Douglas County School District

Track Assignment Procedures

 

 

Douglas County School District has many schools utilizing a four-track year-round system. This t

calendar allows the school to enroll 25% more students. In a rapidly growing school district, it is

imperative to have an effective structure to both manage growth and to provide a quality

education. We have found that four-track meets both of these needs.

 

The concept of year round schooling is often new to families when they move to Douglas

County. The procedures listed below will give you an idea as to how students are placed on

tracks and how changes in school size are managed.

 

It is important to know that no track assignment is considered permanent. While we make every a

effort to keep students on the same track throughout their elementary years, rapid growth and/or

the opening of a new school often necessitate school initiated track changes to balance class

sizes.

 

We realize that changing a child’s track also changes the calendar for a family. We do not take

this change lightly. If changes in enrollment necessitate adding or removing a section, then l

students must be moved to accommodate the number of classes available. When this situation

occurs, we will make every effort to give families advance information and honor parent requests

when possible.

 

Please review the following procedures to gain a deeper understanding of the procedures used to f

place students on tracks and to make track assignment changes.

 

Track Assignment Procedures:

  

When families enroll students in a four-track year round school, the children will be placed on a i

track by the principal or designee based upon class composition (e.g. space available, special

programs, gender, etc.).

 

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All students from one family will be assigned to the same track, unless the family

requests otherwise. This will include kindergartners with older siblings who enroll que

during the designated enrollment period.

 

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Principals treat all reasons for track change requests as equal. They do not attempt to a

determine if one reason has greater merit than another since each reason is important to

the family giving it.

 

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The same track assignment cannot be guaranteed for kindergartners with older siblings s

enrolling after the designated enrollment period.

 

Douglas County

   

School District

Learn today. Lead tomorrow.

620 Wilcox Street Castle Rock, Colorado 80104 303-387-0100

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All students enrolling after the start of the school year will have a temporary track

assignment for the remainder of that school year. Families can submit a Track Change o

Request Form to be placed on a different track or to remain on their current track for the

following school year.

 

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Families moving from one DCSD year-round school to another will be placed on a track

by the principal based upon class composition. (e.g. space available, special programs,

gender, etc.) Students are not guaranteed the same track as they were on in their previous t

school. Parents may submit a Track Change Request Form if this track is not their first

choice.

 

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The siblings of families of children in special programs and in the same school (e.g. ESL, ng

DHH, SSN, Discovery) will be placed on the same track.

 

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Kindergarten enrollees who register during the “Registration Timeline” will complete an

Initial Track Placement Form prioritizing all four tracks. Students will be assigned to

tracks in the spring as soon as staffing is allocated using the following criteria:

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students with older siblings will be assigned to the same track as their siblings

  

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students with older siblings who register after kindergarten registration week are

not guaranteed the same track as their siblings. This could result in siblings being

assigned to different tracks.

  

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students with exiting siblings are not guaranteed the same track placement;

however, when possible and based upon parent request, the same track will be

honored.

  

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remaining spaces available on each track will be determined by the principal

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families will be selected to fill remaining spaces honoring choice preference

whenever possible using the Initial Track Placement Form

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families who would like to request a different track than the one assigned, may

submit a Track Change Request Form.

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If an additional section of kindergarten is granted, either prior to or after the start i

of a school year, students’ tracks will be changed using the “school initiated”

track procedures.

 

 

Parent Requests for Track Changes:

 

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Track changes are only made between school years unless an educational programming

decision is made by the principal.

 

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All track change requests are handled in the order in which they are submitted by date. a

Multiple requests by a family should be ordered in number of preference with the most

recent request and date of submittal taking precedent. The track change request file will

be maintained from year to year, nota

started new each year.

 

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Changes in track assignments are not normally made during the school year unless a

change in the number of sections occurs. Track change requests are kept on file in order

of the date of receipt.

 

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In early spring a Track Change Intent Letter may be sent to parents to determine if they

still wish to change tracks. If an intent letter is sent a copy of the family’s current track

change request will be attached. They will notify the school if this track request is still

their desire.

 

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Families will be notified prior to the end of the school year should a space on their

desired track become available for the next school year.

 

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Class changes may be made for the remainder of a school year at the principal’s

discretion based on valid educational reasons.

 

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If a parent requested track change is offered to all siblings in a family and they decline,

the request will be discarded. A new request must be submitted for future consideration.

The receipt date on the new request will be the date of consideration.

 

Criteria for School Initiated Track Reassignment:

 

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No track assignment is permanent.

When student enrollment changes require a change

in the number of classes per grade level, some students’ track assignments will be

changed.

 

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When a section is added or deleted due to changes in enrollment/staffing, the following

criteria will be used by the principal to determine which students must be reassigned:

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Letters will be sent to families affected asking for volunteers. Families who

volunteer to move will be moved first.

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Track Change Requests on file will be honored when possible.

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Students who are currently on temporary track assignments (i.e. students who

move in during the school year) will be moved next, with considerations made for

siblings and space available in classes for all children in a family.

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Finally, a family’s original date of enrollment in the school will be used with the

most recent enrollees moved first, again with considerations for space available

for all children in the family.

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Every effort will be made to minimize the number of times a family is reassigned.

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Track Change Requests for families who have been reassigned to a different track

will have priority on the wait list.

 

New Schools and Boundary Changes:

 

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For families required to change schools due to a new school opening or a boundary

change, every effort will be made to maintain current track assignments; however, the e

same track assignment cannot be guaranteed.

 

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Families assigned to newly constructed schools, though they may not begin on four track i

calendar, will be assigned to a track based upon their most current track assignment

whenever possible. If families cannot be kept on their most recent track, the criteria for

reassignment of students will be followed.

 

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Families who enroll after the school has opened, but prior to it going four track will be

assigned a track by the principal based on space available and other applicable criteria if

the school anticipates moving to four-track within a year or two. Schools that remain on

conventional calendar for several years will only retain the track assignments for students e

in attendance when the school opened. When these schools move to four track, all g

families who entered after the school opened will be placed on a track using a lottery i

system.

 

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After initial placement, families may submit a Track Change Request form according to c

the procedures listed above

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5/16/06 dg