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PI40 Student Enrollment and School Schedule Guidelines

Elementary School State Guidelines

New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) regulations require that students (grades K-5) receive 180 instructional days, with a minimum of 1,140 instructional hours per school year, exclusive of lunch, lunch recess, and lunch passing periods. The length of instructional days shall be a minimum of 5.5 hours per day. All school schedules must be approved by the Superintendent or designee by June 30 of each year.

Student Drop-off and Pick-up

It is not safe to drop off children more than fifteen (15) minutes before school or to leave them for more than fifteen (15) minutes after the school day ends, as this is unsupervised time.

  • Parents must not leave their children on a school campus longer than fifteen (15) minutes either before or after the school day 

  • APS is not liable for any incident that occurs outside the 15-minute before and after school timeframe

  • School grounds are not supervised outside the school day

  • Parents/guardians are expected to follow the school’s policy or procedure for drop off/pick up

  • If extenuating circumstances prevent a family from picking up a student on time, the school must be notified at least fifteen (15) minutes before the end of the school day

  • If students are repeatedly left on campus outside the school day hours, an administrator will attempt to contact the family to discuss and resolve the issue

  • If a child is often left on school grounds during unsupervised times, school staff may provide parents/guardians with information on before/after school programs in the area

  • Schools are required to contact law enforcement if a child is left on school grounds during unsupervised times and the parent/legal guardian cannot be reached

  • APS schools will do their best to abide by parenting plans provided to them but are not responsible for enforcing specific pick-up days

  • Any safety issues or concerns should be expressed to the school principal. 

Kindergarten

Kindergarten home visits may be scheduled for the first five days of school. In this case, the first day of kindergarten classes for all kindergarten students will be the sixth day of the school year. The following yearly activities are included as instructional time:

  1. Home visits during the first week of school not to exceed a total of two and one-half days 

  2. Registration days 

  3. Parent/teacher conference days related to student progress reporting (two per year

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled at least twice a year. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to attend these conferences to see how their students are doing in school, what they are learning, and how they can partner with the school to support their student’s learning.  

In addition, Parents/Guardians are encouraged to contact the school to arrange a conference with their student’s teacher(s) whenever they have a concern or would like more information about their student’s academic performance, behaviors, and attendance in school. Conferences must be scheduled in advance. Parents/Guardians may bring an advocate of their choice with them to discuss academic or disciplinary concerns.

Schools shall proactively ensure parents/guardians have access to translation support for participation in conferences where needed.

Middle School State Guidelines

New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED)  regulations require that students in grades K-12 receive 180 instructional days with a minimum of 1,140 instructional hours per school year, exclusive of lunch, lunch recess, and lunch passing periods. The length of instructional days shall be a minimum of 5.5 hours per day. All school schedules must be approved by the superintendent or his/her designee by June 30 of each year.

year at grades 6, 7, and 8.

School-directed activities include:

  1. Regularly scheduled classes are organized to meet state and district competencies and requirements. 

  2. Passing periods. Passing periods should not exceed 30 minutes per day. Passing periods before and after school are not counted as instructional time

  3. Homerooms, advisory periods, and supervised study periods not to exceed 30 minutes per day.

 

School Hours: Middle school sessions will be six hours plus a minimum of a 30-minute lunch break. School hours will be extended to make up for days or hours students are released for teacher in-service. All school schedules must be approved by the superintendent or designee by June 30 each year.

High Schools State Guidelines

The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED)  regulations require that students in grades K-12 receive 180 instructional days with a minimum of 1,140 instructional hours per school year, exclusive of lunch, lunch recess, and lunch passing periods. The length of instructional days shall be a minimum of 5.5 hours per day. All school schedules must be approved by the superintendent or his/her designee by June 30 of each year.

School-directed activities are defined to include the following:


1. Passing periods. The passing period should not exceed 10 minutes. The superintendent or his/her designee must approve any exception(s). 

2. Student Advisory and Next-Step Planning 

3. Work-Study Programs

4. Internships 

5. Mentorships

6. Assemblies and School Meetings

District Enrollment Requirements for Secondary Students

Underclassmen (9th, 10th, and 11th graders) are required to enroll in seven classes per semester. Seniors (12th graders) must enroll in a minimum of four (4) classes per semester and are encouraged to enroll in seven (7). Students must be enrolled in at least four classes, per New Mexico Activities Association regulations, to participate in athletics or activities. 

All students, full-time or part-time, are required to take all federal, state, and district standardized tests.

 

Total Student Instructional Day and Credit Hours: A minimum of 250 minutes per week of directed class activity for 36 weeks or a minimum total of 150 clock hours will be required to offer one (1) unit of credit, excluding passing periods. This procedure will not be used to deny credit to a student who is present in class for fewer than 150 clock hours. 

 

Lab Courses: A minimum of 250 minutes per week of directed class activity for 36 weeks, 40% of which must be lab-oriented, for a total of 150 clock hours (90 hours of class plus 60 hours of lab) shall be required for one (1) unit of credit, excluding passing period.

 

Career and Technical Education Courses (CTE): Credits shall be in accordance with criteria established by state plans for such courses. High school credits are based on Carnegie units of a minimum of 120 hours, which define the course credit in terms of the number of minutes of instruction that must be provided to offer a unit of credit. Nothing in this directive is intended to provide a basis for denying credit to a student who is not present in class for the number of hours specified. 

