Standards for Alternative Educational Opportunities

Guiding Principles

Consistent with the Guidelines for Alternative Education Settings, these standards are grounded in the conviction that alternative educational opportunities for students who have been expelled should exhibit the following characteristics:

• whole student approach that addresses the personal, social, emotional, intellectual, work skills, safety, and security needs of all students in addition to academic content (including the Connecticut Core Standards⁴);
• full time, comprehensive experience, where the learning is comparable to what the student would experience in a regular school environment;
• instruction that is based on a curriculum aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards unless modified as indicated by goals and objectives of an individualized education program (IEP);
• high expectations that are consistent with LEA goals and Connecticut state standards including the belief that all students are capable and can be successful regardless of their discipline history; and
• research/evidence-based practices with student success in mind including the engagement of par- ents/guardians and families as well as community partners, as appropriate.

These principles are unlikely to be satisfied by assignment to homebound instruction.

Student Placement

If a decision to expel occurs, it is expected that the LEA will then take the following steps:

• Meet with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) prior to placement to provide information concerning the potentially appropriate alternative educational opportunities for the student.
• The educational programming and placement during the period of expulsion for students who receive special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) should be determined by the students’ planning and placement team (PPT) in accordance with IDEA.
• Consult with relevant school personnel knowledgeable about the student to obtain information regarding the student’s academic, social, and behavioral history that will help inform the decision concerning an appropriate alternative educational opportunity. The input shared by school person- nel may be gathered via written reports.
• After parents/guardians have been informed and the appropriate school personnel have shared information regarding the student, all alternative educational opportunities are explored at a place- ment meeting. The placement decision should be made at this meeting.
• At the time of expulsion, parents/students should be informed of the right to apply for early read- mission, which can be granted at the discretion of the Board of Education (BOE) or superintendent (if the BOE delegates this authority to the superintendent) under C.G.S. Section 10-233d(j). Any criteria for early readmission to the school from which the student has been expelled should be recorded in the individualized learning plan (ILP) defined below.

Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)

Once the student is admitted to an alternative education placement due to expulsion, an ILP must be developed to govern the programming for the student for the period of the expulsion. Through collaboration among school personnel, the student, and the parent/guardian, an ILP will be developed to inform and direct the student’s learning goals and activities for the duration of the expulsion.

The ILP will reference student records with information relevant to the provision of an alternative educational opportunity, such as a student success plan, Individualized Education Program (IEP) under special education, Section 504 Plan, Individualized Health Plan, and/or other academic and behavioral data. For students who have a student success plan as mandated by state law, the student success plan may inform the ILP but does not replace the ILP. The ILP must address the following:

• The student’s academic and behavioral needs and appropriate academic and behavioral goals and interventions. Include the student’s core classes at the time of expulsion and the student’s current placement or progress in the curriculum of those classes so that the student has an opportunity to continue to progress in the LEA’s academic program and earn graduation credits, if applicable.
• Benchmarks to measure progress towards the goals and ultimately, progress towards graduation.
• Timing and method for reviewing the student’s progress and for communicating that progress to the parent/guardian or student. For most students, monitoring and reviewing the student’s progress will include monitoring the student’s attendance, work completion and progress toward meeting the relevant academic standards for particular coursework, and thus progressing toward graduation, if applicable. Such progress must be communicated to the parent/guardian or student with the same frequency as similar progress for students in the regular school environment is reported and com- municated to parents/guardians or students.
• Provision for the timely transfer of the student’s records both from the student’s school to the alternative educational opportunity provider, and also from the alternative educational opportunity provider to the student’s school.
• The possibility of early readmission to the school from which the student was expelled and the early readmission criteria.

4. Connecticut’s Core Standards