§ 6-15-2605 - Application forms and procedures for the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program. - Arkansas Statutes

6-15-2605. Application forms and procedures for the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program.

(a) (1) (A) A public school district or public charter school desiring to participate in the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program shall submit an application to the State Board of Education.

(B) A public school district may apply on behalf of a single school within the public school district that desires to participate in alternative pay.

(2) (A) The public school district or public charter school shall be selected through a competitive process.

(B) In selecting participants, the State Board of Education shall consider qualified applicants from various locations and of various sizes and demographics.

(3) The state board may approve up to twelve (12) applications.

(b) The state board shall adopt:

(1) An application form, a schedule, and a procedure that must be used to apply for the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program; and

(2) Criteria to use in selecting public school districts and public charter schools to participate in the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program.

(c) The application form must provide space for including all information required under this subchapter to be contained in a Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.

(d) The application procedure shall provide for a phase-in process, beginning with a planning phase for a twelve-month minimum period, to allow applicants access to resources that would allow sufficient research of best practices and to garner community and staff support in submitting a Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.

(e) (1) In order to participate in the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program, a public school district or public charter school must have an approved comprehensive school improvement plan, as defined in 6-15-419(9).

(2) Prior to full implementation of a Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan, the comprehensive school improvement plan of the public school, public school district, or public charter school shall include:

(A) Assessment and evaluation tools to measure student performance and progress based on an achievement gains model;

(B) Performance goals and benchmarks for improvement;

(C) Measures of student attendance and completion rates;

(D) A rigorous professional development system consistent with the comprehensive school improvement plan defined in 6-15-419(9) and student academic improvement plans as defined in 6-15-419(2);

(E) Measures of student, family, and community involvement and satisfaction;

(F) A data reporting system about students and their academic progress that provides parents and the public with understandable information;

(G) A teacher induction and mentoring program for probationary teachers that provides continuous learning and sustained teacher support; and

(H) Substantial participation by teachers in developing the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.

(f) (1) As part of the application process, participant schools shall conduct a vote of the teachers with the threshold for acceptance being seventy percent (70%) or another percent established by a majority vote of the teachers and approved by the local board.

(2) (A) A teacher in the participant school or school district may elect not to participate in the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.

(B) If fifty-one percent (51%) or more of a participant school's teachers elect not to participate, the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan shall not be implemented.

(g) (1) All recipients of funds provided by the Rewarding Excellence in Achievement Program shall cooperate and share all school demographic and student achievement data with any state-sponsored evaluation of this program.

(2) (A) (i) A public school district or public charter school applicant shall form a committee to consist of public school administrators and teachers, the majority of whom shall be public school teachers.

(ii) The classroom teacher members of the committee shall be elected by a majority of the classroom teachers voting by secret ballot.

(iii) The election shall be solely and exclusively conducted by the classroom teachers, including the distribution of ballots to all classroom teachers.

(B) The committee shall be responsible for:

(i) Creating the school's Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan; and

(ii) (a) Evaluating the school's Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.

(b) The committee shall report to its local board on the evaluation of the school's Rewarding Excellence in Achievement plan.