DAR File No. 27707

Education, Administration

R277-412

Junior High and Middle School Accreditation

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE

DAR File No.: 27707
Filed: 02/15/2005, 04:53
Received by: NL

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

This rule is amended to add and clarify definitions and update accreditation practices.

Summary of the rule or change:

The amendments add definitions, clarify the accreditation differences between middle schools and junior high schools, and middle schools and junior high schools that include ninth grade. Junior high and middle schools that include ninth grade must be accredited in their entirety. Middle schools that desire accreditation must be members of Northwest and meet Northwest standards.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

Subsection 53A-1-402(1)(c)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

There are no anticipated cost or savings to the state budget. The Utah State Office of Education responsibilities have been similar under all accreditation practices for more than 10 years.

local governments:

There are no anticipated cost or savings to local government. Junior high and middle schools that include ninth grade do not need to be members of Northwest to be accredited.

other persons:

There are no anticipated cost or savings to other persons. Only schools are accredited.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no compliance costs for affected persons. Only schools are accredited.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

I have reviewed this rule, and I see no fiscal impact to businesses. Patti Harrington, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

Carol Lear at the above address, by phone at 801-538-7835, by FAX at 801-538-7768, or by Internet E-mail at clear@usoe.k12.ut.us

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

03/31/2005

This rule may become effective on:

04/01/2005

Authorized by:

Carol Lear, Coordinator School Law and Legislation

RULE TEXT

R277. Education, Administration.

R277-412. Junior High and Middle School Accreditation.

R277-412-1. Definitions.

[B]A. "Accreditation" means formal Northwest and Board approval of a school that has met standards considered by the Board to be essential for the operation of a quality school program.

[A]B. "Board" means the Utah State Board of Education.

C. "Junior high school" for the purpose of this rule means any combination of grades 7-9.

D. "Middle school" for the purpose of this rule means grades 7-8 in whatever kind of school the grade levels exist.

E. "Northwest" means the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, the regional accrediting association of which Utah is a member.

[ C. "State Committee" means the State Junior High and Middle School Accreditation Committee which is composed of public school principals and school district personnel, private school representatives, special purpose representatives, and USOE personnel.

] [D]F. "USOE" means the Utah State Office of Education.

R277-412-2. Authority and Purpose.

A. This rule is authorized by Utah Constitution Article X, Section 3 which vests general control and supervision of public education in the Board, Section 53A-1-402(1)(c) which directs the Board to adopt rules for school accreditation, and Section 53A-1-401(3) which allows the Board to adopt rules in accordance with its responsibilities.

B. The purpose of this rule is to[:

(1) ] specify the standards and procedures by which junior high and middle schools may choose to become accredited by Northwest with facilitation by the Board[; and

(2) establish an accreditation program of appropriate and high standards of attainment to assist schools in maintaining and improving education programs].

R277-412-3. Middle School Accreditation[ Classifications; Reports].

[A. The state accreditation program for junior high and middle schools has two classification categories: accredited and non-accredited. An accredited rating continues from year to year unless evaluation data, annual reports, and on-site visits justify a change in rating.

B. Within the accredited classification are the following ratings:

(1) accredited with commendation: the school's current practices and plan for improvement are of a superior quality. This rating does not infer that improvement cannot be made;

(2) accredited with full approval: the school is in compliance with minimum standards;

(3) accredited with comment: one or two deviations from the standards have appeared for the first time or there are deviations of a minor nature;

(4) accredited with advice: the school deviates substantially from one or more standards or no observable effort has been made in the second year to correct deviations from a standard upon which comment was previously made. Approved with comment does not necessarily precede approved with advice;

(5) accredited with warning: a serious violation of one or more standards exists. This rating is usually issued after a school has received the advised or comment status and no improvement is shown. A school may be dropped from fully approved to warned when, in the opinion of the State Committee, the violation is such that it shall not be allowed to persist beyond the current year. A warned school is usually dropped to a non-accredited status the following year unless acceptable correction is made. No school is dropped to a non-accredited status unless it was warned the preceding year and a special meeting has been held with local school officials.

C. Schools on warned status may be dropped to a non-accredited status unless significant progress toward overcoming deviations is shown on the next report. An accredited school may not be dropped to a non-accredited status without first receiving a warned status unless there is justification for the exception. Justification may include the blatant disregard by the accredited school for the standards set and provided by the State Committee.

D. All junior high and middle schools seeking or wishing to continue accreditation status shall submit an annual accreditation report to the USOE in the fall.]A. The accreditation process for junior high and middle schools shall take place under the direction of the USOE acting as an agent for Northwest.

B. Middle schools, which desire accreditation, shall be members of Northwest and meet all the requirements and standards outlined in R277-413. They may apply for accreditation through Northwest.

