IASB POLICY REFERENCE MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 6 - INSTRUCTION

Philosophy and Goals

6:10Educational Philosophy and Objectives

6:15School Accountability

Educational Calendar and Organization

6:20School Year Calendar and Day

6:30Organization of Instruction

Curriculum

6:40Curriculum Development

6:50School Wellness

6:60Curriculum Content

6:65Student Social and Emotional Development

6:70Teaching About Religions

6:80Teaching About Controversial Issues

6:90OPEN

6:100Using Animals in the Educational Program

Special Programs

6:110------

6:120Education of Children with Disabilities

6:130Program for the Gifted

6:140Education of Homeless Children

6:145Migrant Students

6:150Home and Hospital Instruction

6:160English Learners

6:170Title I Programs

6:180Extended Instructional Programs

6:185Remote Educational Program

6:190Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Activities

Instructional Resources

6:200Instructional Arrangements – Individualized Instruction, Grouping for Instruction and

Class Size

6:210Instructional Materials

6:220OPEN

6:230Library Media Program

6:235Access to Electronic Networks

6:240Field Trips

6:250Community Resource Persons and Volunteers

6:255Assemblies and Ceremonies

6:260Complaints About Curriculum, Instructional Materials, and Programs

Guidance and Counseling

6:270Guidance and Counseling Program

Achievement

6:280Grading and Promotion

6:290Homework

6:300------

6:310 ------

6:320 ------

6:330Achievement and Awards

6:340Student Testing and Assessment Program

6:350School Ceremonies and Observances

6:370Student Activities – Athletics

6.10

Instruction

Educational Philosophy and Objectives

The District’s educational program will seek to provide an opportunity for each student to develop to his or her maximum potential. The objectives for the educational program are to:

  1. Foster students’ self-discovery, self-awareness, and self-discipline.
  2. Develop students’ awareness of and appreciation for cultural diversity.
  3. Stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity and growth.
  4. Provide students with fundamental career concepts and skills.
  5. Help students develop sensitivity to the needs and values of others and a respect for individual and group differences.
  6. Help each student strive for excellence and instill a desire to reach the limit of his or her potential.
  7. Encourage students to become life long learners.
  8. Provide an educational climate and culture free of bias concerningthe protected classifications identified in policy 7:10, Equal Educational Opportunities.

In order for the School Board to monitor whether the educational program is attaining these objectives and to be knowledgeable of current and future resource needs, the Superintendent shall prepare an annual report that includes:

  1. A review and evaluation of the present curriculum.
  2. A projection of curriculum and resource needs.
  3. An evaluation of, and plan to eliminate, any bias in the curriculum or instructional materials and methods concerning the classifications referred to in item 8, above.
  4. Any plan for new or revised instructional program implementation.
  5. A review of present and future facility needs.

CROSS REF:1:30 (School District Philosophy), 3:10 (Goals and Objectives), 6:15 (School Accountability), 7:10 (Equal Educational Opportunities)

Adopted: November 2008

6.15

Instruction

School Accountability

According to the Illinois General Assembly, the primary purpose of schooling is the transmission of knowledge and culture through which students learn in areas necessary to their continuing development and entry into the world of work. To fulfill that purpose, the Illinois State Board of Education prepared State Goals for Learning with accompanying Illinois Learning Standards.

The School Board gives priority in the allocation of resources, including funds, time, personnel, and facilities, to fulfilling this purpose.

Quality Assurance

The Board continuously monitors student achievement and the quality of the District’s work. The Superintendent shall supervise the following quality assurance components, in accordance with State law and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) rules, and continuously keep the Board informed:

  1. Prepare each school’s annual recognition application and quality assurance appraisal, whether internal or external, to assess each school’s continuous school improvement.
  2. Continuously assess the District’s and each school’s overall performance in terms of both academic success and equity. This includes, without limitation, a thorough analysis of ISBE’s balanced accountability measure and each school’s Multiple Measure Index and corresponding Annual Measurable Objective provided by ISBE.
  3. If applicable, develop District and School Improvement Plans, present them for Board approval, and supervise their implementation.
  4. Prepare a school report card, present it at a regular Board meeting, and disseminate it as provided in State law.
  5. In accordance with Sec. 2-3.153 of the School Code, administer at least biennially a survey of learning conditions on the instructional environment within the school to, at minimum, students in grades 6 through 12 and teachers.

