Enrollment at AcademyACL

Students with Special Needs

ALPS, IEPS, 504S, READ PLANS

Colorado law outlines rules for special needs under the the “Exceptional Children’s Act.” Information about state law can be found at the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Rules and Regulations page, here.

Students who have a disability in one or more areas are students with special needs, and their rights are protected under both federal and state law.

• Students who have a disability that severely impacts his or her education (and a requires specialized teacher) may qualify for an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
• Students who have a disability that requires accommodations in the general classroom setting may qualify for a Section 504 plan to document the accommodations needed.
• Preschool students who may have special needs should be connected with local Child Find services in order to have that information, and any completed preschool IEP, to share with the school upon Request for Enrollment.
• AcademyACL serves children who have IEPs and Section 504 Plans, and strives to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) based on each student’s needs and make all good faith efforts to accommodate these students within its resource service model.
• Prior to enrollment offers, the special education lead, the Section 504 coordinator, and/or the Academy Director will meet review IEP and Section 504 plans, at District 11’s request in the charter contract. They then communicate with families of these students to ensure that each family is aware of AcademyACL’s systems in place for supporting their student in general classroom and special education settings.
• AcademyACL has one full-time special education teacher, and an intervention teacher, with part-time services for speech pathology, occupational therapy, and school psychologist. The entire school teaches reading/writing time from 8:30 to 10:00am each day, and mathematics from 10:30 to 12:00 each day, so the special education staff work across the building, in and out of various classrooms for various IEP needs throughout the day and in those subjects at those times for the whole building; there is not a separate room staffed all day for grade level service times.

Students with giftedness (significantly advanced skill or ability in one or more area) are also students with special needs protected under Colorado’s Exceptional Children’s Act.

This area of special needs is AcademyACL's program specialty. Its school structure, curriculum choices, and program models are primarily designed with gifted students' needs in mind.

AcademyACL is the only gifted-education-focused school, K through eighth grade, in the Pikes Peak Region (there are multiple such schools in the Denver/Metro area).

• Children with giftedness may qualify for an Advanced Learning Plan (ALP), with specially-trained gifted education teachers. Therefore, as a program focused on the needs of gifted students, AcademyACL uses more complicated, complex and advanced content because gifted students need this (in math, in writing, in art, in theater) more so than what typical classrooms can provide.
• These students function at the 95th percentile and higher on general ability, and/or a specific ability in an academic area.
• Colorado recognizes "Talent Pool" students who may show achievements in academic areas at the 85th percentile and higher, and who may need gaps filled or additional assessments provided in order to indicate supports needed a the 95th percentile level with an ALP.
• AcademyACL's structure, program, and curriculum meet ALP goals without separate classes needed, as it uses an entire school approach to specialize in advanced, above-grade-level and complex instruction, with social-emotional supports that gifted students need.
• Early Access students are those students who qualify as not just gifted students, but highly advanced gifted students, in preschool who test in both cognitive ability and academic skills at the 97th percentile and higher for their age level. If qualified, students may be approved through their district of residence to enter a kindergarten program in the region if they will be age four by October 1, or enter first grade if age five by October 1, of that school year.
  • AcademyACL provides a uniquely specialized capacity to serve these Early Access students, and has done so for several over the years. These students must be certified through their District of Residence before they can enroll at these ages at AcademyACL. Deadlines exist from December through March for various districts for approval of the following school year, so families of preschool students who are exceptionally advanced (usually to qualify: already reading new/unseen books at a first grade level, writing, and completing new/random basic kindergarten/first grade math concepts) should investigate their home districts early. 

Twice-exceptional, 2e students qualify with two areas of special needs: both giftedness and one or more disabilities. Educational specialist Dr. George Betts calls this category double-labeled. These are gifted students with very high cognitive ability in one or more areas, at the 95th percentile and higher as defined in Colorado, who also have 'something else' as well that gets in their way, a disability which often brings a conundrum-- these students are craving advanced, complex ideas and have one or more disabilities that also require specific support. There is a wide variety of what is involved with individual situations in these areas, so it is important for families to discuss individual needs in their research to find the right school program.

 

Denial of Admission to Lottery or Waiting List

AcademyACL uses an Open Enrollment, Open Welcome policy for parents to choose its gifted education specialty for their students. Requests for Enrollment from November 1st to the lottery deadline in March are added to the enrollment lottery for the upcoming year, after a review of the information provided to answer any questions. Requests for the current school year, or requests for the next year submitted after the lottery deadline, are added to the bottom of any waiting list.

Regarding expectations for school safety, pursuant to Colorado statute, a student's Request for Enrollment could be denied for the current or upcoming school year's lottery list, waiting list or openings, if the following occurs:

1. As noted above, the school runs a lottery and uses waiting lists where the school program, class, or grade is at or above capacity. Waiting lists are reconfigured by lottery each school year.
2. As noted above, the AcademyACL team reviews any specialized plans to ensure that the school could meet the requirements of the plan as documented from the previous school. Individual conversations with families can occur where there are any concerns that need to be addressed before enrollment.
3. The student was expelled within the last twelve months or checked out of the sending school or school district with an expulsion pending.
4. The student has been determined to have exhibited behavior on or off school property detrimental to the welfare or safety of other pupils or of school personnel including behavior which creates a threat of physical harm to the child or other children, as defined in Colorado Revised Statutes.
5. The student has been charged with a felony.
6. The parents or the student knowingly provide false information in their Request for Enrollment. Knowingly providing false information may be grounds for disenrollment from AcademyACL.
   • Please ensure, in particular, the provision of all accurate contact information for every parent/guardian with educational decision-making status for the student, and any safety and discipline data or plans; academic enrollment records; attendance plans; special education plans in effect or lapsed (versus completed); placement recommendations from qualified and specialized personnel; grade level completion; local district of residence; birth certificate verifying age; Early Access documentation from the district of residence; et cetera.

Families are invited to schedule individual meetings through the office, with the Academy Director, to discuss any such situations.