Each school shall designate a coordinator to be responsible to the Principal and the Associate Superintendent-Instruction for travel and exchange programs -- the officers of the American Field Service program and the school principal.
The coordinator is to work closely with the school principal concerning any problems of exchange students.
Criteria for the Evaluation of Travel/Study Programs
The district recognizes the potential educational value of travel/study programs for secondary school students. The district also recognizes that students may participate in any domestic or overseas travel/study program of their choice, but a high level of educational benefit is most likely when the sponsor of such a program meets essential criteria established by the district and when the district plays a role in defining and implementing objectives.
The following criteria represent standards by which the district will evaluate travel/study programs. Only organizations that meet these criteria will be approved by the district to disseminate materials and information regarding their travel/study programs. The form and content of all informational materials to be distributed by a sponsoring organization must be approved by the district.
I. Credibility
A. Sponsor must provide:
1. The name and backers (if other than the name of the organization) who bear the legal responsibility for the conduct of the program.
2. A list of clients (schools, agencies, etc.) in the district's immediate area who have participated in the program.
3. A representative list of students/teachers who have previously participated in the program.
4. The name and address of the contact person who is in charge of the organization's legal base in the United States. It is important that parent/guardians and students know precisely with whom to deal should difficulties arise.
II. Finances
A. Sponsor must provide:
1. Copies of recent letters from the local Better Business Bureau and/or the Institute of International Educational Exchange that vouch for the fiscal responsibility of the organization over the past three (3) years.
2. A certified statement of the financial status of the organization, including the name of the company holding its bond and the bonding coverage couched in layman's language.
3. A list of all items and any exclusions included in the fees, specifically including information regarding medical, accident, and baggage insurance, baggage handling, taxi fares, buses, meals, side trips, and an explanation of "free time" and weekend time.
4. A statement of policy for full or partial refund of fees in the event of any sort of cancellation, including a description of how and when to apply and with any deadlines clearly stated.
III. Contingency Provision
A. Sponsor shall provide:
1. A description of arrangements that have been made for coping with illnesses, accidents, and other unusual circumstances, such as acts of God, weather, or strikes affecting accommodations or travel.
2. An explicit description of provisions for medical services, plans for promptly returning home any participant who is in any serious difficulty, and any extra charges that will be made if a participant has to be returned home before the conclusion of the tour.
B. A medical doctor must be available to participants at all times.
C. A nurse must be a permanent member of the program staff.
D. Each participant must submit evidence of satisfactory health as a requirement for entrance into the program.
IV. Program Cost
A. Sponsor shall provide:
1. Each participant with explicit information regarding the total cost of the program.
2. Low-cost credit financing to applicants if requested by the applicants.
3. Medical and accident insurance included in the cost of the program.
V. Scholarships
A. The sponsoring organization shall provide at least one full scholarship for each 50 participants.
B. The district shall be involved in the development of scholarship criteria and in the selection of scholarship recipients.
VI. Transportation
A. Group transportation shall originate and terminate in Los Angeles.
B. When enrollment warrants, overseas flights shall originate and terminate in Los Angeles.
C. Air carrier shall provide evidence of reliability.
D. When rail transportation is used, participants shall be provided with reserved seats.
E. Only modern, well-maintained transportation conveyances shall be utilized.
VII. Meals
A. Three meals per day shall be provided.
B. Meals shall be of adequate quantity, of good quality, and provide for nutritional balance.
VIII. Housing and Study Facility Arrangements
A. Adequate facilities shall be used and provision for advance inspection shall be made by the sponsor. High standards of cleanliness shall be maintained.
B. Descriptions and suitability of classrooms, library, and study facilities that will be utilized by the students shall be provided.
C. Provisions shall be made for transportation if students are beyond reasonable walking distance of classrooms, or other assembly points.
D. The basis for selection of private homes and lists of appropriate families shall be provided by sponsor.
E. Housing for chaperones shall be provided in facility with the students.
F. Suitable recreational facilities will be available.
G. For purposes of instruction, participants shall be housed at no fewer than two nor more than four overseas campuses (sites) at any one time.
IX. Staff
A. Sponsor shall provide background, experience and "credentials" of the tour director, together with the basis for selection and likelihood of tour director being able to understand and work effectively with American students.
B. The overseas supervisory and instructional staff shall include district personnel when a sufficient number of local students are involved. District personnel will participate in screening local staff. Selection of teachers and chaperones shall not be based on or connected with recruitment of students by potential staff members in their own school district. All recommendations and references furnished the sponsoring agency by the district must be held in strictest confidence.
C. Staff members must attend predeparture orientation and training workshops.
D. Chaperones must be screened by district personnel. The ratio of chaperones to participants shall not exceed 1:10. Chaperones and teachers should possess specific, relatively uncommon skills, understandings, and competencies for working with young people in an informal setting.