LEGAL REF.:105 ILCS 5/2-3.25, 5/2-3.25a, 5/2-3.25b, 5/2-3.25c, 5/2-3.25d, 5/2-3.25d-5, 5/2-3.25e-5, 5/2-3.25f, 5/2-3.25f-5, 5/2-3.63, 5/2-3.64a-5, 5/10-21.3a, and 5/27-1.

23 Ill.Admin.Code Part 1, Subpart A: Recognition Requirements.

CROSS REF.:6:170 (Title I Programs), 6:340 (Student Testing and Assessment Program), 7:10 (Equal Educational Opportunities)

Adopted: August 2009

Revised: July 2015

Revised: December 2016

6.20

Instruction

School Year Calendar and Day

School Calendar

The School Board, upon the Superintendent’s recommendation and subject to State regulations, annually establishes the dates for opening and closing classes, teacher institutes and in-services, the length and dates of vacations, and the days designated as legal school holidays. The school calendar shall have a minimum of 185 days to ensure 176 days of actual student attendance.

Commemorative Holidays

The teachers and students shall devote a portion of the school day on each commemorative holiday designated in The School Code to study and honor the commemorated person or occasion. The Board may, from time to time, designate a regular school day as a commemorative holiday.

School Day

The Board establishes the length of the school day with the recommendation of the Superintendent and subject to State law requirements. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that observances required by State law are followed during each day of school attendance.

LEGAL REF.:105 ILCS 5/10-19, 5/10-24.46, 5/18-8.05, 5/18-12, 5/18-12.5, 5/24-2, 5/27-3, 5/27-18, 5/27-19, 5/27-20, 5/27-20.1, 5/27-20.2, and 20/1.

23 Ill.Admin.Code §1.420(f).

Metzl v. Leininger, 850 F.Supp. 740 (N.D. Ill., 1994), aff’d by 57 F.3d 618 (7th Cir., 1995).

CROSS REF.:2:20 (Powers and Duties of the School Board), 5:200 (Terms and Conditions of Employment and Dismissal), 5:330 (Sick Days, Vacation, Holidays, and Leaves), 6:60 (Curriculum Content), 6:70 (Teaching About Religions), 7:90 (Release During School Hours)

Adopted: October 2010

6.30

Instruction

Organization of Instruction

The School District has instructional levels for grades Pre K through 8th . The Superintendent shall annually present to the School Board a plan for organizing instructional levels and assigning them to school facilities in order to:

  1. Support the District’s educational program,
  2. Maximize facility usage without undue overcrowding, and
  3. Provide substantially comparable instructional programs across the District.

Students, for instructional purposes, may be placed in groups within a school that do not necessarily follow grade level designations. For purposes of attendance reporting and other records, however, each student is assigned a grade-level placement.

Kindergarten

The District maintains a full-day kindergarten with an instructional program that fulfills the District’s curriculum goals and objectives and the requirements of the State law. The District also offers a half-day kindergarten for those parents/guardians who request a half-day program.

LEGAL REF.:105 ILCS 5/10-20.19a, 5/10-20.37, and 5/10-22.18.

23 Ill.Admin.Code §1.420.

CROSS REF.:6:40 (Curriculum Development), 6:170 (Title I Programs), 7:30 (Student Assignment), 7:50 (School Admissions and Student Transfers To and From Non-District Schools), 7:100 (Health, Eye, and Dental Examinations; Immunizations; and Exclusion of Students)

Adopted: June 2008

6.40

Instruction

Curriculum Development

Adoption

The Superintendent shall recommend a comprehensive curriculum that is aligned with:

  1. The District’s educational philosophy and goals,
  2. Student needs as identified by research, demographics, and student achievement and other data,
  3. The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for students to become life-long learners,
  4. The minimum requirements of State and federal law and regulations for curriculum and graduation requirements,
  5. The curriculum of non-District schools that feed into or from a District school, provided that the necessary cooperation and information is available,
  6. The Illinois State Learning Standards and any District learning standards, and
  7. Any required State or federal student testing.

The School Board will adopt, upon recommendation of the Superintendent, a curriculum that meets the above criteria.

Experimental Educational Programs and Pilot Projects

The Superintendent may recommend experimental educational programs and/or pilot projects for Board consideration. Proposals must include goals, material needs, anticipated expenses, and an evaluation process. The Superintendent shall submit to the Board periodic progress reports for programs that exceed one year in duration and a final evaluation with recommendation upon the program’s completion.

