Teacher

Classroom teachers can use the content in ALS for whole class instruction with their students.

  • Teachers must complete ALS training program.
  • Teachers need to allow ample time to be assigned the correct classes.
  • Teachers will only be given viewing rights. They will not be able to assign themselves classes or lessons to students.

Homebound

Enrollment Process - Students are assigned to homebound on a case by case issue.

Tests are only allowed to be taken with a teacher present at either home or school.

GPA/ Calculate Grades – Homebound students will earn a letter grade for the ALS courses completed. This grade will not count towards the student’s GPA unless the student has less than seven credits per year. Students taking credit recovery will receive a “Pass” for the ALS courses completed. This grade will not count towards the student’s GPA.

ELL

All 10 ELL teachers K-12 in the district have been trained on ALS. It is used as a support for Language Arts. Initially, a placement assessment is administered for ELL students to determine to appropriate levels and areas of instruction. It is being used more at the elementary level than at the middle school and high school levels. Any classroom teacher who has an ELL student in the class has ALS installed on his/her computer. It is also installed on four or five computers in every computer lab. Because the ELL teacher has limited time with ELL students, ALS is being used as a bridge between the ELL teacher and the classroom teacher at the elementary level. When the class is doing an activity that the ELL student is unable to participate in, the student can log on to the teacher’s computer and work on ALS. It is not intended to replace instructional time with either the ELL teacher or the classroom teacher, but act as a way to support language arts instruction.

MO Options

All Options classes will be using the ALS program in student preparation for the GED Exam. The procedures and process in which ALS is used will be set by the MO Options Coordinator.

Adult Education

All Adult Education classes will use the ALS program. The procedures and process in which ALS is used will be set by the Adult Education Coordinator.

Scholars’ Bowl

  • Advisors must complete ALS training program.
  • Advisors need to allow ample time to be assigned the correct classes.
  • Advisors will only be given viewing rights. They will not be able to assign themselves classes or lessons to students.

Guidelines

Documentation Forms

The following forms will be used in various areas of the ALS program:

  • ALS Course Enrollment
  • Student Contract for First Time Credit
  • Student Contract for Credit Recovery
  • Parent Letter
  • ALS Course Completion
  • ALS Student Progress Form

General Rules

Maximum number of hours per day a student can work on ALS:

  • Traditional HS – 3 blocks
  • Independence Academy – case by case, based on contract

Processes

Technical Help

Contact the ALS Building Coordinator for any technical needs. The building coordinator will decided whether it is a district problem or an ALS issue and will make the appropriate contact for assistance.

Student Enrollment

Building counselor will contact the Building ALS Coordinator to enroll a student into a class using the ALS Enrollment Form. After the student is enrolled the supervising teacher will be notified of the new student. (Counselors must notify Building ALS Coordinators of any in-district ALS transfers.)

Teacher Enrollment

District teachers need to contact the District ALS Coordinator if they would like to use ALS in their classroom as supplemental instruction. The district coordinator will train the classroom teachers on the ALS software. Teachers will be given “read only” rights to the program.

PowerSchool

Students will be assigned to a class labeled ALS-Academic Lab if they are enrolled in an ALS class during the school day. All students in after hours enrollment will be ALS-District Wide

ALS Handbook

Student Log-on:

Students should be instructed to log on the computer and access the program by clicking on the A+ icon located on the desktop.

Students will then log-on using their student ID number for their Log-on Name and the student’s date of birth as their Password.

Example:ID #1234567

DOB010189

The students should now be logged into their ALS account.

Classroom Guidelines

Every classroom with have the following:

  • A computer for every student
  • Wall or bulletin board designated to charting the students’ progress

Freshman Lab Management

Students need ample learning space. (Cubicles, headphones)