ELP Handbook

Table of Contents

Organization

• The ELP teacher is responsible for providing student services within the school.
• The school principal supervises the ELP teacher.
• A district-wide ELP facilitator coordinates ELP teacher meetings and directs the district Extended Learning Program.
• The district Director of Special Education supervises the ELP facilitator.

District Programs

1st and 2nd Grade Primary Enrichment

Delivery Model:

1. Second semester of the school year, monthly focus skills should guide the planning of enrichment group activities. Topics are district-wide:

• January: Visual Thinking Skills
• February: Creative Thinking Skills
• March: Logical Thinking Skills
• April: Attributes and Classification Skills
• May: Revisit unfinished or favorite topics

2. Materials may include, but are not limited to, district provided activities in the Primary Enrichment manual located in each building.

• The elementary program is primarily a pull-out enrichment program. In cases where it is practical, ELP teachers may collaborate or integrate with classroom teachers.
• If a student needs classroom modifications, the ELP teacher, classroom teacher, student and possibly the parent, counselor, and/or principal may meet to discuss appropriate modifications and accountability for the student.
• In some schools the ELP teacher may teach an accelerated content area class, i.e. 6th grade pre-algebra or small group reading or writing workshop.

• ELP teachers may work with classroom teachers to invite non-program students into ELP groups for one or more activities. This invitational status does not automatically transfer to other schools, other academic terms, or other activities.  Parent signature on a district provided form is required before serving invitational students.
• Students in ELP have priority over invitational students for placement in the offered classes. Facilities’ size and availability determine the number of non-program students who may be invited to attend ELP classes.

Delivery model:

• Middle school ELP teachers deliver ELP services during the rotating schedule of the individual schools. The program at each school varies depending upon facilities, teacher strengths and student needs. Schools might offer ELP classes by the semester or as a full year course.
• Students sign up for ELP classes as an elective.
• ELP teachers determine the curriculum content in their classroom based on student needs and interests.

Invitational Students:

• ELP teachers may work with counselors for placement of selected, non-program students into ELP classes. Students who are unable to work at the expected level should be required to transfer to another course the following semester.
• Students in ELP have priority over invitational students for placement in the offered classes. Facilities’ size and availability determine the number of non-program students who may be invited to attend ELP classes.

High School

• Classroom consultation (Guidance counselor or district ELP facilitator checks on student progress in classroom on a pre-determined basis. Either may consult with teacher regarding classroom teaching strategies and curriculum.)
• Compacting (Classroom teacher compacts curriculum according to demonstrated student performance.)
• Content acceleration (Student works on content at a faster rate than grade-level expectations.)
• Differentiated instruction (Classroom teacher modifies classroom assignments.)
• Mentorship (Adult collaboration on project in specific talent/interest area.)
• Independent Study Options (Guidance counselor helps students arrange non-traditional education options, such as correspondence, compacting, acceleration, university courses, or independent projects. The ELP facilitator may assist as requested.)

• ELP evaluations of home and privately schooled students are arranged by the ELP teacher at the student’s local transportation zone school and for grades 3, 7, and 8 will take place during the testing weeks determined by the district. Grades 4-6 may test when referred.

• Eligible home or privately schooled students may access ELP services. ELP teacher will determine times of services.
• ELP teacher should notify known eligible home or privately schooled students of the availability of services.

• Home or privately schooled students must register with the school office and provide all the required forms and information.
• ELP teachers are required to record and report home or privately schooled student’s attendance to the office. Check with attendance secretary for procedures.
• The student’s parent is responsible for providing transportation to and from both testing and services.

• Regular communication with parents is important and required. Email, newsletters, website, articles in the PTA school newsletter, inserts in classroom newsletters, phone calls or quarterly meetings are all good ways to set up communication with parents.
• ELP teachers should be available to parents during parent-teacher conferences and the times of availability should be advertised to parents. Parents may request a specific time to conference with the ELP teacher. ELP teachers may choose to attend parent conferences scheduled with the classroom teacher.
• Parents are important resources for the ELP teacher. Parents can volunteer in the ELP classroom, be guest presenters for ELP and other classrooms, or be community and district advocates for their students.

