1.00
REGULATORY AUTHORITY
1.01 These rules shall
be known as Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing Distance
Learning.
1.02 These rules are
enacted pursuant to the State Board of Education's authority under Arkansas
Code Annotated §§
6-47-201,
6-47-302,
and Act 1192 of 2003.
2.00 PURPOSE
It is the purpose of these rules to set reasonable guidelines for the
implementation of the Arkansas Distance Learning Development Project and the
operation of distance learning in the public schools of Arkansas. These
regulations rules shall replace any existing regulations or guidelines
regarding distance learning. These rules do not apply to professional
development activities or courses meeting Arkansas Department of Education
Rules and Regulations for Concurrent College and High School Credit for
Students Who Have Completed the Eighth Grade.
3.00 DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of these rules:
3.01 "Adult Facilitator" is the person
responsible for supervising and assisting the students at the receiving site.
The adult facilitator must be an adult approved by the school
district.
3.02 "Appropriately
Licensed or Approved Instructor" is a teacher either licensed to teach the
content of the required course in a public school in Arkansas or approved by
the Department to teach the content through distance learning
technology.
3.03 "Course
Curriculum" is the course design including the instructional content, methods,
and student assessments.
3.04
"Distance Learning" is the technology and educational process used to provide
instruction when the student and primary instructor are not physically present
at the same time and/or place.
3.05
"Elective Course" is a course that is not used to meet the state requirements
for graduation or course offerings.
3.06 "Offering Institution" is the school or
organization providing the distance learning course.
3.07 "Primary Instructor" is the instructor
responsible for the course design, instruction, and student
assessments.
3.08 "Receiving Site"
is the local school site where the students are receiving distance
learning.
3.09 "Required Course" is
a course offered by distance learning which may be used by a student to meet
one of the state mandated graduation requirements or by a school to meet one of
the course offerings required by the state.
3.10 "Supplemental Instruction" is
instruction used to reinforce or enrich a required course or to provide the
student an educational opportunity outside of the normal course
structure.
3.11 "Technology" is the
method (usually electronic or by telecommunications) used for providing the
student with materials, instruction, assistance, and a way to interact with the
teacher(s) and other students.
4.00 REQUIRED COURSES
4.01 The Department of Education must approve
all required courses originating from an offering institution located outside
the State of Arkansas. The courses must be approved either individually or the
Department may approve the institution to offer distance learning courses to
public schools in Arkansas.
4.02
All distance learning courses originating in Arkansas that are used as a
required course shall have an appropriately licensed or approved primary
instructor.
4.03 All distance
learning courses that are used as a required course shall have an adult
facilitator to supervise any instructional activity where students meet as a
group.
4.04 All distance learning
courses except concurrent credit courses that are used as a required course
shall use a curriculum designed to comply with the Arkansas Curriculum
Frameworks and Arkansas Course Content Standards.
4.05 An adult facilitator must be present
when student achievement assessments used to determine a student's final grade
are administered in a distance learning required course. The student
achievement assessments shall be designed to assess the degree to which the
students have mastered the Arkansas Course Content Standards.
4.05.1 Documentation of student achievement
assessments shall be maintained at the receiving site school for a minimum of
five years after the final grade for the student has been issued. Documentation
shall include the assessment questions, student responses, and the grade for
each student assessment and grading period.
4.05.2 Student achievement assessment
documentation shall be available for review by the Department of Education. In
the event that the Department review indicates insufficient student achievement
or inadequate curriculum alignment with the curriculum frameworks or course
content standards, the course may be disapproved by the Department for use
beginning the following school year.
5.00 ELECTIVE COURSES
Distance learning elective courses shall not be subject to the
restrictive provisions of these regulations. However, teachers must be licensed
or approved by the Department and other related Department regulations or
standards of accreditation may apply.
6.00 SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION
All distance learning supplemental instruction shall be considered an
enhancement to the teacher's regular instruction and shall not be subject to
the restrictive provisions of these regulations.
7.00 CLASS SIZE
7.01 The number of students present at the
receiving site(s) shall determine class size.
7.02 Class size for synchronous distance
learning courses shall be the same as for courses not taught by distance
learning as specified in the Arkansas Standards for Accreditation. Class size
requirements do not apply to asynchronous distance learning
instruction.
7.03 Student
interaction with the primary instructor or an appropriately licensed teacher(s)
shall be available at a ratio of no more than 30 students per class and 150
students each day for both synchronous and asynchronous
courses.
8.00 ADULT
SUPERVISION
These rules provide minimum distance learning educational supervision
requirements only and are not designed to replace legal or other student
supervision responsibilities schools have to properly protect and supervise
students.
9.00 PILOT
PROGRAMS
In an effort to facilitate distance learning opportunities for students
and teachers, the Information and Technology Section of the Department of
Education may approve on a pilot basis distance learning courses for a maximum
of two consecutive years. Continuation of the distance learning course after
the pilot phase will be dependent on the course meeting all of the regulations
governing distance learning courses.
10.0 ARKANSAS DISTANCE LEARNING DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT
In order to improve course offerings available to students throughout
the state and demonstrate the efficiency of using distance learning to enhance
elementary and secondary education there is herby established the Arkansas
Distance Learning Development Project.
10.01 The project shall have four (4) focus
areas:
10.01.1 To help alleviate the
increasing shortage of available qualified teachers;
10.01.2 To provide additional course
scheduling opportunities of students currently forced to choose between courses
that are scheduled infrequently or currently;
10.01.3 To provide an opportunity for
students to access an enriched curriculum and additional courses beyond those
mandated by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools;
and
10.01.4 To develop and make
available online professional development and instructional resources for all
teachers and administrators.
10.02 The funding necessary to carry out the
provisions of this subchapter may be derived from donations, grants, or
legislative appropriation.
10.02.1 The
project shall receive from the Public School Fund an amount equal to one-sixth
(1/6) of the previous year's base local revenue per student for each student
enrolled in a course at the secondary level or each subject at the elementary
level on July 15 for the current summer or upcoming school year. The funds
shall be transferred from the Public School Fund to the designated distance
learning fund and appropriation upon verification of student enrollment by the
Information and Technology Section .
10.02.2 The director may solicit and receive
donations and grants for the purpose of administering the program.
10.02.3 Fund balances may be carried over
from one year to the next to continue the project.
10.02.4 The department may enter into
contracts or provide grants to local education agencies, education service
cooperatives, or other entities for personnel, facilities, and services
necessary to implement this project.
10.03 Students taking courses through this
project shall be considered entitled to any public education credits and grades
assigned through this project and those credits and grades shall be accepted by
all public schools in Arkansas.
10.04 The director shall review the
implementation of this program annually and make recommendations to the board
to ensure that the purpose of the program is achieved.
