The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) reviews Annual Accreditation Reports to determine the accreditation status of each school in each district in Arkansas. The status report mailed under separate cover will be the school district’s final and official accreditation status report for the 2011-2012 school year. Please note the review date indicated for Probationary violation(s); evidence to correct Probationary violation(s) must be received by the Standards Assurance Unit on or before the review date, October 15, 2012. Read carefully items indicated in “Comments.” Accreditation status resulting from the 2011-2012 On-campus Standards Review (OSR) will be noted in “Comments.”
Included with the status report is a Corrected Exceptions Accreditation Status Report. This report lists changes to the Initial Accreditation Report. Please refer to Rules Governing Standards for Accreditation, Rule 24.01, for further information concerning teachers who are currently under an Additional Licensure Plan (ALP). A Licensure Completion Deadline (LCD) will be listed on the report for these teachers. Other notes indicating necessary exception corrections may include incorrect course codes, incorrect grade levels, invalid data or may indicate the district has corrected an exception that may have existed when the report was initially submitted. Please continue to work with the respective school district’s Standards Assurance Specialist for additional information about the district’s report.
Right Of Appeal
In the event that a school district believes the ADE has improperly determined that a school or school district has failed to meet Standards for Accreditation, the school district shall have a right to file its written appeal with the Office of the Commissioner, ADE, Four State Capitol Mall, Room 304-A, Little Rock, AR 72201.
Any such appeal shall be held in an open hearing and the decision of the State Board of Education (Board) shall be in open session. The appeal must be filed not later than May 15, 2012 following the May 01, 2012 written notification; the Board hearing must be held prior to June 15, 2012.
The Board may confirm the accreditation status of a school or school district recommended by the ADE or it may sustain the appeal of the district.
Pursuant to the Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-203, an appeal from the ruling of the Board may be made by a school district to the Pulaski County Circuit Court provided such appeal is made pursuant to the Arkansas Administrative Procedures Act, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-15-201 et seq.