Understanding District Alternative Education Programs

Alternative Education programs seek to provide added flexibility and alternative instructional models. Alternative Education is an initiative within a public school district, charter school, or educational collaborative established to serve at-risk students whose needs are not being met in the traditional school setting. It is designed for students who can be better served in an alternative delivery system. These often include expanded services from the traditional setting such as online learning, institutional programs, counseling, childcare, and transportation; in an effort to help students overcome barriers and meet the goals of the Michigan Merit Curriculum.

Defining Alternative Education

Alternative Learning Programs are defined as services for students at risk of truancy, academic failure, behavior problems, and/or dropping out of school. Such services should be designed to better meet the needs of students who have not been successful in the traditional school setting.

For the purposes of this definition, Alternative Education does not include private schools, home schooling, General Educational Development (GED) services, or gifted and talented programs. Alternative Education programs may function within a single school or be a program affiliated with one or more schools or school districts.

Core principles

An alternative learning program must:

Provide the primary instruction for selected at-risk students.
Enroll students for a designated period of time, usually a minimum of one academic grading period.
Offer course credit or grade-level promotion credit in core academic areas.

Additional services

Alternative learning programs may also address:

Behavioral or emotional problems that interfere with adjustments to or benefiting from the regular education classroom.
Provide smaller classes and/or student/teacher ratios.
Provide instruction beyond regular school hours.
Provide flexible scheduling.
Assist students in meeting graduation requirements other than course credits.

Alternative Education in Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) alternative education mission is to provide viable educational options for students who are experiencing difficulty in the traditional system. The first legislated State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAP) began in 1988 with four sites serving 4,000 students. Today, nearly 160,000 students access alternative education on a part-time or full-time basis. This represents about 18 percent of Minnesota public school students. Alternative education is designed for students who are at-risk of educational failure. All programming is stated to be optional for students and families.

In fiscal year 2018, 137 districts in the state of Minnesota offered services to 146,336 individual students. This number represents about 16 percent of Minnesota public school students.

Types of State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAPs)

State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAP) are classified as:

Area Learning Centers (ALC)
Alternative Learning Programs (ALP)
Contracted Alternative Programs (CAP)
Targeted Services for students in kindergarten through grade 8

These programs are defined as learning-year programs and are funded with General Education Revenue. Students are eligible to generate up to 1.2 average daily membership (ADM) for their district. There were 240 Area Learning Centers, 50 Alternative Learning Programs, 16 Contracted Alternatives and 236 Targeted Services programs during the 2019-20 school year. SAAPs are year-round and may be offered during the day and after school. They are characterized by smaller class sizes and using a hands-on/experiential approach to learning. Instruction is designed to meet individual student learning styles and academic needs. Teachers build connections with students and focus on vocational and career skills. Some programs also offer independent study options.

Governing Statutes

State-Approved Alternative Programs are governed by these Minnesota statutes:

The Graduation Incentives Program defines the criteria used to identify at-risk students (Minn. Stat. 124D.68, subd. 2 [2021]).
Participation in the SAAP is optional, and students cannot be mandated to attend (Minn. Stat. 124D.128, subd. 3 [2021]).
All SAAPs are Learning Year Programs and are to provide instruction throughout the year (Minn. Stat. 124D.128, subd. 1 [2021]).
Each student must have a Continual Learning Plan (CLP), developed annually, to outline the steps necessary for grade promotion and/or graduation (Minn. Stat. 124D.128, subd. 3 [2021]).
Information must be disseminated to students and families regarding alternative education options (Minn. Stat. 124D.68, subd. 6 [2021]).
Students in a SAAP have access to the district’s programs and resources (Minn. Stat. 123A.05, subd. 3 [2021]).
Nonresident pupils are able to attend a SAAP without consent on the district of residence (Minn. Stat. 123A.05, subd. 4 [2021])
SAAPs are funded with General Education Revenue and students are eligible to generate up to 1.2 Average Daily Membership (ADM), the basis on which schools generate per pupil funding, (Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subd. 15 [2021]).
Independent Study programs, a separate approval process, generate funding through a combination of work completion and teacher instructional time (Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subd.

State-Approved Early/Middle College Programs

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) State-Approved Early/Middle College Programs allow eligible students to earn a high school diploma while also earning postsecondary credits or conferring a degree or credential including a certificate, diploma or an associate’s degree. Students are considered eligible if they are enrolled in a core school day SAAP under the graduation incentives program as defined by MDE.

PSEO funding can be used for developmental coursework only when a student enrolls full-time in a State-Approved Alternative Program’s Early/Middle College.

Alternative Education in North Carolina

The 1995 North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation requiring that the Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to evaluate all alternative learning programs across the state, without regard to funding source.

An alternative learning program is defined as a school or program that:

Serves students at any level.
Serves suspended or expelled students.
Serves students whose learning styles are better served in an alternative program.
Provides individualized programs outside of a standard classroom setting in a caring atmosphere in which students learn the skills necessary to redirect their lives.

Identifying Students at Risk

A student at risk is a young person who, because of a wide range of individual, personal, financial, familial, social, behavioral or academic circumstances, may experience school failure or other unwanted outcomes unless interventions occur to reduce the risk factors.

Circumstances which often place students at risk may include but are not limited to:

Not meeting state/local proficiency standards
Grade retention
Unidentified or inadequately addressed learning needs
Alienation from school life
Unchallenging curricula and/or instruction
Tardiness and/or poor school attendance
Negative peer influence
Unmanageable behavior
Substance abuse and other health risk behaviors
Abuse and neglect
Inadequate parental, family, and/or school support
Limited English proficiency

Alternative Education in the Commonwealth

Students enrolled in Alternative Education programs or schools shall be taught to the same academic standards established for all students in the Commonwealth. Alternative Education programs or schools shall employ highly qualified teachers as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. At the secondary level, Alternative Education programs or schools shall not limit student access to the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. All students enrolled in an Alternative Education program or school must be reported in the Student Information Management System (SIMS) as an enrolled student and assigned the designated Alternative Education code.

