§ 6-15-1802 - Establishment of Arkansas Pygmalion Commission on Nontraditional Education. - Arkansas Statutes

6-15-1802. Establishment of Arkansas Pygmalion Commission on Nontraditional Education.

(a) The Arkansas Pygmalion Commission on Nontraditional Education is established for purposes of, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Identifying and developing additional funding bases, including such nontraditional sources to use in implementing intervention services for students as private funds and grants, federal education funds and grants, and sale of merchandise and services generated by alternative education programs, that can be deployed in meeting the educational needs of all Arkansas children;

(2) Conducting a study to determine the cost of various service models and the relative cost-effectiveness of each;

(3) Identifying, in conjunction with school administrators responsible for alternative learning environments, factors to consider in determining the placement of students in alternative learning environments, including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) Standardized test scores or assessment portfolios which indicate that a student is nine (9) months or more behind grade level;

(B) The student's being one (1) year or more behind grade-level peers in accumulating credits for graduation;

(C) Having been retained one (1) or more times;

(D) Recurring absences;

(E) Personal or family problems or situations that have negatively affected the student's ability to function in school;

(F) Referrals for special education in which the student is found not eligible for special education; and

(G) Suspension or expulsion within the previous or current school semester;

(4) Forming guidelines whereby the public schools and other agencies work collectively to implement a program for Arkansas children in kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) in both general education and vocational education;

(5) Collecting and compiling research, information, and data regarding alternative and nontraditional methods for meeting the educational needs of all Arkansas children and disseminating the research, information, and data to the public schools; and

(6) Recommending the implementation of both in-service and university level courses designed to enhance the ability of a teacher or an administrator to develop interventions that will meet the needs of students identified for placement in an alternative or nontraditional learning environment.

(b) The commission shall utilize the proposed Department of Education Rules and Regulations for Alternative Learning Environments, dated January 13, 1993.