MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 1 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Procedure 8
Reporting for State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAPs)
Data Elements: Attendance Days PSEO Program Participation
Last Location of Attendance State Aid Category
Membership Days Status End
Percent Enrolled Status End Date
PSEO High School Hours Status Start Date
Table of Contents
Procedure 8 Reporting for State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAPs) ...............................................................1
D
efinitions ..............................................................................................................................................................4
C
ommonalities Among All State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAPs) .......................................................4
Continual Learning Plan ......................................................................................................................................4
Learning Year Program Sites (LYPS) ....................................................................................................................4
A
rea Learning Centers (ALCs) .............................................................................................................................5
A
lternative Learning Programs (ALPs) ................................................................................................................6
C
ontract Alternative Programs ...........................................................................................................................7
Ta
rgeted Services ...............................................................................................................................................7
S
tate-Approved Early/Middle College Programs................................................................................................9
Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) Reporting.............................................................. 10
Site Number and Classification ........................................................................................................................ 10
S
chool Year/Fiscal Year .................................................................................................................................... 10
D
ual vs. Concurrent Enrollment .......................................................................................................................... 11
D
ual Enrollment ............................................................................................................................................... 11
C
oncurrent Enrollment .................................................................................................................................... 11
G
rade Level ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
S
tatus Start and End Dates .............................................................................................................................. 13
15/5 Day Withdrawal ...................................................................................................................................... 13
M
ARSS School File ............................................................................................................................................... 14
I
nstructional Days ............................................................................................................................................ 14
MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 2 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Length of School Day in Minutes ..................................................................................................................... 15
Students and Specific MARSS Data Items ........................................................................................................... 16
S
tudents Under the Age of 21/State Aid Category (SAC) ................................................................................ 16
A
dults Without an IEP ...................................................................................................................................... 17
A
dults With an IEP ........................................................................................................................................... 17
N
onpublic School Students .............................................................................................................................. 18
L
acking Credits by Choice ................................................................................................................................ 18
L
ast Location of Attendance (LLA) ................................................................................................................... 18
Status End ........................................................................................................................................................ 19
C
omputation of Attendance and Membership Hours ..................................................................................... 20
C
lasses During Lunch ....................................................................................................................................... 21
Se
at-Based ........................................................................................................................................................... 21
Se
at-Based Membership ................................................................................................................................. 21
Se
at-Based Attendance ................................................................................................................................... 21
I
ndividualized Instructional Setting ................................................................................................................. 21
Individualized Membership ............................................................................................................................. 22
I
ndividualized Attendance ............................................................................................................................... 22
I
ndependent Study .............................................................................................................................................. 22
E
ligible Participants ......................................................................................................................................... 23
I
ndependent Study Excel Worksheet .............................................................................................................. 23
M
ultiple Program Sites .................................................................................................................................... 23
C
alculation of Independent Study Membership Hours Worksheet .................................................................... 25
Partial Credits and Credits Split Between School Years .................................................................................. 26
Failed Independent Study Course ................................................................................................................... 26
I
ndependent Study/No Completion ................................................................................................................ 27
I
ndependent Study Attendance ...................................................................................................................... 27
W
ork-Based Learning (WBL) ................................................................................................................................ 28
W
ork-Based Learning Membership ................................................................................................................. 28
W
ork-Based Learning Attendance ................................................................................................................... 28
Pr
oject-Based Learning ........................................................................................................................................ 28
MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 3 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Project-Based Learning Membership .............................................................................................................. 29
Project-Based Learning Attendance ................................................................................................................ 29
O
nline Learning (OLL) .......................................................................................................................................... 29
O
nline Learning Membership .......................................................................................................................... 30
O
nline Learning Attendance ............................................................................................................................ 30
P
ostsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) ......................................................................................................... 30
P
SEO Membership ........................................................................................................................................... 31
C
ollege in the Schools/Concurrent Enrollment ............................................................................................... 31
Hybrid Model ................................................................................................................................................... 32
H
omebound ......................................................................................................................................................... 32
A
DM Computation ............................................................................................................................................... 32
O
riginal Average Daily Membership (ADM) .................................................................................................... 32
P
SEO Participants ............................................................................................................................................ 33
A
DM Capped at 1.0 and Extended-Time ADM ................................................................................................ 33
S
pecial Education ................................................................................................................................................. 35
Records for Audit Purposes ................................................................................................................................. 36
M
DE Contacts ...................................................................................................................................................... 37
MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 4 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Definitions
Commonalities Among All State-Approved Alternative Programs (SAAPs)
1. SAAPs are defined in Minnesota Statutes 2021, sections 123A.05 through 123A.09.
2. All SAAPs are designated Learning Year Programs (LYP) and eligible students can generate up to 1.2 ADM
(Minn. Stat. 124D.128 [2021]).
3. All students enrolled in a SAAP must have a Continual Learning Plan (CLP).
4. All enrollees must meet the Graduation Incentives (GI) criteria found in Minnesota Statutes 2021, section
124D.68.
5. Students who have earned a GED (general educational development), but not a diploma, and who meet th
e
g
raduation incentives and age criteria are eligible to enroll in a SAAP and generate state aid.
Continual Learning Plan
Each student enrolled in a SAAP must have a CLP that is updated at least annually. A list of required elements is
described in Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.128, subdivision 3. A recommended CLP is included in the
State-Approved Alternative Programs Resource Guide.
Student planning. A district, charter school, or SAAP must inform all pupils and their parents about the learning
year program and that participation in the program is optional. A continual learning plan must be developed at
least annually for each pupil with the participation of the pupil, parent or guardian, teachers, and other staff;
each participant must sign and date the plan. The plan must specify the learning experiences that must occur
during the entire fiscal year and are necessary for grade progression or, for secondary students, graduation. The
plan must include:
1. the pupil's learning objectives and experiences, including courses or credits the pupil plans to complete each
year and, for a secondary pupil, the graduation requirements the student must complete;
2. the assessment measurements used to evaluate a pupil's objectives;
3. requirements for grade level or other appropriate progression; and
4. for pupils generating more than one average daily membership in a given grade, an indication of which
objectives were unmet.
The plan may be modified to conform to district schedule changes. The district may not modify the plan if the
modification would result in delaying the student's time of graduation.
Learning Year Program Sites (LYPS)
All SAAPs are automatically designated as LYPS (Minn. Stat. § 124D.128, subd.2). LYPS must provide instruction
on a year round basis. Students may generate ADMs during the entire 12-month school year. The students' total
ADM may exceed 1.0, up to 1.2, when their membership hours exceed the greater of the:
locally required annual instructional hours, or
s
tatute-defined minimum instructional hours.
(Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subd. 15. [2021])
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
The intent of Learning Year Program (LYP) designation is to allow at-risk students the ability to participate in
educational programs and earn credits year-round without generating additional revenue during their public
school enrollment. For SAAP students, this may mean earning credits at an accelerated rate to graduate with
their peers. Membership in a learning year program must be attributable to a specific course to show that the
learning year has not been used to increase the revenue generated by a participant. Students should not be
claimed for courses/credits that are not required for graduation if these cause the student to generate more
ADM than they would have generated had they not been enrolled in a learning year program.
Specifically, Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.128, subdivision 3(b), states “... The record system and
identification must ensure that the program will not have the effect of increasing the total number of pupil units
attributable to an individual pupil as a result of a learning year program…”
Once an LYP student’s peers have graduated or the student has accumulated more than 1.0 ADM per grade
level, the student should be claimed only for the membership generated in courses/credits required for grade
promotion or graduation. The CLP should be used to schedule an LYP student into classes required for
graduation so that the student’s total ADM or pupil units do not exceed those for students who are not enrolled
in a learning year program.
Students in LYP who have failed a course can repeat the course and generate ADM. This should be documented
in the student’s transcript.
Area Learning Centers (ALCs)
ALCs must receive state approval, must provide instruction on a year-round basis, must provide a
comprehensive education program at the middle and high school level, and must provide instruction to
nonresident as well as resident students. (Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth ALCs are exempt from this last
requirement.) ALCs may apply to offer specialized instructional components such as independent study, work-
based learning and/or project-based learning. All membership claimed for students enrolled in an ALC must be
for grade progression and, ultimately, graduation.
Students enrolled at ALCs, like other LYPs, may generate Average Daily Membership (ADM) during the entire 12-
month school year. Students’ total ADM may exceed 1.0, up to 1.2, when their membership hours exceed the
greater of:
the locally required annual instructional hours, or
the statute-defined minimum instructional hours.
(Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subd. 15 [2021].)
Students may be enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis; selected students may be dual or concurrently
enrolled. Refer to Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) Reporting below for a definition of
dual and concurrent enrollment. All enrollees must meet the graduation incentives (GI) criteria and have a CLP.
When a resident district refers a senior high student to an ALC for summer only, the resident district must
provide documentation on how the student meets the GI criteria, the instructional needs of the student and
explicit outcomes. The resident district’s documentation becomes the CLP.
MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
School within a School
A school within a school arrangement is one way for districts to provide comprehensive educational services to
middle and secondary students. Under this option, a separate school site will need to be created. Membership
and attendance hours will need to be computed separately for the time the students participated in the school
within the school section of the day and reported as such.