• Parent consent is required before a student’s program is changed from that offered in regular education classrooms. This includes signing any required forms for the Extended Learning Program. Note that signing permission to test does not give permission to place.
• Check with appropriate school personnel for other signed consent forms such as student computer use or permission for students to be photographed or interviewed.
• School specific permissions for field trips must be obtained as with any class. The district does not require a signed permission form for academic field trips, however it is best to notify parents any time a student will be leaving the school grounds for a school trip.

• Students who are unable to or who choose not to participate in ELP services are not withdrawn from the program and may later choose to receive services at any time without additional testing. The parent should be involved in the decision for the student to opt out of receiving ELP services.

• If a student also has a special education IEP in addition to the ELP Student Plan, the special education teacher is that student’s case manager.
• The ELP teacher should attend all meetings for this child as a member of the team. A Student Plan for ELP is still required.

• In general, ELP teachers at the elementary level are not required to provide grades for student report cards. ELP teachers provide grades only for alternative classes given in place of core academics i.e. advanced 6th grade mathematics.
• A written summary of student enrichment activities and student progress should be sent home quarterly.
• Parents and classroom teachers should be kept informed of student progress.
• ELP teachers keep attendance according to school policy. Check with the school principal or administrative secretary for procedure.

• ELP teachers will provide mid-quarter reports as necessary, quarterly grades, and attendance as in any other academic course.

• A record of attendance for these students needs to be kept. Check with attendance secretary for procedures.

• The allotted time per building is determined at the district level. An assignment of .1 is equivalent to one-half day (3.5 hours), .2 a full day (7 hours), .3 one and one half days (10.5 hours), etc.
• The exact days and hours you spend in a given building may be negotiated by your principals or may be left up to your discretion.
• Travel time between buildings may not be counted as the ELP teacher's prep time or duty-free lunch time.

• Teachers will be assigned a home school by the district upon hiring for that position.
• Teachers should attend staff meetings and in-services at their home school, but may also arrange to attend these, as appropriate, at their other school.
• Teachers should schedule time in each assigned building during Parent/Teacher conferences in order to be available to parents.
• The home school principal is responsible for teacher evaluation.
• All end-of-year check-out procedures must be completed at both schools.

• Change of Status forms must be submitted to the home school, but the secondary school should be notified if affected.
• Teachers whose absence affects more than one school cannot use the building substitute teacher unless instructed to do so by the building principal.
• Call the sub-caller help desk at 452-2000 x 357 if assigned the building substitute. The help desk will re-assign a substitute to the job.
• Leave specific information on the sub-caller machine when asked to leave “special instructions for the substitute” so the substitute will know in which building to start the day, and if any travel between schools is involved.

• Teachers who travel between schools during their workday are eligible for mileage reimbursement. Forms to record your mileage may be obtained from the school administrative secretary or online in the district's Human Resources Forms section. Check quarterly for a new form as reimbursement amounts per mile change periodically.
• Teachers are responsible for keeping track of all mileage for travel between work sites, not including to and from home, and must return a completed mileage form to the administrative secretary at the home school by the 10th workday of each month following the travel. Failure to do so may result in no reimbursement for that month.
• Mileage reimbursement is added to a future paycheck.

• Our Negotiated Agreement states duties will be assigned to teachers ONLY at their home schools.
• Duties may not exceed those of other teachers in that building.

• See Negotiated Agreement Section 502 for preparation period times and restrictions. ELP teachers are entitled to the same amount of prep as regular classroom teachers. They may distribute this preparation time throughout their schedules as needed at each school.

• ELP teachers plan for a substitute whenever they are absent.
• Substitute teachers need to know the ELP teacher’s daily schedule, how students arrive and leave the ELP class, duty schedule, and the various building emergency/evacuation plans.
• The principal may ask other teachers in the building, including the ELP teacher or the ELP teacher’s substitute, to cover another classroom in an emergency.

• A club account may be used to pay for expenses that are not covered by the school budget.
• Club accounts stay with the school where they were created as the money in them is normally raised by the students in that building.
• Expenditures are subject to principal approval.

• ELP teachers may apply for grants, although the grant has to be approved by the district. Please call the grants office before working on one. If awarded, the ELP teacher determines the allocation of the grant funds. If the ELP teacher is reassigned to a different school, any left-over grant monies or grant materials travel with the teacher unless specifically stated otherwise in the grant.

• ELP teachers will be issued a building key and room key for each building assignment.

• Lesson plans
• Materials
• Resource books
• Catalogs