C. Public junior high and middle schools that include 9th grade shall be visited and assigned status by the USOE using the Northwest accreditation standards. The schools are not required, however, to be members of Northwest or file annual reports.

D. The Northwest accreditation standards provided in R277-413 are applicable to junior high and middle schools in their entirety if the schools include 9th grade consistent with R277-412-3C.

E. The accreditation status and date of most recent accreditation of the school shall be available from the USOE upon request.

[R277-412-4. Procedures for Evaluation and Classification.

A. The evaluation of junior high and middle schools for purposes of accreditation and classification is a cooperative activity in which the school, the local district, and the USOE share the major responsibility. Basic to the operation of the program is self-evaluation and self-initiated improvement on the part of the individual school.

B. The procedures for junior high and middle school accreditation are as follows:

(1) application for accreditation is voluntary;

(2) a school planning for accreditation must submit a formal application to the USOE;

(3) school personnel may request the state specialist for accreditation to meet with them in an orientation session to discuss accreditation standards and evaluation procedures;

(4) a school must complete a self-evaluation. The school may use one of the following documents for its self-evaluation or other means approved by the State Committee:

(a) Junior High/Middle School Evaluative Criteria, National Study of School Evaluation;

(b) Junior High School Evaluative Criteria, Utah State Board of Education.

USOE staff members, parents, students, and community members may be invited to assist in the evaluation process.

(5) A school, in coordination with the State Committee, shall set a date for a two day, on-site evaluation by a team appointed by the State Committee. The on-site visit takes place after the self-evaluation is completed and prior to April 15. The visiting team represents a cross section of professional educators from throughout the state.

(6) Written evaluation results from the on-site visit and other pertinent information, including the self-evaluation, shall be presented to the State Committee. After review of all information, the State Committee shall make a recommendation to the Board or its designee relative to an accreditation status. The Board is the final accrediting authority.

(7) Continuing accreditation is subject to a review of annual reports by the State Committee, and to a complete evaluation at least every ten years, beginning with the 1979-80 to 1989-90 ten year period.

(8) annual reports for purpose of accreditation are due in the local school district office by October 1 of each year and in the USOE by October 15.

R277-412-5. Accreditation Standard I: The Education Program.

A. A school shall develop a written philosophy of education consistent with the priorities and goals of the local board of education and the Board.

(1) It shall be implemented by specific objectives which delineate the purposes and scope of the school's education program.

(2) The objectives shall be reflected in practices observable in the total school program.

B. A school shall determine the content of its program of studies by cooperative planning and continuous evaluation.

(1) The state program of studies approved by the Board for junior high and middle schools shall be followed.

(2) A school shall provide evidence of multi-cultural education taking place within the school. Emphasis shall be given to the interdependence of world cultures.

C. Evaluation of a school's philosophy, objectives, and instruction program shall be conducted by the school.

R277-412-6. Accreditation Standard II: Teaching Personnel; School Atmosphere.

A. Each teacher shall meet the state certification standards for the position for which the teacher is employed.

B. The school staff shall be adequate in number to provide for individualized student guidance, placement, and instruction.

(1) No school shall show excessive professional staff load. The student-professional staff ratio, the enrollment of students shown in the annual report divided by the full-time equivalency of the professional staff members, shall not be greater than 25 to 1. Professional staff members include teachers, administrators, counselors, and media coordinators.

(2) The number of daily classes taught per teacher shall not exceed six in a seven period day or five in a six period day. The number of daily class preparations for each teacher in the school shall not be excessive. The total number of students instructed by any teacher shall not exceed 160 per day according to the discount formula in Subsection 6(B)(3).

(3) The number of students instructed in a day is the total of the following computations:

(a) Total the number of students in duplicated classes and reduce by ten percent. A class is a duplicate class if one preparation is made for two or more sections;

(b) Compute keyboarding classes at two-thirds of the actual enrollment;

(c) Compute classes in physical education at two-thirds of the actual enrollment;

(d) Compute music classes normally taught in large groups such as band, orchestra, and chorus at one-half of the actual count or 30, whichever is the smaller figure;

(e) Count each supervised study hall period as 15 students, regardless of the number in the class;

(f) Compute all other classes at the actual enrollment.

C. The credentials and assignment of each staff member shall be included on the initial accreditation report. On succeeding reports, only staff members who do not meet the certification standard for the position they fill shall be reported.

D. Positive and negative aspects of school atmosphere shall be reported annually in narrative form in the annual accreditation report. Extenuating circumstances which help clarify the negative factors may be included in the report.

R277-412-7. Accreditation Standard III: Instructional Media.

A. The "Guidelines for the Development of an Instructional Media System" shall be used by a school to examine the current status of, identify critical needs of, and establish long range and short range goals for its instructional media system.

