6 CAR Part 95 — Comprehensive Plan for Consistency and Rigor in Coursework

Chapter I

Subchapter D

Subpart 1

6 CAR § 95-101 Purpose {#sec-6-car-95-101 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR § 95-101}

6 CAR § 95-101. Purpose.

The purpose of this part is to establish a comprehensive plan and process for establishing consistency and rigor in coursework.

6 CAR § 95-102 Definitions {#sec-6-car-95-102 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR § 95-102}

6 CAR § 95-102. Definitions.

For purposes of this part, each term below shall be defined as follows:

(1) “Comprehensive plan” means that plan developed and approved by the State Board of Education that sets out the process and the time cycle of the external and internal review and revision of content standards and curriculum frameworks in each core academic subject area;

(2) “Content standards” means those curriculum course content standards identified and set out in the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education curriculum frameworks.;

(3) “Core academic areas” means those subject areas of:

(A) Reading;

(B) Writing;

(C) Mathematics;

(D) Science;

(E) History;

(F) Geography;

(G) Civics; and

(H) Other courses identified by the State Board of Education as state-mandated graduation requirements;

(4) “Curriculum frameworks” means those content-specific standards per subject area identified and set out in the course content frameworks required pursuant to:

(A) Arkansas Code § 6-15-407 [repealed]; and

(B) Section 9.00 of the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts;

(5) “End-of-course exam” means that exam specified in Arkansas Code § 6-15-419 (7)(F) [repealed] and Arkansas Code § 6-15-419(14) [repealed];

(6) “Low-level general education tracts” means those courses offered by Arkansas public schools which fail to meet the required content standards and curriculum frameworks as required by Arkansas law or rule;

(7) “State Board of Education revision cycle” means that time frame by which the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall conduct a review and revision of content standards and curriculum frameworks for each core academic subject area as required in the comprehensive plan; and

(8) “Statement of assurance” means that written statement (provided using the attached form marked Exhibit A which is hereby incorporated in this part by reference) required of a school district superintendent ensuring course content standards and curriculum framework compliance pursuant to Arkansas Code § 6-15-1505.

History

• Codification Notes: Code § 6-15-407 was repealed by Acts 2017, No. 930, § 1.Arkansas Code § 6-15-419 was repealed by Acts 2017, No. 930, § 1. Authority: Arkansas Code § 6-15-1506

6 CAR § 95-103 Comprehensive plan {#sec-6-car-95-103 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR § 95-103}

6 CAR § 95-103. Comprehensive plan.

(a) The State Board of Education shall develop, through the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, a comprehensive plan and process to review and revise the Arkansas Academic Content Standards and Curriculum Frameworks.

(b) The comprehensive plan shall:

(1) Provide for an external review of content standards and curriculum frameworks;

(2) When possible, require a full review of available and relevant content standards and curriculum frameworks that are:

(A) Rigorous;

(B) Specific;

(C) Sequenced;

(D) Clear;

(E) Focused; and

(F) Measurable;

(3) Include a process for the review of curriculum offerings to ensure that low-level general education tracts offered by districts are eliminated; and

(4) Require that high school course content standards and curriculum frameworks set forth in the plan:

(A) Include the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the workforce; and

(B) Also be aligned with the coursework required for admission to the state’s institutions of post-secondary education.

(c) The State Board of Education shall, on an ongoing basis, revise all curriculum frameworks and supplemental material that are recommended as a result of the review.

(d) The State Board of Education shall work in collaboration with the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Executive Council to ensure that teacher and school administrative degree programs, ongoing professional development, and other university activity in the state’s public schools are aligned with the:

(1) Revised content standards; and

(2) Curriculum framework process.

(e) The State Board of Education shall ensure that any revisions to content standards and curriculum frameworks process is aligned with the state assessment system for:

(1) Core academic areas;

(2) End-of-course tests; and

(3) All other components of the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program.

6 CAR § 95-104 Review {#sec-6-car-95-104 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR § 95-104}

6 CAR § 95-104. Review.

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall:

(1) Review the content standards and curriculum frameworks process plan on the State Board of Education-approved revision cycle; and

(2) Report to the state board annually.

(b) Upon completion of the review/revision cycle, the state board shall:

(1) Align state programs and support material with the revised academic content standards and curriculum frameworks for each academic core area;

(2) Revise and align textbook criteria, support materials, state tests, teacher and school administrator preparation, and ongoing professional development programs to be compatible with content standards and curriculum frameworks; and

(3) Revise and make available to teachers and parents support materials, including teacher and parent guides, for academic content standards and curriculum frameworks.

6 CAR § 95-105 District assurance {#sec-6-car-95-105 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR § 95-105}

6 CAR § 95-105. District assurance.

(a) Each local school district shall establish procedures and a monitoring process to ensure that the content of each course offered by the school district is consistent and in compliance with the latest content standards and curriculum frameworks developed and approved by the State Board of Education.

(b) The superintendent of each school district shall, using the assurance attachment form herein attached as Exhibit A, provide to the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education by October 1 of each school year, a written statement of assurance that the content of each class and subject area course is aligned to the content standards and curriculum frameworks developed and approved by the state board as required by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts regardless of grade or course level.

(c) The division shall monitor any and all necessary documentation related to the district plan and statement of assurance to verify compliance with the requirements of this rule or Arkansas Code §§ 6-15-1502 – 6-15-1506.

(d) No low-level general education tract course shall be utilized or taught by a school district to meet or satisfy the content or curriculum framework standards in those course and graduation requirements set forth in the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts.

(e) If the division determines that a school district has failed to align the content of each class or course and subject area as required by the state board-approved content standards and curriculum frameworks, the division shall:

(1) Note the failure to comply in the annual school performance report pursuant to Arkansas Code § 6-15-402; and

(2) Cite the failure to comply of each school on the Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools Annual Report.

6 CAR pt. 95, Appendix A Statement of Assurance {#sec-6-car-pt.-95-appendix-a omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-95--6 CAR pt. 95, Appendix A}

Exhibit A

Statement of Assurance

I, _______________________________, Superintendent of the

_______________________________________ School District, do hereby certify by my signature below and by this written Statement of Assurance that the content of each class and subject area, as required by the Arkansas Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools regardless of grade level, is aligned to the latest approved content standards and curriculum frameworks developed by the Arkansas State Board of Education. This Statement of Assurance is given in compliance with Ark. Code Ann. § 6- 15-1505.

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Superintendent

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School District

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Date