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How LAA+ Works

Below are the six stages to becoming a Louisiana A+ School. For more information,  please contact us.

Step 1

Inform



Any Louisiana School (public, private, charter, elementary, middle, or high school) is invited to complete a Letter of Interest form to join the LAA+ network.  

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Once the Letter of Interest form has been submitted, the school's faculty and administration will have the option to either schedule a meeting between LAA+ staff and the leaders of the interested school, or have the school complete the first module, Arts Integration 101, in our online learning platform, A+U: Louisiana. This module will provide them with an in-depth look at A+, including the history, why we do what we do, and a brief introduction to arts integration.

step 2

Apply

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Once the school's faculty and staff have all been properly informed about our organization and what we provide (Step 1), they must then hold an in-house vote to ensure that a minimum of 85% or more of their full-time faculty is committed to adopting arts integration and implementing A+. This includes all classroom and ancillary teachers.

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With a completed vote of 85% agreeing to adopt arts integration, the school will complete and submit the application to become a member of the A+ network. 

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Step 4

Ongoing Professional Development



Member schools will receive 3 years of evolving professional development in the implementation and integration of the Arts. These coaching sessions are customized by the A+ Fellows to meet the current needs of the school.

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During the 5-day initial summer institute, either virtually or hybrid, A+ Fellows will instruct schools on how to effectively integrate the Arts into their curriculum by way of the eight A+ Essentials.  

 

At least 85% of a school's staff must attend the training in order to achieve whole school transformation. 

 

Read testimonials from teachers participating in our professional development workshops.

Step 5

Implementation



After the first summer institute, member schools are functioning A+ Schools with access to the entire network of resources.

 

Schools collaborate around curriculum, mapping the instruction so that interdisciplinary concepts emerge that encourage cross-curricular integration, and the use of multiple intelligences to structure learning opportunities for students.

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Schools are not considered fully implemented until having completed the three years of professional development training.

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Click here for more information on professional development offered to our schools.

Step 3

Select



School applications are reviewed by a selection committee comprised of  LAA+ staff, board members and Fellows. Several factors are used to determine selection including need, the school's capacity to fully implement the program, and funding.

 

Once a school has been accepted into the network, LAA+ Staff will visit the school either in-person or virtually, to share more information about program participation and expectations, as well as gather important thoughts and insight from the school's staff/administration. 

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New schools are notified in the Spring and begin their LAA+ journey with a 5-day Summer Institute for their entire school faculty.

Step 6

Sustainability



As long as a school is a member of the network with a commitment to the A+ Essentials, they continue to receive annual leadership and new hire training either virtually or in-person. â€‹

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Schools excelling in their commitment to the 8 Essentials may be nominated to become a Model School. LAA+ Model Schools are used to demonstrate effective implementation of the arts and are also provided additional opportunities for professional development.

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