Section 240.75  Program Approval Criteria

All complete applications to establish an Alternative Learning Opportunities Program shall be reviewed in accordance with the following criteria and approved based upon the extent to which:

a)         the proposed eligibility criteria will ensure that children shall not be recommended for the program based solely on their membership in a particular group or on family or individual characteristics (e.g., minority, low income, disability) and include procedures and indicators that have a high likelihood of identifying children who, without educational supports and/or other support services not currently offered in the regular school program, may be at risk of academic failure;

b)         the proposed program is structured to meet the individual needs of the students anticipated to be served, includes research-based approaches shown to be successful in serving students who are at risk of academic failure, and will be located at a site that will be educationally beneficial for the students to be served;

c)         the applicant has documented the intervention strategies that it currently employs before consideration of a student for enrollment in the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program, including evidence that the district would be unable to provide as part of the regular school program the proposed educational supports and/or support services necessary for that student to improve his or her academic achievement;

d)         the curriculum is tied to State and district standards, its pace and sequence will likely lead to improvement of achievement in a timely way, and the specific educational goals and accompanying procedures for assessing student progress are clearly defined and measurable;

e)         support services are appropriate and necessary for students to improve their academic achievement and will not unduly interrupt the ability of the students to progress academically;

f)         procedures for returning students to the regular school program are likely to ensure that such transition will be successful, and the students will be afforded access to educational supports and/or other support services necessary to ensure success in the regular school program;

g)         evidence is presented that the staff to be employed meet the requirements of Section 240.30(f) of this Part and that any not-for-profit or for-profit entity proposed to provide instructional services is recognized by the State Board of Education; and

h)         the financial plan to support the program is cost-effective, as evidenced by the numbers to be served and services to be provided, and includes evidence that local, State or federal funds and other sources of revenue will be coordinated to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of program services and activities.