An area learning center must provide comprehensive educational services to enrolled secondary students
throughout the year, including a daytime school within a school or separate site for both high school and middle
school level students. (Minnesota Statutes 2021, 123A.05).
Grades Served
ALCs must serve high school grade levels that award credit required for graduation. Typically, this includes
grades 9 through 12; however, if credits for graduation are not awarded until 10
th
grade, then the high school
ALC would include grades 10 through 12.
Middle level ALCs can provide class/course instruction for middle level students. If the traditional middle school
offers grades 6 through 8, then the middle level ALC offers the same grade levels.
Alternative Learning Programs (ALPs)
ALPs do not have to offer a full array of programming. ALPs can define what grades/courses are offered. These
programs are tied closely to one district, may be located within the traditional school, and do not offer the full
complement of courses. Alternative programs that receive state approval may choose to provide instruction to
nonresidents but they must be working toward a diploma from the district that has the ALP. They may also apply
to provide independent study, work-based learning and/or project-based learning. Alternative programs are
statute-designated LYPS.
Students enrolled in ALPs, like other learning year programs, may generate more than 1.0 ADM, up to 1.2, when
instructional time exceeds the greater of:
th
e locally required annual instructional hours, or
the statute-defined minimum instructional hours.
(Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subdivision 15 [2021].)
Students may be enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis; eligible students may be dual or concurrently
enrolled. Refer to MARSS Reporting below. All enrollees must meet the GI criteria and have a CLP.
Targeted services programs
Alternative Learning Programs are ineligible to apply for Targeted Services programs.
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Grades Served
The ALP defines which grades will be offered alternative instruction. This can be grades 6 through 12, but most
commonly is grades 9 through 12. All of the membership claimed must be for grade progression and, ultimately,
graduation.
Contract Alternative Programs
Contract alternative programs are nonpublic schools that contract with a public school district to provide
instruction to students who meet GI criteria. They are defined in Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.68,
subdivision 3(d), and Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.69. Legislation passed in 1998 designates them as
LYPS. Each student must have a CLP. Under Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.69, the public school district
that contracts with the private school:
is responsible for reporting the eligible students enrolled in the contracted school on MARSS,
generates contract alternative school aid, and
is required to forward at least 95 percent of that revenue to the private school (Minn. Stat. 124D.69,
subd. 1 [2021]).
All of the membership claimed must be for grade progression and, ultimately, graduation. Attendance and
membership must be reported in terms of hours and Percent Enrolled equal to 999.
The Student Resident District Number and Student Resident District Type are the students’ actual resident
district number and type. State Aid Category is reported as 26.
Grades Served
Contract alternative programs can offer instruction to students in grades that are covered by the contract, which
could be kindergarten through 12
th
grade.
All membership claimed for students enrolled in a contract alternative program must be credit-bearing and/or
lead to grade progression.
Targeted Services
Targeted Services (TS) are programs provided by ALCs for public school students:
in grades kindergarten through 8
th
grade; 9
th
-graders can also be in targeted services if 9
th
-graders do
not earn credits toward graduation in their district of enrollment;
not enrolled in the ALC during the school day;
who meet the GI criteria; and
who have a CLP.
All targeted services students participate in the program either during the summer prior to the traditional school
year and/or after the required school day during the traditional school year.
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
A separate application and Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) approval is required before an ALC can
claim membership for a targeted services program. A middle level ALC daytime program must be approved and
in operation prior to applying for targeted services.
Nonpublic school students are ineligible to generate funding for participation in a targeted services program.
Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 126C.19, subdivision 4, states “(a) Public school programs that provide
instruction in core curriculum may be provided to shared-time pupils only at a public school building…” Nonpublic
school students who take public school classes are referred to as shared-time students in statute. To be eligible
to generate state funding, the shared-time student must be taking core curriculum. Targeted Services programs
are not core curriculum.
Students can receive Extended School year (ESY) per their Individualized Education Program (IEP) and participate
in summer TS. However, the TS must be a family choice. If the TS participation is family choice, independent of
the IEP, report the TS membership under the TS site number. If the TS participation is an IEP-required service, it
would only count as Special Education Service Hours (SESH) on the ESY record and would not be reported as TS
enrollment.
A student would be eligible for summer targeted services as long as the student has been enrolled in at least
kindergarten, is enrolled in a Minnesota public school for the fall and meets the residency requirements for a
free public education. For a student transferring from another state, the targeted services program will need the
student’s school records to verify that the student is eligible for targeted services, e.g., has been enrolled in at
least kindergarten and has not been promoted to a high school grade level.
An IEP-shorted school day should not be used to generate extended time ADM. If, for some reason, the IEP team
has designed a shorted traditional school day and the student is choosing to attend targeted services after
school, the targeted service membership should not be reported on MARSS. The student can be reported as full
time at the traditional school and will generate full state aid. The targeted services time is considered to replace
a “missingtime during the traditional school day and has already generated state aid it should not be
reported on MARSS. In essence, reporting the targeted services membership would be similar to reporting the
same membership twice.
Targeted services programs
ALCs that provide instruction during the day to middle and secondary students may also apply to offer Targeted
Services programs to middle- and elementary-level students.
After Area Learning Centers, Targeted Services (TS) programs are the most common programs. Unlike ALCs,
Targeted services programs can only generate funding outside of the core school day.
Without broad policy and no implementation recommendations to guide programs, there is a wide range in TS
program focus, time, and duration. For example, summer programs may range from three days to 40 days. The
hours per day may also range from one hour per day to seven hours per day. Afterschool programs during the
core school year range from one hour per day to three hours per day, and from one to four days per week.
Considerations for Targeted Services Programs:
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
a) Learning experiences must be centered around ensuring grade progression, and
b) These experiences must be instructed by an appropriately licensed teacher
c) These activities do not generate extended time funding through TS:
a. Homework help
b. Clubs
c. Music/art lessons
d. District program-required initiatives (such as International Baccalaureate (IB), AVID)
e. Programs paid for by 21
st
Century grants
f. Program time paid for with other funds (such as summer migrant programs. Migrant students may be
eligible to participate in summer targeted services programs, but the district cannot claim the same time
as both migrant and TS. )
Grades Served
Targeted services programs can be offered to students in grades kindergarten to the grade level at which credits
are awarded for graduation, e.g., through 8
th
or 9
th
grade. If 9
th
grade students earn credit for graduation,
targeted services programs can serve students through 8
th
grade.
Students who complete the 8
th
grade and are promoted to 9
th
grade at the end of the core year, are ineligible for
targeted services in the following summer term. However, 8
th
grade students who are not promoted at the end
of the traditional school year, are eligible for targeted services the following summer; in this scenario, the
district must formally retain the student.
Kindergarten-age students must be enrolled in the academic kindergarten program before they can be enrolled
in the Targeted Services program. Therefore, a child who will enter kindergarten for the first time in September
is ineligible to generate state funding for Targeted Services programs during the summer preceding kindergarten
enrollment. However, if the kindergarten student has been retained in kindergarten, he/she is eligible to
participate in Targeted Services during the summer between the two kindergarten years.
Students who were enrolled in a voluntary pre-school or school readiness plus program would be eligible to
participate in the targeted services program during the summer before they enter kindergarten; the district
would know if these students met the at-risk criteria. This is consistent with how kindergarten students who
have been retained are treated.
State-Approved Early/Middle College Programs
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.
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) funding can be used for developmental coursework only when a
student who meets the graduation incentives criteria is enrolled full time in a middle or early college program.
Each alternative program and its partnering postsecondary institution must complete and submit the
Early/Middle College Program Identification Application and supporting documents to be approved as an
Early/Middle College program.
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Grades Served
Students are considered eligible if they are enrolled in a core school day SAAP under the graduation incentives
program as defined by MDE. Students enrolled in an Early/Middle College Program are restricted to the
participation limits in the PSEO program as outlined by MDE. Under Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.09,
any postsecondary institution that does not meet the qualification of an Early or Middle College Program as
defined above may not claim PSEO aid for remedial, developmental, or other courses that are not college level.
Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) Reporting
Site Number and Classification
Each SAAP must have a school number so that the ADM for enrolled students is calculated accurately. This
assures that an appropriate divisor is used to calculate ADM and students are eligible to generate up to 1.2
ADM.
The site number is associated with the district or cooperative that holds the SAAP application and approval, not
necessarily the district in which the program is located. For example, Intermediate District (ID) 287 is a
cooperative-type district with several ALC programs/locations. Many of its ALCs exist within a school building of
a member district but the site number exists within ID 287 as opposed to the district in which the program is
geographically located. ID 287 is responsible for reporting the students served at the sites that exist
administratively under ID 287.
School classifications are assigned at MDE. All LYP and SAAPs require application and approval. Staff in Career
and College Readiness will assign the school classification upon program approval. Current SAAP school
classifications are:
41 Area learning center (ALC)
42 Alternative learning program (ALP)
43 Contract alternative program
45 Targeted services program (TS)
School Year/Fiscal Year
For all Minnesota government entities, the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. However, the statute for
learning year programs (LYPs) allows the school year to begin in June after the end of the just-prior regular
school year (Minn. Stat. § 124D.128, subd. 1). The end of the just-prior school year is defined as the date of
graduation. There may or may not be a few days/weeks break between the two school years. The Status Start
Date for students enrolled in an SAAP may be as early as June. Membership that occurs in June is reported in the
following fiscal year that starts July 1. Therefore, the school year for a LYP goes from June to June.