Career and Technical Education

A center shall provide programs of career and technical education. A region shall provide programs of career and technical education. Programs of career and technical education are eligible to receive state subsidy pursuant to chapters 606-B and 609. All programs of career and technical education offered by a center must be approved by the commissioner pursuant to section 8306-A. All programs of career and technical education offered by a region must be approved by the commissioner pursuant to section 8306-A. The programs must offer a sequence of courses that are directly related to the preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations and may include training and education in academic and business skills preparing students to further their education at the community college or other college level or allowing students to use trade and occupational skills on other than an employee basis.

The Role of the Commissioner

The commissioner shall provide technical assistance regarding truancy, dropouts and reintegration and alternative educational education programs.

Maine Statutes

§1. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2001, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2005, c. 662, Pt. [PL 1989, c. 700, Pt. [PL 1981, c. [RR 1991, c. 2, §53 (COR); PL 2003, c. [PL 2001, c. [PL 1989, c. 700, Pt. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2023, c. [PL 2005, c. 662, Pt. [PL 2009, c. [PL 1991, c. [PL 2003, c. [PL 2025, c. [PL 2003, c. [PL 2025, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2009, c. [PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §2 (AMD); PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §§72, 74 (AFF); PL 2005, c. 12, Pt. [PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §2 (AMD); PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §§72, 74 (AFF); PL 2005, c. 12, Pt. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1997, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2019, c. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2013, c. [PL 1985, c. [PL 2021, c. A "children's residential care facility," which provides board and care for one or more children on a regular, 24-hours-a-day, residential basis. A children's residential care facility does not mean family foster home, specialized children's home or an emergency children's shelter. [PL 2021, c. [PL 2021, c. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. [PL 1981, c. "School administrative unit" means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district, regional school unit or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include a career and technical education region. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2009, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2007, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 2011, c. [PL 2001, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2023, c. [PL 2023, c. [PL 2023, c. [PL 2023, c. [PL 2009, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2009, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 1981, c. [PL 2011, c. 678, Pt. [RR 1991, c. 2, §54 (COR); PL 2003, c. [RR 1991, c. 2, §56 (COR); PL 2003, c. [RR 1991, c. 2, §56 (COR); PL 2003, c. PL 1981, c. 693, §§5,8 (NEW). PL 1985, c. 650, §1 (AMD). PL 1985, c. 789, §§1,2,9 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 98, §1 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 502, §B17 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 700, §A45 (AMD). RR 1991, c. 2, §§53-56 (COR). PL 1991, c. 608, §1 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 716, §6 (AMD). RR 1993, c. 1, §44 (COR). PL 1993, c. 410, §CCC7 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 560, §K82 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 560, §K83 (AFF). PL 1995, c. 569, §1 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 326, §1 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 787, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 75, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 401, §J4 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 354, §3 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 439, §G6 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 588, §§1-3 (AMD). RR 2003, c. 2, §§30,31 (COR). PL 2003, c. 477, §§1-3 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 545, §5 (REV). PL 2003, c. 689, §B6 (REV). PL 2003, c. 706, §A8 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 2, §D2 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 2, §§D72,74 (AFF). PL 2005, c. 12, §WW18 (AFF). PL 2005, c. 662, §§A4,5 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 141, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §§1-5 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 667, §§1-3 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 668, §1 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 274, §§2-5 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 580, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 414, §§2-4 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 614, §2 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 678, Pt. C, §1 (AMD). PL 2013, c. 179, §3 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 148, §4 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 241, §1 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 348, §§23, 24 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 449, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 566, §1 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 112, §1 (AMD). Sec. 1. Sec. 2. Sec. 3. Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §3271, sub-§2, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1985, c. Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §3271, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1985, c. Sec. 6. 20-A MRSA §4729, as amended by PL 2001, c. Sec. 7. 20-A MRSA §5103, sub-§5, as corrected by RR 2001, c. Sec. 8. 20-A MRSA §5104-A, as enacted by PL 1989, c. Sec. 9. 20-A MRSA §5151, as amended by PL 2001, c. Sec. 10. 20-A MRSA §5152, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2001, c. Sec. 11. 20-A MRSA §5152, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2005, c. 397, Pt. Sec. 12. 20-A MRSA §8402, as amended by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §25 and affected by §§72 and 74 and c. 12, Pt. Sec. 13. 20-A MRSA §8451-A, as amended by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, §27 and affected by §§72 and 74 and c. 12, Pt. Sec. 14. 20-A MRSA §15002-A, as amended by PL 1989, c. Sec. 15. 20-A MRSA §15674, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 504, Pt.

Permanent School Fund

The Treasurer of State shall keep a separate account of all money received from sales of lands appropriated for the support of schools or from notes taken therefor and of any other money appropriated for the same purpose. Those sums shall constitute a the Permanent School Fund, which shall must be invested in such securities as are legal investments for savings banks under Title 9.

Children's Residential Care Facility

A "children's residential care facility," which provides board and care for one or more children on a regular, 24-hours-a-day, residential basis. A children's residential care facility does not mean family foster home, specialized children's home or an emergency children's shelter.

School Administrative Unit

"School administrative unit" means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district, regional school unit or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include a career and technical education region.

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