Single-Gender Classes and Activities

The superintendent may recommend a program of nonvocational single-gender classes and/or activities to provide diverse educational opportunities and/or meet students’ identified educational needs. Participation is the classes or activities must be voluntary, both genders and must be treated with substantial equality, and the program must o

Single-Gender Classes and Activities

The Superintendent may recommend a program of nonvocational single-gender classes and/or activities to provide diverse educational opportunities and/or meet students’ identified educational needs. Participation in the classes or activities must be voluntary, both genders must be treated with substantial equality, and the program must otherwise comply with State and federal law and with Board policy 7:10, Equal Educational Opportunities. The Superintendent must periodically evaluate any single-gender class or activity to ensure that: (1) it does not rely on overly broad generalizations about the different talents, capabilities, or preferences of either gender, and (2) it continues to comply with State and federal law and with Board policy 7:10, Equal Educational Opportunities.

Development

The Superintendent shall develop a curriculum review program to monitor the current curriculum and promptly suggest changes to make the curriculum more effective, to take advantage of improved teaching methods and materials, and to be responsive to social change, technological developments, student needs, and community expectations.

The Superintendent shall report to the Board as appropriate, the curriculum review program’s efforts to:

  1. Regularly evaluate the curriculum and instructional program.
  2. Ensure the curriculum continues to meet the stated adoption criteria.
  3. Include input from a cross-section of teachers, administrators, parents/guardians, and students, representing all schools, grade levels, disciplines, and specialized and alternative programs.
  4. Coordinate with the process for evaluating the instructional program and materials.

Curriculum Guides and Course Outlines

The Superintendent shall develop and provide subject area curriculum guides to appropriate staff members.

LEGAL REF.:34 C.F.R. Part 106.

105 ILCS 5/10-20.8 and 5/10-19.

CROSS REF.:6:60 (Curriculum Content), 6:65 (Student Social and Emotional Development), 6:70 (Teaching About Religions), 6:80 (Teaching About Controversial Issues), 6:90 (Kindergarten), 6:100 (Using Animals in the Educational Program), 6:110 (Programs for Students At Risk of Academic Failure and/or Dropping Out of School and Graduation Incentives Program), 6:120 (Education of Children with Disabilities), 6:130 (Program for the Gifted), 6:140 (Education of Homeless Children), 6:145 (Migrant Students), 6:150 (Home and Hospital Instruction), 6:160 (English Language Learners), 6;170 (Title I Programs), 6:180 (Extended Instructional Programs), 7:15 (Student and Family Privacy Rights)

Adopted: September 2007

6:50

6:50

Instruction

School Wellness

Student wellness, including good nutrition and physical activity, shall be promoted in the District’s educational program, school-based activities, and meal programs. This policy shall be interpreted consistently with Section 204 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 and the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).

The Superintendent will ensure:

  1. Each school building complies with this policy;
  2. The policy is available to the community on an annual basis through copies of or online access to the Board Policy Manual; and
  3. The community is informed about the progress of this policy’s implementation.

Goals for Nutrition Education and Nutrition Promotion

The goals for addressing nutrition education and nutrition promotion include the following:

  • Schools will support and promote sound nutrition for students.
  • Schools will foster the positive relationship between sound nutrition, physical activity, and the capacity of students to develop and learn.
  • Nutrition education will be part of the District’s comprehensive health education curriculum. See Board policy 6:60, Curriculum Content.

Goals for Physical Activity

The goals for addressing physical activity include the following:

  • Schools will support and promote an active lifestyle for students.
  • Physical education will be taught in all grades and shall include a developmentally planned and sequential curriculum that fosters the development of movement skills, enhances health-related fitness, increases students’ knowledge, offers direct opportunities to learn how to work cooperatively in a group setting, and encourages healthy habits and attitudes for a healthy lifestyle. See Board policy 6:60, Curriculum Content and Board policy 7:260, Exemption from Physical Education.
  • During the school day, all students will be required to engage in a daily physical education course, unless otherwise exempted. See Board policy 6:60, Curriculum Content and Board policy 7:260, Exemption from Physical Education.
  • The curriculum will be consistent with and incorporate relevant Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health as established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Nutrition Guidelines for Foods Available During the School Day; Marketing Prohibited

Students will be offered and schools will promote nutritious food and beverage choices during the school day that are consistent with Board policy 4:120, Food Services (requiring compliance with the nutrition standards specified in the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) Smart Snacks rules).