SAAP students may generate up to a total of 1.2 ADM during the 12-month school year. Students do not have to
participate in an independent study program to generate more than 1.0 ADM. The school year for public and
contract alternative schools can also begin in June.
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Membership hours must be claimed in the school year in which they were generated. For example, independent
study credits cannot be accumulated from two school years and claimed in the school year the credit was
completed. The portion of the credit that is completed during a particular school year must be claimed on that
year’s MARSS files.
Dual vs. Concurrent Enrollment
Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment refers to a student who is enrolled full time in a traditional school and enrolled in an SAAP
outside the traditional school’s instructional day. The student can be enrolled in up to one 60-minute study hall
at the traditional school as long as the student is expected to attend the study hall and the SAAP instruction
occurs outside the traditional school hours, e.g., before or after the traditional school day, or on Saturdays. All
dual-enrolled students are reported with Percent Enrolled 999 at the SAAP.
All students enrolled in Targeted Services programs are dual enrolled students because, by design, these are
summer/after school programs as opposed to during-the-day programs. Targeted services students must be
enrolled 100% at a traditional school or be fully enrolled, concurrently between a traditional middle school and
middle level ALC program.
Middle level students are concurrently enrolled when they are part-time at the middle school, part time
at the middle level ALC, and participating in targeted services. These three instructional services may be
reported as separate enrollment records if all three programs are within the same district. This is a change from
earlier reporting procedures that required the district to combine the student’s targeted service and ALC
membership hours and report them in the ALC record. The targeted services record is reported with 999 Percent
Enrolled and the ALC is reported with 998 Percent Enrolled.
Concurrent Enrollment
Concurrent enrollment refers to a student who is enrolled less than full time at a traditional school and who is
also enrolled at a SAAP. The SAAP instruction could be provided during and/or after the traditional school. The
student’s CLP, as maintained by the SAAP, defines the amount of instructional time in the traditional school
versus that provided at the SAAP, and whether it is during the traditional school day or on an extended day
basis.
Students who are not expected to attend at the traditional school during their study hall and are not
marked/reported as absent must be reported as part time and membership should exclude the study hall time.
Also, students with more than one 60-minute study hall during the traditional school day and who also take
courses at the SAAP must be reported as part time at the traditional school. The traditional school membership
cannot include more than one study hall, up to 60 minutes in length.
The SAAP reports concurrently enrolled students with a Percent Enrolled of 998 rather than 999 to indicate that
the student is less than full time at the traditional school. Percent Enrolled 998 helps MDE assure that these
MARSS Procedures Minnesota Department of Education
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
students are reported as part time at the traditional school. At the traditional school, the student can be
reported as part time with either a:
1. Percent Enrolled of less than 100 and attendance and membership reported in days, or
2. Percent Enrolled of 999 and actual attendance and membership reported in terms of hours.
M
iddle level students are concurrently enrolled when they are part time at the middle school, part time
at the middle level ALC, and participating in targeted services. These three instructional services may be
reported as separate enrollment records if all three programs are within the same district. This is a change from
earlier reporting procedures that required the district to combine the student’s targeted service and ALC
membership hours and report them in the ALC record. The targeted services record is reported with 999 Percent
Enrolled and the ALC is reported with 998 Percent Enrolled.
Grade Level
Take care in assigning and reporting a student’s grade level. At the elementary and middle level, students should
be reported at the grade level at which they are receiving instruction. At the high school level, report students at
the grade level at which they have earned credits toward graduation.
Grade level is used in many different ways, including:
1. Pupil unit weighting factors are applied to a student’s average daily membership (ADM) based on the
student’s grade level. These are defined in statute and impact school funding levels.
2. Students are required to take various state-required tests at different grade levels. Taking the test for the
wrong grade level could invalidate the results, make the student ineligible for funding (ACCESS), impact a
school’s accountability under ESSA and/or provide an inaccurate assessment of the student’s progress.
3. Juniors and seniors are eligible for two programs for which students in earlier grades are ineligible:
a. Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is available to juniors and seniors. Automatically grade
progressing a student who has not completed the credits to move into 11
th
or 12
th
grade shortens the
student’s eligibility to participate in PSEO before the student could take best academic advantage of the
program.
b. Continued Enrollment of juniors and seniors allows students at these grade levels to continue
enrollment in the original district of residence when their parents move to another Minnesota school
district.
4. Ninth and 10
th
grade students have more limited access to PSEO.
5. Grade progression for students who are enrolled in a state-approved Learning Year Program, including
SAAPs, must be reported as they occur, including those that occur during the school year, to show
compliance with Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.128, subdivision 2. “The record system must include
the date the pupil originally enrolled in a learning year program, the pupil’s grade level, the date of each
grade promotion, the average daily membership generated in each grade level, the number of credits or
standards earned, and the number needed to graduate. This is reported on MARSS by withdrawing the
student on the last day of enrollment in one grade and re-enrolling the student on the next day in the new
grade.
Grade level is edited in MARSS programming in two ways:
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
1. A warning message is included on the local error report when a student’s grade level is outside the normal
three-year window as determined by the student’s age. For example, a 1
st
-grade student who is age 8 or
older will have a warning message. If the data are accurate, do not change the student’s grade or birth date.
2. An error is included on both the local and statewide error report when multiple, over-lapping records for a
student do not match. These errors must be corrected.
Status Start and End Dates
For students enrolled in seat-based or individualized courses, Status Start Date (i.e., enrollment date) is the day
the students start attending classes. For students taking courses via independent study, Status Start Date is the
day the students first meet with their independent study teacher. Students who were enrolled at the end of the
just prior school year are not automatically re-enrolled the successive school year and claimed for membership
until they either attend a class at the school site or meet with their independent study teacher.
A student’s Status End Date is the earliest of the following:
The date the student or family notifies the school that the student is withdrawing or transferring
elsewhere;
The date the student completed the credits necessary to graduate;
The date the student passed away;
For students in seat-based or individualized programs, after 15 consecutive days absent during the core
school year (typically September through May or early June) or after five consecutive days absent during
the optional, learning year portion of the school year (typically summer); or
The last day of the school year.
15/5 Day Withdrawal
Students who have been absent for 15 consecutive school days during the traditional, core school year must be
withdrawn and no further membership claimed until the student returns to school. (Refer to Minn. Stat. §
126C.05, subd, 8.) For SAAPs whose schedule does not mirror that of the local traditional school, school days, for
purposes of the 15 day withdrawal, are defined as those in the local traditional school. For example, in an after-
school only ALP that meets two evenings per week, during a week where the high school students have five days
of instruction, a student who misses both ALP sessions would be considered to have missed five consecutive
days of attendance.
Students who have been absent for five consecutive days during the summer term, must be withdrawn and no
further membership claimed until the student returns to school.
Students do not need to be kept on the rolls for the full 15 days; they can be withdrawn earlier. The program’s
policy can be that students will be kept on the rolls for fewer days of absence, particularly if the program has a
waiting list and/or to lessen the negative effect on the school’s percent attendance. Note that truancy laws
apply to students with excessive unexcused absences.
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MARSS School File
Instructional Days
Instructional Days are part of the formula for average daily membership (ADM). All SAAPs, except targeted
services, must report the number of Instructional Days in the core school year. The core school year is the
number of scheduled student-teacher contact days in the traditional school year, e.g., September through late
May or early to mid-June. There must be an actual date associated with each of these Instructional Days. These
are the days during which students in seat-based programs can generate membership and, in order to generate
1.0 ADM, should be equivalent to what it takes students to complete one year of instruction.
In an SAAP, when seat-based classes are offered only four days per week, e.g., no classes are provided on
Fridays, and students can earn a full year’s worth of credit during those four days, do not include Fridays in the
count of Instructional Days. Students enrolled only in seat-based instructional settings offered four days per
week will not generate 1.0 ADM because this calendar does not provide 1,020 annual instructional hours.
When a seat-based SAAP calendar includes fewer than five instructional days per week and/or has fewer
instructional hours per day or on specific dates, and students would be unable to earn a full year’s worth of
credit during the scheduled calendar, the number of Instructional Days and/or Length of School Day in Minutes
needs to include additional time that would have been needed for students to earn a full year’s worth of credit.
For example:
1. If an SAAP has a four day week and during that time students in a seat-based setting can earn five of the
required six credits to grade progress, the reported number of Instructional Days must include a fifth day
each week.
2. If an SAAP has four full days and one half-day of instruction per week, and students must participate in
Work-Based Learning (WBL) on the half-days to generate a full year’s worth of credit, then the Length of
School Day in Minutes reported must show the full length of day for all five days.
3. If an SAAP has an after-school only, seat-based program, the Instructional Hours and Length of School Day in
Minutes can be equal to that reported at the local high school.
However, students in a seat-based setting will not generate membership for time they are not scheduled to
attend at the SAAP. In example #1 above, the students will not generate membership on the fifth day of the
week on which no classes are scheduled. In example #2 above, the students will not generate membership on
the unscheduled portion of the half-day unless they are earning credit via WBL. In that case, the WBL
membership would be generated using the Independent Study model.
All SAAPs need to have a calendar that specifies dates and times that instruction is provided and staff are on
site.
