December Alternative Learning Update

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 12/14/2017 01:57 PM PST

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Rule Change Proposal
Full-Day Kindergarten
WALA Survey
Website Update
Upcoming Events

Rule Change Proposal

Thank you to everyone who participated in the informational webinars. We appreciated the great discussion, questions, and feedback on the proposed rule change that would affect assessment accountability for part-time students. If you were unable to participate in a webinar and would like more information, you can find the full rule change proposal here.

Full-Day Kindergarten

The survey deadline for ALE full-day kindergarten is here and we will soon be focusing our attention on reviewing the responses and preparing to put final rules in place. Our plan at OSPI for moving forward includes the following steps:

Extend the emergency rules through the remainder of the 2017-2018 school year
Collect survey results
Conduct site visits
Hold sessions to review both the survey and site visit outcomes
A workgroup, inclusive of representatives from the field, will make recommendations for a final rule revision which will be effective for the 2018-2019 school year
OSPI will determine language for the final rule revision, as informed by the workgroup, and complete the rule revision process

If you have questions, please review the bulletin addendum or contact Karma Hugo.

WALA Survey

The Washington Association for Learning Alternatives (WALA) recently sent out a survey via email with the intention of gathering data and information to inform the association's support for programs. If you have questions, please contact Brad Sprague, WALA Executive Director, or Mark Clements, WALA President.

Please take a few moments to fill out their WALA Survey 17-18.

Website Update

The Alternative Learning Department launched a new website this past fall. Beginning the week of December 18, 2017, the previous website will no longer be accessible. At that point, when a user visits the old website, they will only see a link to the new website. Please know that the department is diligently working to update guidance and documents to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) compliance requirements. Updated information will be posted to the new website as soon as possible.

If you have questions, please contact Anissa Sharratt.

Upcoming Events

ALE Administrators Meeting - New Market Skills Center in Tumwater, Washington
January 12, 2018
Registration is open until January 2, 2018 at 5:00 PM. Register here.

43rd Annual WALA Spring Conference - Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington
March 1-3, 2018
Registration available through the WALA website.

2018 WSCA Conference - Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in Seattle, Washington
March 7-9, 2018
Registration available through the WSCA website.

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