B. A school shall include a copy of a completed "School Media Profile--OPSCAN" with the annual report.

C. All schools shall meet the minimum standards for library books, material, periodicals, and teaching supplies adopted by the Board. An adequate accounting system for supplies shall be maintained. Adequate storage space and facilities shall be provided.

D. School personnel shall be familiar with and follow state laws in regard to the adoption of texts.

R277-412-8. Accreditation Standard IV: Pupil Personnel Services.

A. Educational, career, and personal counseling services shall be available to all students and provided by qualified, certificated personnel.

(1) There shall be one full-time equivalent guidance specialist for every 20 teachers.

(2) Counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists assigned regularly to the school shall be counted in computing the ratio.

(3) Their names shall all appear on the Personnel Schedule and the Professional Preparation Sheet.

(4) Teacher and administrator time devoted to counseling which is not scheduled is not used in computing the ratio.

B. Conferences and reporting services shall include scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

C. Alternative pupil personnel programs shall be explicitly explained in a written statement justifying action for State Committee approval.

R277-412-9. Accreditation Standard V: Administration, Supervision, and Organization.

A. Administrative and Supervisory Staff

(1) Administrative and supervisory staff includes:

(a) superintendents;

(b) principals;

(c) assistant principals;

(d) administrative interns;

(e) athletic directors;

(f) attendance directors;

(g) activity directors; and

(h) department heads during released time used for administrative duties.

A person may be counted in only one area at a time. At least one-half of the school day shall be available to the principal for administrative duties.

(2) there shall be at least one administrator for the first 350 students or fraction thereof, and a second for 700 students. Three are recommended for schools with 1050 plus enrollment.

(3) the administrative staff, through cooperative action with the central office staff, shall provide a school climate within which meaningful innovation and reasonable experimentation are encouraged.

B. The principal's primary duty is leadership for the education program. To carry out this duty the principal shall:

(1) actively participate in the recruitment, selection, and assignment of school staff;

(2) effectively utilize staff and motivate administrators and teachers to achieve the highest degree of teaching potential;

(3) coordinate efforts to obtain maximum utilization of existing facilities, equipment, and material, and to acquire facilities, equipment, and materials for the school;

(4) supervise and improve instruction;

(5) become well informed about educational developments that promote dynamic leadership, and know and enforce school, district, and Board rules and policies;

(6) follow accepted budgetary procedures;

(7) provide an adequate system of reporting and interpreting student progress and the school program to the parents and patrons; and

(8) coordinate efforts to establish and maintain good community relations.

C. There shall be one clerical worker for each 350 students or major fraction thereof. No school shall have less than a half-time secretary. Only clerical staff being paid for services may be counted.

D. Student Records

(1) Complete student permanent records shall be filed in one place where they are protected by a fireproof vault, safe, or filing cabinet which meets Underwriters Laboratories Class C specifications.

(2) If fireproof storage is not possible, a duplicate set of records shall be maintained in a separate location.

(3) Records may be placed on computer.

(4) The minimum information contained on student permanent records shall include subjects taken, grades by subject with an explanation of the grading system, credit earned with an explanation of the system for awarding credit, attendance records, and standardized test scores.

(5) When a student transfers to another school, a copy of the student's permanent records and other useful data shall be forwarded promptly to the new school upon parental request.

(6) An annual inventory of equipment, books, and supplies shall be maintained.

R277-412-10. Accreditation Standard VI: School Plant and Facilities.

A. The school plant shall be adequate in size and shall provide attractive facilities for offering a modern program of education suited to the needs and interests of the students and community. The building shall be adequately maintained to ensure the health and safety of its occupants.

B. Custodial service, heating, lighting, ventilation, water supply, and lavatories shall be sufficient to ensure hygienic conditions for students and staff.

C. Proper safeguards for the protection of students and staff against hazards such as fires, storms, earthquakes, and acts of war shall be taken throughout the buildings and grounds.

D. An inspection of the school plant and equipment shall be made by an appropriate, approved official each school year. Deficiencies shall be listed on the annual accreditation report.]

KEY: accreditation

[April 29, 1997]2005

Notice of Continuation September 12, 2002

Art X Sec 3

53A-1-402(1)(c)

53A-1-401(3)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PLEASE NOTE:

• Text to be deleted is struck through and surrounded by brackets (e.g., [example]). Text to be added is underlined (e.g., example). Some browsers may not depict some or any of these attributes on the screen or when the document is printed.
• Please see the DISCLAIMER regarding information available from state web pages.

For questions regarding the content or application of this rule, please contact Carol Lear at the above address, by phone at 801-538-7835, by FAX at 801-538-7768, or by Internet E-mail at clear@usoe.k12.ut.us

For questions about the rulemaking process, please contact the Division of Administrative Rules (801-538-3764). Please Note: The Division of Administrative Rules is NOT able to answer questions about the content or application of these administrative rules.