ALCs and ALPs that claim all students’ membership in a specific grade(s) using a completion-based model, e.g.,
independent study, can report 170 Instructional Days and 360 minutes Length of School Day in Minutes so that
the annual instructional hours equal 1,020. (Minn. Stat. § 126C.05, subd. 15(b) (iii)). Use 170 instructional days
and 360 minutes per day in the Independent Study worksheet.
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However, grades that report at least one student using the seat-based model, must have a calendar with specific
instructional days.
Targeted services programs are the only SAAPs that do not need to report any Instructional Days or Length of
School Day in Minutes. The ADM divisor for targeted services programs is the statute-defined minimum
instructional hours for a given grade level. (Minn. Stat. 126C.05, subd. 15(a) [2021]).
The number of Instructional Days can vary by grade within a school. For example, when students in grades 9 and
10 are scheduled into seat-based programs and use the local district’s calendar for transportation purposes,
report the actual scheduled Instructional Days during the traditional school year. If all of the membership hours
for students in grades 11 and 12 are reported using the independent study model, the 11
th
and 12
th
grades could
have a different number of Instructional Days.
Length of School Day in Minutes
Length of School Day in Minutes is reported for each grade in terms of minutes. It is part of the formula for ADM
for learning-year programs. Except for targeted services, all SAAPs must report the Length of School Day in
Minutes during the core school year. The core school year is the Instructional Days during the traditional school
year, e.g., September through late May or early to mid-June. There must be an actual date associated with each
of these Instructional Days. These are the days during which students in seat-based programs can generate
membership.
Length of School Day in Minutes is the number of minutes, excluding meal times, during which a student would
be required to attend classes. Length of School Day in Minutes can include a reasonable passing time between
classes, but not meals or extended breaks where students could leave the campus. At SAAPs, Length of School
Day in Minutes cannot include study halls. Students must be provided a meal break on all full days.
If the Length of School Day in Minutes varies during the school year, use the Flexible Scheduling worksheet from
the MARSS website to compute an average Length of School Day in Minutes. Refer to the discussion of
Instructional Days above for more information on SAAPs that run less than a full day, every day seat-based
calendar.
When an SAAP core school day is shortened due to an emergency, e.g., weather, the length of a school day that
is reported on the MARSS A School file is unaffected. This is consistent with how a traditional school would
report.
Students who are scheduled to attend the seat-based program on the shortened day can generate the number
of membership hours for which they were scheduled to attend.
However, when an SAAP seat-based, extended-day program that occurs after the core required day is canceled
due to an early closure, students would not generate membership for the extended day it was canceled. (This
is similar to how we treat morning and afternoon kindergarten. If afternoon kindergarten is canceled due to an
early closure, it is not counted as an instructional day.
Early closures do not impact membership for independent study students because their membership is based on
completing coursework rather than scheduled seat-time.
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Targeted Services programs do not need to report any Length of School Day in Minutes. The ADM divisor for
Targeted Services programs is the statute-defined minimum instructional hours for a given grade level.
Students and Specific MARSS Data Items
Students Under the Age of 21/State Aid Category (SAC)
SAC 00: Report SAC 00 for resident students of the district that sponsors a public SAAP.
SAC 03: Report SAC 03 for nonresident students enrolled in a public SAAP and who are eligible for graduation
incentives (GI), with the exception listed below. All GI students at a cooperatively hosted ALC, Targeted Services
or public alternative program are reported with SAC 03.
SAC 03 causes state aid to follow students to the district that sponsors the SAAP or its fiscal host. SAAPs
sponsored by some type of cooperative (intermediate district, education district, etc.) can choose whether to
have a fiscal host or to bill tuition for all students enrolled. If a cooperative-type SAAP does not have a fiscal
host, all state aid stays with the resident district which is then responsible for tuition. Refer to the Special
Education section for more information on tuition billing for students with IEPs.
SAC 15: Report SAC 15 for residents of other states or countries who are served by the SAAP.
No Minnesota district generates state aid for students reported with SAC 15. The SAAP must bill the parents or
resident district for these students. Tuition arrangements should be finalized prior to enrolling the student.
SAC 16, 17, 18: Report nonpublic school students who take public school classes at the middle or high school
level SAAP on a part time basis with SAC 16, 17 or 18, depending on the students’ resident district and/or the
arrangement with the resident district. To be eligible, the nonpublic school student must have a CLP and be
taking core curriculum. Nonpublic school students are ineligible to generate funding in a Targeted Services
program because Targeted Services programs do not provide core curriculum. Nonpublic school students’
membership may include only seat time at the public school site. For nonpublic school students taking
independent study, their membership is limited to (a) core curriculum, and (b) time the student was meeting
with the independent study teacher at the public school site.
SAC 16 causes the shared-time aid to stay with the resident district, which pays tuition to the SAAP if the
SAAP district is not the resident district. When the enrolling district is other than the resident district,
the two districts must have a prior agreement before the student’s enrollment.
SAC 17 causes the shared-time aid to follow the student to the SAAP district or its fiscal host. The two
districts must have a prior agreement before the student’s enrollment.
SAC 17 cannot be used by a cooperatively run SAAP without a fiscal host no state aid will be
generated.
SAC 18 is for nonpublic school students served from outside Minnesota; these are non-Minnesota
residents and tuition can be charged the parents or the resident district.
SAC 26: Report SAC 26 for students enrolled in a contract alternative program whether or not they are residents
of the contracting district.
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SAC 26 causes contract alternative aid to flow to the contracting school district.
SAC 27: Report SAC 27 for students placed in the sponsoring district via care and treatment or day treatment
and who are served by the SAAP.
SAC 27 causes the state aid to stay with the resident district, which is responsible for tuition to the SAAP or its
fiscal host district. Refer to the Special Education section for more information on tuition billing for students
with an IEP.
Adults Without an IEP
Students without an IEP age 21 or older are considered adults, are ineligible to generate state aid and they may
be charged tuition. Refer to Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 120A.20, subdivision 1, and Minnesota Statutes
2021, section, 124D.02, subdivisions 2-4. Adults are eligible for Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs.
Students who are age 20 when they begin classes during the traditional September-May/June school year may
complete the year as a secondary student and generate general education revenue as long as they remain
enrolled. If they withdraw after turning age 21 and do not re-enroll within 21 calendar days, they are ineligible
to generate further general education revenue. Refer to Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 120A.20, subdivision.
1(c).
Students who turn age 21 after September 1, but prior to starting classes, are ineligible to generate general
education revenue. These students must be excluded from MARSS. They may be charged tuition.
Students who are age 20 when they enroll in an SAAP during the summer term but turn 21 before the start of
the fall term, may complete the summer term as secondary students. However, these students are ineligible to
generate general education revenue during the traditional September-May/June school year at any SAAP.
Adults With an IEP
Students with an IEP age 22 or older as of June 30 are considered adults, are ineligible to generate state aid for
the following school year, and they may be charged tuition. These students are excluded from MARSS. Refer to
Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 124D.02, subdivisions 2 through 4. Adults are eligible for Adult Basic Education
(ABE) programs.
Students with an IEP who are age 21 on or after July 1 may enroll as secondary students and generate general
education revenue through completion of the IEP, graduation or June 30, whichever occurs first. They may
withdraw and re-enroll at any time during the fiscal year and remain eligible to generate general education
revenue through completion of the IEP, graduation or June 30, whichever occurs first. Refer to Minnesota
Statutes 2021, section 125A.03 (b).
Students with an IEP who are age 21 when they enroll in June at an SAAP during the summer term but turn 22
on or before June 30 are eligible to generate education revenue only through June 30. These students are
ineligible to generate general education revenue during July and August of the summer term or during the
traditional September-May/June school year at any SAAP.
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Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 18 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Nonpublic School Students
Nonpublic/home school students can participate in SAAPs and generate membership on a limited basis. Eligible
students and membership will generate shared-time aid. Refer to Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 126C.19.
Eligible nonpublic/home school students must have a CLP that covers the entire school year.
The nonpublic school in which the student is enrolled must be involved in writing the CLP and identify
which services they will provide for the student during the school year or school day, i.e., the
instructional time when the student is at the nonpublic school rather than the SAAP.
The nonpublic/home school student is eligible to enroll in the resident district’s SAAP per the districts
shared-time policy. Non-special education shared-time instruction is offered at the discretion of the
resident district per board policy.
Membership hours for nonpublic/home school students are limited to only core curriculum. This
prevents nonpublic/home school students from generating membership at Targeted Services programs
because the instruction provided is not core curriculum.
Membership hours for nonpublic/home school students are limited to seat-based instruction. Therefore,
students participating in completion-based instruction, e.g., independent study, project-based learning,
online learning, can generate membership hours only for the actual time the student meets with the
teacher at the public school.
Lacking Credits by Choice
A student who intentionally schedules classes through his or her high school career such that the graduation
requirements are not met by the end of the senior year is not considered to meet the graduation incentives
criteria. If lack of a credit due to the student’s or high school’s choice of scheduling is the only qualifying criteria,
the student is ineligible to generate state aid at the SAAP. An example is a student who chooses to take more
music credits than are needed to graduate while foregoing a required physical education credit.