 

School Hours: High school sessions will be six hours plus a minimum of a 30-minute lunch break. This does not include extended day classes such as zero "0" hours or extended day classes scheduled outside the usual school day. School hours will be extended to make up for days or hours students are released for teacher in-service.

Proposed time schedules will be submitted annually to the Superintendent designee. This should include a daily schedule, a period designation, and the time of each.

Consideration of the Career Enrichment Center shuttle bus schedule must be made to facilitate students' ability to attend.

 

Master Schedule: Required and elective classes should be equally distributed throughout the regular school day. Zero-hour and extended-period course offerings should be based on student need. Master schedules are to be approved by the Superintendent or designee each year.

 

Student Course Load: The only exceptions are students who are legally excused because of work permits, health conditions, or who are enrolled in other approved programs. Any total number of credits exceeding (8) credits per year must be approved by the appropriate Assistant Superintendent responsible for Instruction.

 

A student who is approved for less than the minimum class load requirement must enroll for at least four classes or one-half of the normal full-time class load. The principal may approve a part-time class load for a student attending a registered home school if the student enrolls in enough classes to be eligible for state funding.

 

 

Schedule Changes: All students are expected to continue and complete the courses they pre-register for and are ultimately scheduled into. Adequate schedule planning for students, teachers, and classroom space can be completed only when school officials can consider students’ schedule requests to be final and binding. There will be times when a correction is necessary. The special circumstances that can precipitate a schedule correction review are: completion of summer school coursework, failed courses from previous semesters, changing to a course with a higher degree of difficulty in the same subject area, limited space that may make the initial request unfulfillable, individual education plans (IEPs), 504 plans, or fulfillment of a graduation requirement.

 

Student course selections will be considered final unless the selections fail to prepare the student for minimum graduation requirements. A review of the schedule correction should be requested by the school counselor. All corrections must be made within the first ten days of the semester. A class dropped after that time results in a “W/F” (withdrawal with a grade of “F”) for the course. Some schedule changes are generated due to over or under-projection of student enrollment by the district.

School Schedule.

 

Traditional APS high schools have a seven (7) period schedule that provides additional instructional time for academic standards and requirements and offers varied electives that support career pathways and academic rigor. Two semesters divide the school year of 184 instructional days. Students enroll in seven (7) classes that meet during the week. 

Withdrawal from Advanced Placement, Honors, or Dual Credit Courses. Students taking courses will have a “no-fault” withdrawal when:

  1. This process started within the first 10 (ten) school days.

  2. A student/parent or guardian/teacher/counselor conference is held during the second to third week of the school year. The goal of the conference is to develop a Support Plan for Student Success in the course.

  3. A minimum of two weeks is allowed for implementation of the support plan.

  4. A student/parent or guardian/teacher/counselor conference is held at the end of the Support Plan for Student Success timeframe. The goal of the conference is to determine if the plan has been successful and what further actions need to be taken. In addition, schedule change implications are discussed (changes in instructors, changes in class periods, appropriate course level changes, options for a substitute class, open periods, and class load limits). If the student is not successful after implementation of a Support Plan for Student Success, the student or teacher may make a request to the curriculum assistant, no later than the end of the first six weeks, for withdrawal (without penalty) from the course.

  5. The transfer process occurs no later than the first seven (7) weeks of the semester but no sooner than the 4th week of the semester.

  6. The student will be transferred to the level of the course that is appropriate for their academic skill level* or courses that fulfill a graduation requirement (e.g., Algebra I will replace Honors Algebra I, English 9 will replace Honors English 9, Chemistry I will replace AP Chemistry).

  7. When examining transfer options, class load maximums cannot be violated.

  8. The grade that the student earned in the course at the time of withdrawal will transfer to the new course. The transfer grade will not be weighted if the grade is from an AP or honors course. 

Students who withdraw from a course after the first 10 days of each semester and do not enroll in a comparable course (duplicate content) will receive a W/F (Withdraw Fail) on their transcript.  When a course does not exist in the same content area (e.g., there is not an Environmental Science course to replace an AP Environmental Science course, or the student requests withdrawal from AP Chemistry and has already taken Chemistry I), the student will either remain in the class with a revised Support Plan for Student Success or be withdrawn from the class with a “W.”

 

Administrative Position:

  • Deputy Superintendent for Leadership and Learning

  • Chief of Schools

Department Director:

  • Chief Academic Officer

 

References

Legal Cross Reference:

  • §6.10.5.1-7  NMAC

  • §9-24-8 NMSA 1978

  • §22-2-1 NMSA 1978

  • §22-2-2 NMSA 1978

  • §22-2-8.1 NMSA 1978

  • §22-8-23.14 NMSA 1978

  • §22-13-1 NMSA 1978

  • §22-13-1.1 NMSA 1978

  • §22-13C-10 NMSA 1978

  • §22-22-1 NMSA 1978

 

Administrative Procedure Cross Reference:

NSBA/NEPN Classification: ID

Revised: May 1995
Revised: April 1996
Revised: May 1997
Revised: June 2002

Reviewed: May 2024

Revised: May 2024

 

This page was last updated on: December 9, 2009.