Phased Grade Level Zone Changes
Pilot Program

 

At the conclusion of the 2007-08 Zoning Season, the Attendance Zone Advisory Commission (AZAC) requested information as to the potential of phasing approved zone changes by grade level, rather than reassigning all students at once. 

A committee was established to research data in order to propose procedures that would allow implementing phased grade level zone changes and determine the qualifying criteria.  The committee formed was well balanced, consisting of 25 members, and was filled by School Board Trustees and AZAC members, principals from all grade configurations and assigned throughout the District, staff from the Instructional Unit, Demographics/Zoning, SASI/CIS and Transportation departments, and parents/community members.  The committee was presented comparison information regarding phased grade level zone changes on recent attendance boundary recommendations.  Several alternatives were provided for evaluation. 

As a result, the following verbiage was developed, which allows a pilot program at the middle school level and will provide the necessary data to determine if a recommendation should be developed for the Board of School Trustees to consider for inclusion in Regulation 7111.
Phased Grade Level Zone Changes Pilot Program

In an effort to lessen the impact of attendance zone changes on families and educational programs, zoning recommendations forwarded to the Board of School Trustees for approval, may include a recommendation that will allow the grade levels to phase into the newly assigned school.

The implementation of grade level zone changes will occur by moving one grade level per year to the newly assigned school until all grade levels have been assigned.  Phased grade level zone changes may be considered when the following criteria have been met:

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The zone change is between existing schools.

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Under utilization of the receiving school will be corrected by the zone change.

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Over utilization of the sending school is anticipated within three years. The anticipated over utilization is verified through a demographic analysis.

Once the above criteria have been met, the cost of phased grade level zone changes will be considered in, but not limited to, the following areas:

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Transportation

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Staffing

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Space Requirements

Once a phased grade level zone change has been implemented:

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An option for older siblings to attend the receiving school will be provided, with transportation.  For example, at the middle school level, in the first year of implementation, students who will attend 7th and 8th grade in the upcoming school year may accompany their 6th grade sibling to the receiving school.  In the second year of implementation, students who will attend 8th grade in the upcoming school year may accompany their 6th and 7th grade siblings to the receiving school.  In the third and final year of implementation, all students will have been phased into the receiving school.

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Future annual assessments of the area demographics, enrollment trends, and school seating deficits will be conducted and may result in canceling the phasing by implementing the entire zone change at once.

 

Clark County School District
Finance & Operations Division, Demographics, Zoning & GIS
4212 Eucalyptus Av. Annex, Las Vegas, NV 89121
phone: 702.799.6430