The high school is responsible for providing the credits students need to graduate and to assist students in
appropriately scheduling classes. This student could choose to take the physical education class through
supplemental OLL while enrolled at the high school. If the student does not have a free period during the school
day, the OLL ADM will be deducted from the ADM the student generates at the high school. Or, the school could
provide the credit free of charge during summer school or after school. Or, the student could return to the high
school the following school year.
Last Location of Attendance (LLA)
LLA codes are assigned in the order in which the students enroll. The high school and the SAAP cannot report
using the same LLA code, even if students enroll in both schools on the same day. Following are some examples
of assigning LLA codes.
At the beginning of a school year, LLA 00 is assigned at the traditional school for students who:
were enrolled at the traditional school last year;
are currently enrolled full time at the same traditional school during this school year; and
were not enrolled at the SAAP during the prior summer.
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Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 19 of 37
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For students who are dually or concurrently enrolled at the SAAP during the traditional school year, and the
Status Start Dates are the same at both the SAAP and traditional school, the SAAP reports the students using:
LLA 24 if the SAAP is sponsored by the same district as the traditional school.
LLA 04 if the SAAP is sponsored by other than the traditional school's district.
For students who were last enrolled at the traditional school and enroll during the following summer at an SAAP,
report:
LLA 00 at the SAAP, if the SAAP is sponsored by the same district as the traditional school.
LLA 04 at the SAAP, if the SAAP is sponsored by other than the traditional school's district.
For students who were enrolled at the SAAP summer term, re-enroll at the traditional school and remain
enrolled at the SAAP, the traditional school reports:
LLA 24 if the ALC is sponsored by the same district as the high school.
LLA 04 if the ALC is sponsored by other than the high school's district.
Students, who continue enrollment in the SAAP from summer into the traditional school year, should be
withdrawn at the end of the summer term and re-enrolled when the fall term begins. The SAAP reports the
students in the fall with LLA 24.
Status End
Status End codes are assigned in the order in which students withdraw. The high school and SAAP cannot report
using the same Status End code, even if students withdraw from both schools on the same day.
1. Students who withdraw from the traditional school to attend an SAAP are reported using:
a. Status End code 99 if the SAAP is sponsored by the same district as the traditional school.
b. Status End code 20 if the SAAP is sponsored by a different district than the traditional school.
The same coding convention should be used for students who withdraw from the SAAP to return to the
traditional school.
2. Dual-enrolled students should be reported with the Status End code of 99:
a. By the SAAP if the students withdraw from the SAAP prior to the end of the school year, but continue at
the traditional school.
b. By the traditional school if the students withdraw from the traditional school, but continue at the SAAP.
3. Dual-enrolled students, who continue at both the traditional school and the SAAP through the same
day at end of the school year, have the appropriate Status End code, e.g., 08 or 40, reported by the
traditional school. The SAAP reports Status End code 99.
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Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 20 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Concurrently enrolled students who continue at both the traditional school and the SAAP through the same day
at the end of the school year have the appropriate Status End code, e.g., 08, 40, reported by the school in which
they were primarily enrolled. The other school reports Status End 99.
If students have an earlier Status End Date at the traditional school, the traditional school reports Status End
code 99 and the SAAP reports Status End code 08 or 40. If the students have an earlier Status End Date at the
SAAP, the SAAP reports Status End 99 and the traditional school reports Status End 08 or 40.
4. Dual-enrolled students who are withdrawn from both the traditional school and the SAAP on the same day
have the appropriate withdrawal Status End code reported by the traditional school and the SAAP reports
Status End code 99.
Concurrently enrolled students who are withdrawn from both the traditional school and the SAAP on the same
day have the appropriate withdrawal Status End code reported by the school in which they were primarily
enrolled and the other school reports Status End 99.
If the students have an earlier Status End Date at the traditional school, the traditional school reports Status End
99 and the SAAP reports the appropriate Status End code. If the students have an earlier Status End Date at the
SAAP, the SAAP reports Status End 99 and the traditional school reports the appropriate Status End code.
Computation of Attendance and Membership Hours
Daily attendance records must be maintained for each student and course, whether they are participating in
seat-based classes and/or any of the completion-based programs, e.g., independent study. Attendance hours
must be attributable to a designated course. For example, each time the student attends, the actual minutes of
attendance are recorded and attributed to a single course. These attendance minutes are summed and
converted to hours for MARSS reporting. 45 minutes of attendance is recorded and reported as 45 minutes or
0.75 hours, not one hour. For MARSS reporting, round the student’s total attendance hours to the nearest one-
tenth of an hour.
Attendance time cannot be counted toward two different classes taken under the same course name or course
number, e.g., both a seat-based class and a different independent study credit. For students enrolled in both
seat-based and independent study courses simultaneously, contact time for an independent study course must
be scheduled outside scheduled seat-based class time. For example, when students enrolled in a seat-based
program are absent or need to make up work, this must be done outside the school day and membership cannot
be claimed for this time. This membership time was already claimed when the students were absent.
Attendance and membership are both reported in terms of hours for all students enrolled in LYP like SAAPs.
Attendance is the actual time the student spent with the teacher and is a subset of membership. Membership is
computed based on the type of instructional delivery method used for a particular student and credit. Refer
below for more detailed explanations.
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Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 21 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Classes During Lunch
Students enrolled in full-day programs must be provided a lunch break which does not generate student
membership. Alternative programs that offer instruction during meal breaks can award credit for this time but it
is ineligible to claim as student membership.
Seat-Based
A seat-based program is one in which students are scheduled to be at the SAAP for a specified time period on a
regular basis. All middle level students and those under the compulsory attendance age (with the exceptions
listed below) must be enrolled in a seat-based program.
Seat-Based Membership
Students in seat-based programs can generate Attendance Days and Membership Days just like students in
traditional elementary/middle/junior/senior high schools although they are reported in terms of hours. In a
seat-based program, students are required to attend and participate in regularly scheduled classes. Note that
students in seat-based programs should not be claimed for more than 1.0 ADM if they are not accelerating
credits. Students who fail a course can re-enroll in the course and generate additional ADM; document this on
the CLP and transcript.
Each hour of scheduled instructional time with a teacher at the school site generates student membership. A 45-
minute class period generates 45 minutes or 0.75 hours of membership. For MARSS reporting, round each
student’s total membership hours to the nearest whole hour.
Each hour of membership claimed for a student in an SAAP, except for Targeted Services, must be associated
with a course or credit. For students who also generate membership for different credits under a completion-
based program, e.g., independent study, project-based learning or work-based learning, do not claim the
student’s attendance and membership as both seat-based and completion-based time.
There needs to be documentation of the course in which the student generated membership hours. For a
student in a seat-based class who withdrew prior to earning any credit, the transcript could showno creditor
incomplete.
Seat-Based Attendance
Of the time the student is scheduled to attend classes at the SAAP, attendance is the number of hours the
student actually attended the seat-based class(es). For MARSS reporting, round each student’s total attendance
hours to the nearest tenth of an hour.
Individualized Instructional Setting
An individualized instructional setting is a seat-based program that provides a group setting supervised/taught
by a licensed teacher. However, each student may be working on a different, albeit related, credit than his or
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
her peers. For example, for one class period per day, a group of students meets with the math teacher; some
students are working on algebra and some on geometry.
Individualized Membership
Membership for credits earned via an individualized program is generated using the seat-based model.
Each hour of scheduled instructional time with a teacher at the school site generates student
membership. A 45-minute class period generates 45 minutes or 0.75 hours of membership.
Each hour of membership claimed for a student in an SAAP, except for Targeted Services, must be
associated with a course or credit.
For students who also generate membership for different credits under a completion-based program,
e.g., independent study, project-based learning or work-based learning, do not claim the student’s
attendance and membership as both seat-based and completion-based time.
For MARSS reporting, round each student’s total membership hours to the nearest whole hour.
Individualized Attendance
Of the time the student is scheduled to attend classes at the SAAP, attendance is the number of hours the
student actually was in attendance in the class. For MARSS reporting, round each student’s total attendance
hours to the nearest tenth of an hour.
A student can be enrolled in both seat-based and independent study credits/courses simultaneously but not
for the same credit/course. Therefore, a student’s credit/course can be claimed under either seat-based or
independent study, but not both. A program that claims membership for scheduled class time, such as occurs in
a seat-based setting, but during which a student is absent, is using the seat-based model. This student cannot
generate additional membership for coursework completed outside class time or off-site (for missed work or for
which they were absent) because this membership was previously claimed when the student was absent.
For ease of record keeping, programs with independent study approval can choose to claim all students, i.e.,
seat-based and independent study, who are age 16 or older, under the independent study model. However,
membership cannot be claimed for student absences. In this case, all students would generate membership
based on the completed coursework as computed on the Independent Study Worksheet,” not the actual
scheduled seat time.
Independent Study
Independent study is an instructional delivery method whereby the majority of the coursework is completed on
an individualized, independent basis that has consistent and ongoing teacher contact. The independent study is
a separate application from the SAAP application and is required for non-classroom time to generate
membership. (Minn. Stat. § 126C.05, subd. 15(b) (iv)) The application process includes a site visit by the
alternative program specialist. Currently, state approval is limited to ALCs and ALPs.
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Students meet with a teacher at least weekly, are assigned course work, and, upon successful completion of the
course work, are granted high school credit and membership time. Program applications must have committed
to at least 20-25% student-teacher contact time per student. Records of actual time the student and teacher
meet must be maintained and reported as attendance hours; do not simply report 20% of membership as
attendance. Therefore, the percent of attendance should vary among independent study students.
