Arkansas § 6-15-2504 - School-level improvement plans — Development — Provisions — Implementation.

§ 6-15-2504. School-level improvement plans — Development — Provisions — Implementation.

Each school participating in an education renewal zone shall develop and implement a school-level improvement plan. Each school-level improvement plan shall at a minimum include the following: Goals for improving student achievement; Measurable benchmarks for achieving student improvement goals; A timeline for reaching goals in improving student achievement; and Requirements for services to be provided by the education renewal zone partners. The partners within a specific education renewal zone shall develop a strategic plan that is responsive to the needs of the individual school improvement plans. The education renewal zone strategic plan shall at a minimum provide for the following: Collaboration between and among the higher education institution partners, education service cooperatives, schools, and communities participating in the education renewal zone, including the academic departments within the higher education institution partners; A comprehensive program of professional development to assure the practical knowledge base of pre-service and in-service teachers with respect to pedagogical practice, content knowledge, and competent use of distance learning technology. Funds received by school districts for the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education Public School Fund Account for professional development may be used to provide funding for the professional development requirements of the education renewal zone school district partners; Enhancement and expansion of local school curricula offerings through the use of two-way interactive television to include advanced placement, dual-credit, and advanced high school courses; The sharing of faculty for core course offerings when schools are unable to hire highly qualified teachers in core subject areas required for college entrance or teachers necessary to meet state accreditation standards; A strategy to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers with particular focus on hard-to-staff schools; A system for mentoring teachers with three (3) or fewer years of professional service; Active participation of the community in the work of the school; Active involvement of parents in the academic work of the student; and A means of collecting the data necessary to evaluate the progress of each participating public school and the education renewal zone in its entirety.