E. Overseas staff shall include foreign instructors and/or foreign resource personnel.
X. Supervision and Conduct
A. Supervisory responsibilities of individual staff members shall be clearly defined.
B. Classroom instructors will not be responsible for non-classroom activities, except as specifically agreed upon.
C. Clearly expressed rules of participant's conduct must be established.
XI. Participants
A. Participants must meet school district requirements as to age, level of maturity, academic qualifications, and standards of personal conduct, and possess the emotional stability and maturity suitable for the particular group.
B. Participants and their parent/guardians must attend predeparture orientation and training workshops.
C. Participants and their parent/guardians must agree to accept dismissal from the program and return of the participant to the United States for continued non-compliance with rules of conduct while abroad.
XII. General Program and Orientation
A. Duration of the program must be sufficient to provide a valid educational experience and meet existing credit requirements. Amount of credit granted for such experience shall be determined solely by the Alhambra Unified School District.
B. Participants shall receive a description of the orientation to other cultures that will be encountered, the extent and assistance to be provided by the sponsor in orientation, and a schedule of when and how orientation will be given.
C. Sponsor shall state the extent to which selected reading materials will be made available to participants.
XIII. Educational Program
A. The foreign study experience shall include a well organized, scheduled, instructional program, including the course objectives, and academic and attendance controls.
B. A calendar shall be provided showing time schedule, courses offered, relationship between tours, and "free time" to explore the culture.
C. The instructional curriculum must be approved and/or supervised by the district.
D. Only qualified foreign instructors are to be employed.
E. Where language development is the central objective of the program, instruction shall be given in the target language -- preferably by nationals of that country.
F. Course of study must be provided at more than one level of instruction
G. Excursions and tours are to be an integral part of the educational program.
H. Trained guides will be available to lead excursions and tours.
I. Provisions shall be made in the program for intellectual and recreational contact with the people being visited in each area, including foreign youth of the same age.
XIV. Evaluation
A. Upon completion of the program, the sponsoring organization must provide evidence of satisfactory compliance with its contract.
B. An objective evaluation of the program will be conducted by students, parent/guardians, the district, and the sponsoring organization.
C. A brief evaluation report from study-tour supervisors is expected and will be requested.
D. Provision will be made for the evaluation of participant's progress in the instructional program.
E. Recommendations and references furnished the sponsoring agency will be held in strictest confidence. Reports, pictures, and publicity releases involving areas of personal progress or propriety will be cleared with school officials, parent/guardians, and students prior to release.
Student Credit for Travel/Study Programs
When credit for group travel/study programs sponsored by an organized agency is requested by the student:
1. A request for credit shall be filed with the appropriate high school counselor, who will transmit it to the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for approval. This request will be submitted at least three weeks before the end of the spring semester for summer programs, or at least three weeks prior to departure if taken at other times during the school year.
2. At the time the request is filed, the student should also supply the following information:
a. Details concerning sponsoring group.
b. Time schedule.
c. Tour sites
d. Expected educational value.
e. Parent/guardian permission.
3. When the tour is completed, the student should submit evidence from the sponsoring agency that tour requirements have been satisfactorily completed. This verification should be in the form of an official statement from the sponsoring agency of the type of travel completed, number of hours spent, type of study done, and level of performance.
When credit for private or family travel/study program is requested:
1. A request for credit shall be filed with the appropriate high school counselor, who will transmit it to the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for approval. The request will be submitted at least three weeks before the end of the spring semester for summer programs or at least three weeks prior to departure if taken at other times during the school year.
2. At the time the request if filed, the student should also supply the following information:
a. Time schedule.
b. Tour sites.
c. Expected educational value.
d. Budget planning.
e. Related studies identified.
f. Parent/guardian permission.
3. A log shall be kept during the program and submitted upon returning, including:
a. Historical (or significant)areas visited.
b. Concepts and ideas learned through visits.
c. A description of the people, land, and socio-economic conditions.
d. Appropriate pictures, slides, realia, etc., that enhance the written log. (These will be returned to the student.)
4. A written summary statement shall be made upon return including:
a. Value received from the program.
b. Changes that may have occurred that were not part of the original plans.
c. Budget accounting.
d. An overall evaluation of the tour.
5. A criterion-referenced examination may be administered at the discretion of the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction as an aid to determine credit.
6. Written reports shall be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction's office and will become part of the student's record.
Credit
The district may grant elective credit up to the 10 units for approved travel/study programs that reflect planning, give evidence of academic or recreational pursuits, and have an effective follow-up presentations. A maximum of 10 credits will be granted for any one tour. Marks will be strictly on a credit/no-credit basis. A student requesting credit for travel/study will contract through the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for the credit expected according to the plans submitted by the student applicant.
In determining the number of credits to give for any one program, please figure approximately one unit of credit for every 18 hours of travel/study activity up to the maximum of the 10 credits. There needs to be some flexibility in the use of the above formula depending on the type of activities involved in the travel/study program.
(cf. 5121 re: Credits)
Policy ALHAMBRA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: September 9, 1997 Alhambra, California