Refer below for the computation of membership hours per independent study credit. The membership hours
per credit represent a portion of an ADM, not the actual number of hours of work the student is required to
perform to earn the credit.
Eligible Participants
Students must be at least 16 years of age to generate membership under the independent study model.
Selected students under specific circumstances, e.g., pregnant/parenting teens or expelled learners, when all
other interventions have failed, may participate at age 15 or younger. This should be documented in the CLP and
should be a team decision. The expected attendance for students under the age of 15 must be at least 50% of
the membership generated.
Independent Study Excel Worksheet
The “Independent Study Worksheet” must be used to calculate the program’s maximum number of membership
hours to claim for each independent study course/credit. This worksheet must be kept on file for audit
purposes.
Membership hours claimed per completed credit must be the same for all independent study students earning a
particular district’s diploma. Refer to the Multiple Program Sites section below. The membership hours per
credit represent a portion of an ADM, not the actual number of hours of work the student is required to
perform to earn the credit.
The membership hours that are computed on this worksheet assume that 20-25% of this membership is
generated by actual student-teacher contact time. The student-teacher contact time is not added to this
number of membership hours. For example, when the number of hours that are claimed for an independent
study credit is computed to be 83, the 83 hours reflects attendance and outside work. In this case, at least 17
hours of actual student-teacher contact should have occurred (83 membership hours X 20%). Many students will
require more attendance time to complete the course/credit. Therefore, the portion of the 83 hours that is
actual attendance hours will vary among students, but will not be less than 20-25% teacher contact.
Multiple Program Sites
Alternative programs with multiple sites or that are administratively operated by a cooperative or education
district may need to complete more than one “Independent Study Worksheet.” Programs that serve students
who are working toward different graduation requirements, e.g., number of credits needed to graduate, will
need to complete a separate worksheet for each district so that students who need more credits per year to
graduate on time are in compliance with the learning year statute. (Minn. Stat. 124D.128, subd. 2(a)(2) [2021])
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
“…The record system and identification [of membership and students] must ensure that the program will not
have the effect of increasing the total average daily membership attributable to an individual pupil as a result of
a learning year program….”
For example, students who need eight, rather than six credits per year to graduate on time, should not generate
more than 1.0 ADM for earning the eight credits. Each of the eight credits must generate fewer membership
hours than each of the six credits earned by students working toward different graduation requirements.
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Procedure 8 Last Updated June 2022 Page 25 of 37
Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Calculation of Independent Study Membership Hours Worksheet
Calculation of Membership Hours and Attendance Hours
for State-Approved Independent Study
Complete the gray shaded cells (Lines 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 11)
Retain a copy for audit purposes
Line
Math
Enter
figure
Graduation Requirements at District Granting Diploma
(1)
n/a
1
(2)
/
1
(3)
=
1
Program Information (for each grade) at SAAP
(4)
n/a
1
(5)
X
1
(6)
/
60
(7)
=
0
(8)
n/a
1,020
(3)
/
1
(9)
=
1020
Maximum number of membership hours to claim per independent study credit or
(10)
0.20
(11)
=
204
Optional: Student Information (for each independent study student)
(12)
n/a
n/a
(9)
X
1020
(13)
=
0
Student’s independent study membership hours (for MARSS reporting, add this to
Optional: Average Daily Membership (ADM)
(11)
n/a
n/a
(8)
/
1,000
(12)
=
0.00
(13)
=
0.00
Student’s Extended-Time ADM capped at 0.20 (Total ADM should not exceed 1.0
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Reporting State-Approved Alternative Programs
Partial Credits and Credits Split Between School Years
Student membership hours must be claimed during the school year in which the independent study
course/credit, or portion thereof, is earned. When a student does not complete the entire independent study
course/credit during a single school year, the teacher must be able to define the portion of the course/credit
that has been completed so that the independent study membership hours can:
be prorated for that specific course/credit, and
claimed in the appropriate school year.
If the student completes the independent study course/credit in a successive school year, the remaining
membership hours – up to the number of hours computed on the “Independent Study Worksheet” – can be
claimed. Records must be maintained that show the number of membership hours claimed for each student and
independent study course/credit, by school year. Specifically, these are students who:
Are granted partial credit for a specific course based on coursework completed elsewhere so that the
student is not required to complete all of the coursework to earn the credit:
o In this case, claim only the portion of the credit that the student was actually required to complete
to obtain the credit. For example, if the student was assessed to have mastered 50% of the
coursework required for the credit and so completes the other 50% via independent study, claim
50% of the total membership hours as computed on the “Independent Study Worksheet.”
Are granted credit via testing so that the student is not required to complete all of the coursework to
earn the credit:
o In this case, claim only the portion of the credit that the student was actually required to complete
to obtain the credit. For example, if the student was assessed to have mastered 50% of the
coursework required for the credit and so completes the other 50% via independent study, claim
50% of the total membership hours as computed on the “Independent Study Worksheet.”
Have completed part of the course in a prior school year:
o In this case, reduce the number of membership hours by the number claimed during a prior school
year. For example, if the student completed 75% of the credit during a prior school year, claim only
25% of the total membership hours as computed on the “Independent Study Worksheet.”
Have dropped the course/credit or failed to complete the course/credit,
o In this case, claim only the portion of the course/credit that the student actually completed prior to
dropping the course.
Left or withdrew from the program:
o In this case, claim only the portion of the course/credit that the student actually completed prior to
leaving the program.
Failed Independent Study Course
A student who completes all of the coursework required for the independent study course/credit but receives a
failing grade can generate membership hours for that course/credit. The student may repeat the course/credit
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and generate membership. However, best practices indicate that teacher contact time should be increased
substantially with respect to the student’s membership. The transcript must show the failure and records must
be kept of the actual student-teacher contact time for both the original and second attempts.
A student who does not complete the independent study course/credit can be claimed for the portion of the
course/credit that was completed. Refer to the Partial Credits and Credits Split Between School Years section.
The learning year law requires that records must be kept that identify membership hours claimed for each
attempted course/credit. (Minn. Stat. § 124D.128, subd. 2(a)):
“(2)… develop and maintain a record system that, for purposes of Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 126C.05,
permits identification of membership attributable to pupils participating in the program. The record system and
identification must ensure that the program will not have the effect of increasing the total average daily
membership attributable to an individual pupil as a result of a learning year program. The record system must
include the date the pupil originally enrolled in a learning year program, the pupil's grade level, the date of each
grade promotion, the average daily membership generated in each grade level, the number of credits or
standards earned, and the number needed to graduate.”
For students who also generate membership for different credits under a completion-based program, e.g.,
independent study, project-based learning or work-based learning, do not claim the student’s attendance and
membership as both seat-based and completion-based time.
Independent Study/No Completion
Attendance cannot exceed membership for any student. If an independent study student attends the student-
teacher meetings but completes no work, then the program has two options.
1. The program can claim the actual student-teacher contact time as both attendance and membership during
the current school year. However, these membership hours cannot be reported in a successive school year;
they must be deducted from the membership hours claimed in a successive school year when the credit is
completed. Records must be kept that document attendance and membership with minimal credit on the
transcript. Or,
2. Since the student completed no work, the program can choose to not claim this minimal membership time
so that in a future year when the credit is completed, all of the membership hours per credit are available to
claim.
Independent Study Attendance
For independent study, attendance hours are the actual student-teacher instructional contact time for a
particular independent study course. Records of dates and actual lengths of the student-teacher contact for
each course must be maintained and reported as attendance hours; do not simply report 25% of membership as
attendance. Therefore, the percent of attendance will vary among independent study students.
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Work-Based Learning (WBL)
Work-based learning is a means by which students in grades 10 through 12 can earn high school credit in a work
setting. It is a two-part program in that a related seminar must be taken concurrently in either a seat-based
setting or independent study. The program must have a licensed work coordinator and follow all relevant
employment laws for the participants’ ages.
Typically the credits earned are electives. Students in learning year programs should be enrolled only in courses
necessary to graduate. Once the student has earned the necessary elective credits, no further membership
should be generated for additional electives, e.g., work-based learning.
Work-based learning requires state approval from MDE for students to generate state aid for non-classroom
time. Activities in which students are granted credit for employment but lack state approval, do not generate
student membership. In an approved program, the credits earned generate membership hours, as opposed to
the hours the participants work.
Work-Based Learning Membership
When WBL occurs during the traditional school day, then membership hours are generated for the equivalent
seat-based time the student would have been required to attend at the SAAP to earn the same number of
credit(s). If the SAAP is solely independent study or the WBL occurs outside the traditional school day,
membership is generated based on the credits the student earns using the independent study formula and
worksheet. For students who also generate membership for different credits under a completion-based
program, e.g., independent study, project-based learning or work-based learning, do not claim the student’s
attendance and membership as both seat-based and completion-based time.
Work-Based Learning Attendance
For work-based learning, attendance includes the following, as long as it’s documented:
Time the teacher visits the worksite during the student’s work time;
Time the student meets with the teacher at the school site;
Time the student participates in WBL as documented by the coordinator, not to exceed the membership
hours generated by WBL. Someone, e.g., the employer or coordinator, needs to maintain attendance
documentation. This requires frequent contact with the employer and documentation. It should be part
of the employer’s agreement.