In addition, in order to promote student health and reduce childhood obesity, the Superintendent or designee shall:

  1. Restrict the sale of competitive foods, as defined by the USDA, in the food service areas during meal periods;
  2. Comply with all ISBE rules; and
  3. Prohibit marketing during the school day of foods and beverages that do not meet the standards listed in Board policy 4:120, Food Services, i.e., in-school marketing of food and beverage items must meet competitive foods standards.

Competitive foods standards do not apply to foods and beverages available, but not sold in school during the school day; e.g., brown bag lunches, foods for classroom parties, school celebrations, and reward incentives.

Exempted Fundraising Day (EFD) Requests

All food and beverages sold to students on the school campuses of participating schools during the school day must comply with the “general nutrition standards for competitive foods” specified in federal law.

ISBE rules prohibit EFDs for grades 8 and below in participating schools.

Guidelines for Reimbursable School Meals

Reimbursable school meals served shall meet, at a minimum, the nutrition requirements and regulations for the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program.

Monitoring

At least every three years, the Superintendent shall provide implementation data and/or reports to the Board concerning this policy’s implementation sufficient to allow the Board to monitor and adjust the policy (a triennial report). This triennial report must include without limitation each of the following:

*An assessment of the District’s implementation of the policy

*The extent to which schools in the District are in compliance with the policy

*The extent to which the policy compares to model local school wellness policies

*A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the policy

*How the District will make the results of the assessment available to the public

*Where the District will retain records of the assessment

The Board will monitor and adjust the policy pursuant to policy 2:240, Board Policy Development.

Community Involvement

The Board and Superintendent will actively invite suggestions and comments concerning the development, implementation, periodic reviews, and updates of the school wellness policy from parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the community. Community involvement methods shall align their suggestions and comments to policy 2:140, Communications To and From the Board and/or the Community Engagement subhead in policy 8:10, Connection with the Community.

Recordkeeping

The Superintendent shall retain records to document compliance with this policy, the District’s records retention protocols, and the Local Records Act.

LEGAL REF.:Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Pub. L. 108-265, Sec. 204.

Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. §1771 etseq.

National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. §1751 etseq.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, 42 U.S.C. §1758b, Pub. L. 111-296.

42 U.S.C. §1779, as implemented by 7 C.F.R. §§210.11 and 210.31.

Local Records Act, 50 ILCS 205/.

105 ILCS 5/2-3.139.

23 Ill.Admin.Code Part 305, Food Program.

ISBE’s “School Wellness Policy” Goal, adopted Oct. 2007.

CROSS REF.:2:140 (Communications To and From the Board), 2:150 (Committees), 2:240 (Board Policy Development), 4:120 (Food Services), 5:100 (Staff Development Program), 6:60 (Curriculum Content), 7:260 (Exemption from Physical Education), 8:10 (Connection with the Community)

Adopted: October 2010

Revised: December 2015

Revised: December 2016

Revised: December 2017

6.60

Instruction

Curriculum Content

The curriculum shall contain instruction on subjects required by State statute or regulation as follows:

  1. In kindergarten through grade 8, subjects include: (a) language arts, (b) reading, (c) other communication skills, (d) science, (e) mathematics, (f) social studies, (g) art, (h) music,and (i) drug and substance abuse prevention. A reading opportunity of 60 minutes per day will be promoted for all students in kindergarten through grade 3 whose reading levels are one grade level or more lower than their current grade level. Before the completion of grade 5, students will be offered at least one unit of cursive instruction.
  2. In grades 9 through 12, subjects include: (a) language arts, (b) writing intensive course, (c) science, (d) mathematics, (e) social studies including U.S. history, American government and, for students entering the 9th grade in the fall of 2016 and each year after it, one semester of civics, (f) foreign language, (g) music, (h) art, (i) driver and safety education, and (j) vocational education.

Students otherwise eligible to take a driver education course must receive a passing grade in at least eight courses during the previous two semesters before enrolling in the course. The Superintendent or designee may waive this requirement if he or she believes a waiver to be in the student’s best interest. The course shall include: (a) classroom instruction on distracted driving as a major traffic safety issue, and (b) instruction concerning law enforcement procedures for traffic stops, including a demonstration of the proper actions to be taken during a traffic stop and appropriate interactions with law enforcement. Automobile safety instruction covering traffic regulations and highway safety must include instruction on the consequences of alcohol consumption and the operation of a motor vehicle.The eligibility requirements contained in State law for the receipt of a certificate of completion from the Secretary of State shall be provided to students in writing at the time of their registration.