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an individualized, self-paced instructional method that allows students to design
and propose a series of activities that, upon teacher approval and completion, results in secondary (middle,
junior high or high school) credit. Teachers retain authority to modify the project proposal, assess completed
work and award credit. To generate membership under the project-based learning model, the program must be
approved by MDE. (Minn. Stat. § 126C.05, subd. 20).
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This reporting procedure is limited to programs in which entire credits/courses are completed via a series of
related projects. Specifically, it is intended only for programs that:
1. Use the PBL instructional model by which students design their own activities to earn credit;
2. Allow students to work on these projects at their own pace and/or off-campus during school time, without
direct supervision by school staff.
Project-Based Learning Membership
Membership for project-based learning is similar to independent study. (Minn. Stat. § 126C.05, subd. 20).
If an SAAP with an approved independent study program also offers project-based learning, use the
Independent Study Worksheet to compute the membership hours to claim per completed course/credit.
If the SAAP does not have an approved independent study program, but has been approved by MDE to
offer project-based learning, refer to MARSS Reporting Procedure Number 23 for directions in
computing membership hours.
Suggested record-keeping forms are also included in Procedure 23.
Project-Based Learning Attendance
Attendance for project-based learning (PBL) is the sum of the actual student-teacher contact time for the project
plus any additional documented learning time that occurred off-site. Each attendance hour must be attributed
to a specific, approved project. The school must keep records that indicate that the teacher or other school staff
has approved the student’s attendance. Attendance hours cannot exceed membership hours.
Daily attendance registers provide supporting documentation for the seat-based classes. Student journals that
are verified by the teacher provide supporting documentation for the project-based attendance.
Online Learning (OLL)
Statute authorizes districts and charter schools to offer online learning (OLL) to students. (Minn. Stat. §
124D.095, subd. 2):
(c) "Online learning" is a form of digital learning delivered by an approved online learning provider under
paragraph (d).
(d) "Online learning provider" is a school district, an intermediate school district, an organization of two or
more school districts operating under a joint powers agreement, or a charter school located in Minnesota
that provides online learning to students and is approved by the department to provide online learning
courses.
Students enrolled in an SAAP are eligible to access OLL offered by a state-approved OLL program outside their
resident district and/or where the SAAP is located, albeit, in Minnesota. They must complete the “Online
Learning (OLL) Supplemental Notice of Student Registration” form and a 10-day notice to their enrolling school.
The enrolling school can reduce the student’s instructional time, if it chooses.
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If the OLL causes the student’s total ADM to exceed 1.0, the SAAP’s 1.0 ADM is reduced by 88% of the OLL ADM.
If the student’s total ADM does not exceed 1.2, this adjustment will move some of the SAAP’s original ADM into
extended-time ADM for a total ADM of 1.2.
An SAAP with a state-approved independent study program can use OLL as their curriculum as long as they
maintain the 20-25% face-to-face requirement for independent study students. Attendance and membership
would be reported using the independent study model.
Online Learning Membership
Membership for students participating in OLL offered by another district is simply the membership generated at
the SAAP for the instruction provided by the SAAP. The OLL program will report the OLL course completions to
MDE via a separate reporting mechanism, independent of MARSS.
Membership for students earning credit via OLL curriculum offered by the SAAP and in which a minimum of 20-
25% face-to-face is provided with an appropriately licensed teacher is generated using the independent study
model.
Online Learning Attendance
Attendance for students participating in OLL offered by another district is simply the attendance generated at
the SAAP for the instruction provided by the SAAP. The OLL program will report the OLL course completions to
MDE via a separate reporting mechanism, independent of MARSS.
Attendance for students earning credit via OLL curriculum offered by the SAAP and in which a minimum of 20-
25% face-to-face is provided with an appropriately licensed teacher is the actual student-teacher contact time.
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)
The PSEO program allows juniors and seniors to take postsecondary classes at approved institutions to obtain
secondary credit. In the PSEO program, the state pays the student’s tuition and the student is marked as “Y”
PSEO on the MARSS file.
The year-end MARSS reports include a list of the district’s PSEO participants for the prior school year. These data
are obtained from the postsecondary institutions. All students on this list must be identified by the district with
a "Y" under PSEO Program Participation. If a student included on your list is either not enrolled in your district or
is not participating in PSEO, contact Jeanne Krile at 651 582-8637. MDE or the postsecondary institution may
have identified the student in the wrong district or you may not have received a copy of the student’s PSEO
application (Notification of Student Registration).
Students who are enrolled in both an SAAP and a high school, and choose to participate in PSEO, must be
reported as a PSEO participant by the school that signed the student’s PSEO application. Only the enrollment
record for the period during which the student participated in PSEO needs to be identified as “Y” PSEO
participant and have PSEO High School Hours reported. A change in PSEO participation status triggers the close
of one enrollment record and the start of a new enrollment record.
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PSEO Membership
The student’s actual membership at the SAAP is reported under both the regular Membership Days field and the
PSEO High School Hours field. The student’s ADM will be based on the PSEO High School Hours with the
minimum guarantee based on the hours reported in the Membership Days field. Refer to the Calculating ADM
section.
For quarters, semesters and/or trimesters during which students participated in PSEO, report the actual number
of hours enrolled in credit-bearing classes during the enrollment period between the Status Start and Status End
Dates. Exclude lunch, study hall and any other non-credit bearing activity. If PSEO participants are also enrolled
in a postsecondary course contracted and paid for by the enrolling district, include that instructional time under
PSEO High School Hours.
For MARSS reporting purposes, the number of PSEO credits or hours spent at the postsecondary institution is
irrelevant.
During quarters, semesters and/or trimesters in which PSEO students do not participate in postsecondary
classes, report all actual instructional hours as PSEO High School Hours using the appropriate model, as
described above. The student is not flagged as PSEO on these records.
PSEO High School Hours cannot exceed the number of membership hours reported under Membership Days. An
error message will result.
Students identified on the MARSS file as participating in PSEO but who do not have any PSEO High School Hours
will generate warning messages on the MARSS Error Report. That warning may be ignored for full-time PSEO
students, i.e., students taking no classes at the SAAP or high school. However, ignoring the warning message for
students who did complete course work at the high school or SAAP may cause an underpayment of state aid.
College in the Schools/Concurrent Enrollment
Districts can contract directly with a postsecondary institution for college-level courses. Students might take
these classes at the postsecondary institution or at a local secondary school. The classes might be taught by a
teacher from the postsecondary institution, or a locally employed teacher might be certified to teach the
college-level course. Courses offered in this manner might be referred to as “College in the Schoolsor
“Concurrent Enrollment(not to be confused with concurrent enrollment that occurs when students are
enrolled part time at a traditional school and at an SAAP).
Students who take a postsecondary course paid for by the enrolling district are earning dual credit but are not
flagged as PSEO participants. These students must be reported as an “N” under PSEO Program Participation,
unless they are also taking a postsecondary course via the PSEO program. These students will not appear on the
list of PSEO participants sent to the districts. The time students spend in these contracted postsecondary
courses is reported as high school time; it is not considered postsecondary time.
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Hybrid Model
A hybrid instructional delivery model is one in which students participate in face “to” face instruction in a school
building with a content-area-licensed teacher for some of their scheduled class time and participate in digital
learning activities away from the school building for the rest of their scheduled class time. Students must meet
in school with their teacher for a minimum of one period per week. The teacher is available to answer student
questions, monitor progress and provide individualized support to students during the class period during which
other students are participating in their off-site digital learning through the computer. The scheduled class-time
(both in-person and digital) generates student membership under the seat-based model.
Homebound
With appropriate documentation, students enrolled at SAAPs could generate membership using the homebound
accommodations. Following are three scenarios in which a student could be receiving instruction in the
student’s home. It is assumed that all of the necessary qualifying criteria as described in the definition of
Homebound have been met for the first two scenarios.
1. If the student had a full load of seat-based classes prior to homebound, and the homebound instructor kept
up with all the classes, the student can generate the membership hours per day that he/she generated in
the seat-based classes. However, homebound instruction should not cause a student to generate extended
time ADM, i.e., the student cannot generate more membership per day than a student in the regular setting.
2. If the student had less than a full load of seat-based classes prior to homebound, and the homebound
teacher simply maintained the current classes, the student would be part-time on homebound. The
membership hours per day while on homebound would equal those generated while the student attended
at the school site.
3. If the student was on independent study, the ALC could continue the independent study. This may or may
not be a full time student. This student is funded and reported as an independent study student, not
homebound. Membership is based on completed coursework, not on an automatic number of hours per
day. Records of student-teacher meetings must be kept for all independent study students.
In the third scenario, the student does not need to have the homebound criteria met because the student will
generate membership using the independent study model. It is irrelevant where the one-on-one student-
teacher contact occurs for independent study. For example, the student-teacher contact time could occur at
school, at a library, a student’s home, etc. In all cases, the CLP for students under the age of 16 generating
membership via independent study must contain a description of the extenuating circumstances regarding why
the student is not attending classes at the school site.
ADM Computation
Original Average Daily Membership (ADM)
ADM is the basis for general education funding for all schools. ADM is computed for each enrollment record.
Membership and attendance are reported in terms of hours for all students enrolled in an SAAP. Students are
eligible to generate more than 1.0 ADM if they receive more than the statute-defined minimum number of
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instructional hours or the locally required annual instructional hours, whichever is greater, during a given school
year. The ADM cap of 1.2 is split between ADM capped at 1.0 which generates general education revenue and
0.20 extended-time ADM which generates extended time-revenue.
The basic ADM formula is: (Student’s Membership Hours / Annual Instructional Hours)
Annual Instructional Hours are computed from the MARSS School file:
(Instructional Days x Length of Day in Minutes / 60 minutes per hour)
The divisor used to compute ADM for any learning year program must equal or exceed the minimums specified
in Minnesota Statutes, section 126C.05, subdivision 15. Specifically:
850 hours for kindergarten, non-disabled
875 hours for kindergarten, disabled
935 hours for grades 1 through 6
1,020 hours for grades 7 through 12
When a learning-year program’s Annual Instructional Hours are fewer than the statute minimums, the statute
minimums are used as the ADM divisor except for Targeted Services. Because Targeted Services are, by design,
extended-day and/or extended-year programs, the statute minimums are automatically used to compute
participant’s ADM.
PSEO Participants
ADM is:
(PSEO High School Hours / Annual Instructional Hours)
If the PSEO student’s ADM is less than 0.12, then a minimum guarantee is calculated:
[0.12 x (Membership Hours in the Membership Days field / Annual Instructional Hours)]
ADM Capped at 1.0 and Extended-Time ADM
A student’s ADM for purposes of general education revenue is capped at 1.0. Students enrolled in SAAPs are
eligible to generate up to 0.20 extended-time ADM in addition to the 1.0 ADM.
ADM generated at a traditional school (any non-learning year program) is computed first. When a student’s total
ADM exceeds 1.0, it is prorated proportionately among the student’s non-learning year enrollment records.
When a student’s total ADM in traditional schools does not reach 1.0, the remaining ADM, up to 1.0, can be
generated by the SAAP’s enrollment records. When there is more than one SAAP record, the ADM capped at 1.0
is prorated among the SAAP records.
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When all of a student’s learning year records’ ADM cannot be claimed under ADM capped at 1.0, the rest of the
ADM, up to 0.20 is generated as extended-time ADM. When there is more than one SAAP enrollment record and
extended-time ADM exceeds 0.20, the extended-time ADM is prorated among the SAAP enrollment records.
Examples:
Student #1
o Original ADM
0.75 ADM at the high school
0.35 ADM at the ALC
o Adjustments
0.75 ADM capped at 1.0 at the high school
0.25 ADM capped at 1.0 at the ALC (1.00 max - 0.75 at high school)
0.10 Extended-Time ADM (0.35 original ALC ADM - 0.25 generated as ADM capped at 1.0)
Student #2
o Original ADM
0.75 ADM at the high school
0.05 ADM at care and treatment
0.35 ADM at the ALC
o Adjustments
0.75 ADM capped at 1.0 at the high school
0.05 ADM capped at 1.0 at care and treatment
0.20 ADM capped at 1.0 at the ALC (1.00 max - 0.75 at high school - 0.05 at care and treatment)
0.15 Extended-Time ADM (0.35 original ADM - 0.20 ADM generated as ADM capped at 1.0)
Student #3
o Original ADM
0.60 ADM at high school A
0.25 ADM at high school B
0.05 ADM at care and treatment
0.30 ADM at ALC A
0.20 ADM at ALC B
o Adjustments
0.60 ADM capped at 1.0 at high school A
0.25 ADM capped at 1.0 at high school B
0.05 ADM capped at 1.0 at care and treatment
0.06 ADM capped at 1.0 at ALC A (1.0 max - 0.60 - 0.25 - 0.05) x [0.30/(0.30 + 0.20)]
0.04 ADM capped at 1.0 at ALC B (1.0 max - 0.60 - 0.25 - 0.05) x [0.20/(0.30 + 0.20)]
0.12 Extended-Time ADM at ALC A
{[if (0.30 + 0.20 - 0.06 - 0.04) > 0.20 max], then 0.20 max x [0.30/(0.30 + 0.20)],
else (0.30 - 0.06)}
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0.08 Extended-Time ADM at ALC B
{[if (0.30 + 0.20 - 0.06 - 0.04) > 0.20 max], then 0.20 max x [0.20/(0.30 + 0.20)],
else (0.20 - 0.04)}
Refer to the MARSS 35 ADM Adjustment Report, a statewide MARSS report, for detail on how
individual student’s ADM is adjusted when they are enrolled in more than one district.
Special Education
Tuition billing for students with an IEP is done at MDE. The department moves revenue from the resident district
to the serving district. The transfer considers whether the general education revenue originally went to the
resident district or the serving district. For students enrolled in an SAAP, the tuition bill considers the number of
Special Education Service Hours reported by the SAAP. Following is a list of considerations and Rules of Thumb
for reporting students with an IEP who are enrolled at an SAAP.
1. Dual enrolled refers to students who are enrolled full time at a traditional school and after the normal
school day are enrolled at an SAAP.
2. Concurrently enrolled refers to a student who is enrolled part time at a traditional school and is also
enrolled in an SAAP.
3. Special Education Service Hours are not reported on records with a Special Education Evaluation Status of 1.
4. Students dual or concurrently enrolled within the same district must have the same Special Education
Evaluation Status, Instructional Setting and Primary Disability.
5. Students dual or concurrently enrolled between two districts need not have the same Special Education
Evaluation Status, Instructional Setting or Primary Disability.
a. The SAAP reports Special Education Evaluation Status 4 or 6 only if it is providing special education
services.
b. If the SAAP is not providing special education services, report Special Education Evaluation Status of 1.
6. SAAP midpoints are never applied; the SAAP should report Special Education Service Hours only if it is
providing special education services.
a. When the student is dual or concurrently enrolled within the same district, the Special Education
Evaluation Status, Instructional Setting and Primary Disability must be the same on both records.
If the SAAP provides no direct special education services, then report zero Special Education
Service Hours.
b. When the student is dual or concurrently enrolled between districts, the Special Education Evaluation
Status, Instructional Setting and Primary Disability need not be the same on both records.
The SAAP would report a Special Education Evaluation Status of 1 if it is providing no direct
special education services.
The SAAP would report a Special Education Evaluation Status of 4 or 6 if is providing direct
special education services; it must then also report an Instructional Setting and Primary
Disability.
7. Targeted Services-midpoints are not applied, Special Education Service Hours are required if the Targeted
Services program is providing special education services.
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a. When the Targeted Services student is enrolled within the same district, the Special Education
Evaluation Status, Instructional Setting and Primary Disability must be the same on both records.
If the Targeted Services program provides no direct special education services, report zero
Special Education Service Hours.
b. When the Targeted Services student is enrolled between districts, the Special Education Evaluation
Status, Instructional Setting and Primary Disability need not be the same on both records.
The Targeted Services reports Special Education Evaluation Status of 1 if it is providing no direct
special education service.
The Targeted Services would report a Special Education Evaluation Status of 4 or 6 if it is
providing special education services; it must then also report Instructional Setting and Primary
Disability.
Records for Audit Purposes
Primary source documents that an auditor will use to verify membership reported on MARSS are:
1. Student’s Continual Learning Plan (CLP).
2. Student’s annual schedule of attempted courses, dates courses were started and completed, and dates the
seat-based classes met.
3. Student’s transcript that shows courses that were completed and credit awarded during the current fiscal
year. This should also identify PSEO courses and courses completed via online learning (OLL) from another
district.
4. Daily attendance records for each student for the seat-based classes.
5. Total student-teacher contact hours for each completion-based credit, e.g., independent study, OLL, work-
based learning, etc.
6. If the student earned only partial credit during a given fiscal year, the records must show the number of
attendance and membership hours claimed for each fiscal year, by course/credit.
7. Course syllabuses.
With reference to the material presented in Appendix H, all SAAPs that claim membership using any of the
completion-based models, e.g., independent study, work-based learning, project-based learning, must also
maintain the following information for a minimum of three years:
1. The dates and length of the actual teacher contact time for each student and credit/course (reported as
Attendance Days).
2. The number and type of credits successfully completed (semester, quarter, etc.) reported in terms of hours
under Membership Days.
3. The dates the credits were completed and claimed. Take care that the attendance and membership hours of
partially completed credits are not duplicated on successive school years when the credit is completed.
4. The formula used to compute the number of membership hours to claim per credit awarded, e.g., the
Independent Study worksheet.
There should be no duplication of attendance or membership hours between those generated in the seat-based
courses/credits and the completion-based courses/credits.
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MDE Contacts
Topic Email Phone
SAAP Approval Independent Study Targeted
Services Learning Year
[email protected] 651-582-8567
PSEO
Concurrent PSEO Enrollment
mde.pseofunding@state.mn.us 651-582-8637
Work-based Learning Program Approval mde.cte@state.mn.us 651-582-8840
ADM Computations Membership Reporting
Project-based Learning OLL Reporting and
Funding
[email protected] 651-582-8855
OLL Program mde.onlinelearni[email protected] 651-582-8457
PSEO Program mde.postsecondary@state.mn.us 651-582-8336
Project-Based Learning mde.cte[email protected] 651-582-8269