ECS
From the ECS State Policy Database
2006 State Policies / Activities

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3442 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org

The following summary includes policies enacted in 2006. This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. To view the documents, click on the blue triangle next to the topic of interest. To view all, press the button located at the top labeled "Expand All."

Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date].

State Status/Date Level Summary
+ Accountability
+ Accountability--Accreditation
+ Accountability--Measures/Indicators
+ Accountability--Reporting Results
+ Accountability--Rewards
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--No Pass No Drive
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--Takeovers
+ Accountability--School Improvement
+ Adult Basic Education
+ Assessment
+ Assessment--Accommodations
+ Assessment--Computer Based
+ Assessment--End-of-Course
+ Assessment--Formative/Interim
+ Assessment--High Stakes/Competency
+ Assessment--Legal Issues
+ Assessment--Value Added
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Drugs/Alcohol
+ Attendance
+ Attendance--Compulsory
+ Attendance--Statutory Ages (Upper and Lower)
+ Attendance--Truancy
+ Background Checks
+ Bilingual/ESL
+ Business Involvement
+ Career/Technical Education
+ Career/Technical Education--Career Academies/Apprenticeship
+ Cheating
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Closings
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Cyber Charters
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Finance
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Research
+ Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment
+ Choice of Schools--Magnet or Specialized Schools
+ Choice of Schools--Tax Credits
+ Choice of Schools--Vouchers
+ Civic Education
+ Civic Education--Character Education
+ Civic Education--Pledge of Allegiance
+ Class Size
+ Curriculum
+ Curriculum--Alignment
+ Curriculum--Arts Education
+ Curriculum--Core Curriculum
+ Curriculum--Drivers Education
+ Curriculum--Environmental Education
+ Curriculum--Family Living Education
+ Curriculum--Financial Literacy/Economics Ed.
+ Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language
+ Curriculum--Geography Education
+ Curriculum--Health/Nutrition Education
+ Curriculum--International Education
+ Curriculum--Language Arts
+ Curriculum--Language Arts--Writing/Spelling
+ Curriculum--Mathematics
+ Curriculum--Physical Education
+ Curriculum--Science
+ Curriculum--Sex Education
+ Curriculum--Social Studies/History
+ Data-Driven Improvement
+ Demographics--Condition of Children/Adults
+ Demographics--Enrollments
+ Economic/Workforce Development
+ Education Research
+ Equity
+ Federal
+ Finance
+ Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost
+ Finance--Bonds
+ Finance--District
+ Finance--Equity
+ Finance--Facilities
+ Finance--Federal
+ Finance--Funding Formulas
+ Finance--Lotteries
+ Finance--Performance Funding
+ Finance--Private Giving
+ Finance--Resource Efficiency
+ Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures
+ Finance--Student Fees
+ Finance--Taxes/Revenues
+ Finance--Taxes/Revenues--Alternative Revenues
+ Governance
+ Governance--Deregulation/Waivers/Home Rule
+ Governance--Ethics/Conflict of Interest
+ Governance--School Boards
+ Governance--Site-Based Management
+ Governance--State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies
+ Health
+ Health--Child Abuse
+ Health--Mental Health
+ Health--Nutrition
+ Health--School Based Clinics or School Nurses
+ Health--Suicide Prevention
+ Health--Teen Pregnancy
+ High School
+ High School--Advanced Placement
+ High School--College Readiness
+ High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates
+ High School--Dual/Concurrent Enrollment
+ High School--Early Colleges/Middle Colleges
+ High School--Exit Exams
+ High School--GED (General Education Development)
+ High School--Graduation Requirements
+ High School--International Baccalaureate
+ Instructional Approaches
+ Instructional Approaches--Constructivism
+ Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling
+ Instructional Approaches--Problem Based Learning
+ Instructional Approaches--Single-Sex Education
+ Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools
+ Leadership
+ Leadership--District Superintendent
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Certification and Licensure
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Compensation and Diversified Pay
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Evaluation and Effectiveness
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Preparation
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Recruitment and Retention
+ Middle School
+ Minority/Diversity Issues
+ Minority/Diversity Issues--American Indian / Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian
+ Minority/Diversity Issues--Hispanic
+ No Child Left Behind
+ No Child Left Behind--Adequate Yearly Progress
+ No Child Left Behind--Assessment
+ No Child Left Behind--Choice/Transfer
+ No Child Left Behind--Consequences for Schools
+ No Child Left Behind--Reauthorization Issues/Waivers
+ No Child Left Behind--Report Cards
+ No Child Left Behind--School Support
+ No Child Left Behind--Special Populations
+ No Child Left Behind--Supplemental Services
+ Online Learning--Digital/Blended Learning
+ Online Learning--Virtual Schools/Courses
+ P-16 or P-20
+ P-3
+ P-3 Child Care
+ P-3 Early Intervention (0-3)
- P-3 Ensuring Quality
MSAdopted 07/2006P-12Establishes rules for a pilot project to improve the quality of child care services. Sets up a quality rating system for licensed child careproviders. MISSISSIPPI 10417
Title: Uncodified
Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet

IASigned into law 06/2006P-12Increases membership on the community empowerment state board. Requires family support services in the community empowerment initiative to include home visitation. Creates a community empowerment gifts and grants account in the Iowa empowerment fund. Makes an appropriation to the school ready children grants account of the Iowa empowerment fund. Makes an appropriation for preschool tuition support for low-income families. Makes an appropriation for efforts to improve the quality of early care. Makes an appropriation to the community empowerment gifts and grants account. Creates a business community investment advisory council to advise the Iowa empowerment board. Directs the advisory council to advise the Iowa empowerment board on the best means to leverage private investment in early care, health, and education services and provide options for creating model projects for public-private partnerships to support quality early care, health, and education programming in communities. Requires the advisory council to submit a report with recommendations and findings to the Iowa empowerment board on or before December 31, 2006. Lists specific areas report must address.

Makes an appropriation for professional development and training activities for persons working in early care, health, and education by the Iowa empowerment board in collaboration with representation from Iowa state university of science and technology cooperative extension service in agriculture and home economics, area education agencies, community colleges, child care resource and referral services, and community empowerment area boards. http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&Service=Billbook&menu=false&hbill=HF2769
Title: H.B. 2769
Source:

COVetoed 05/2006P-12Concerns the creation and duties of a statewide system of integrated early childhood councils. Repeals the pilot program for community consolidated child care services; incorporates the pilot program into a new integrated statewide system of early childhood councils to address local needs and conditions; mandates an application process to receive designation as a council; sets forth the duties of the councils, including increasing and sustaining the quality, accessibility, capacity, and affordability of early childhood services for children 5 years of age or younger and their parents.
http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics2006a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/5891F5D37E7577928725713000654E40?Open&file=1397_rer.pdf
Title: H.B. 1397
Source: Colorado Legislature

MOSigned into law 05/2006P-12Requires the department of Education to develop, by June 30, 2007, standards for early childhood education which will be applicable to public preschool programs that receive federal Title I funds or Missouri preschool project funds. The standards must include an assessment of needs; a focus on cognitive, language physical, and social/emotional development; and highly qualified, properly certified teachers. In developing the standards, the department must involve representatives of many groups, including the business community, existing early childhood programs, school districts, and private and faith-based providers. Districts that offer fee-based programs may continue to offer them, in compliance with federal law.
http://www.house.mo.gov/bills061/biltxt/truly/HB1511T.HTM
Title: H.B. 1511
Source: http://www.house.mo.gov/

MDSigned into law 04/2006P-12Requires the Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program to be administered by the State Department of Education; authorizes the Department to contract with specified agencies to administer the grant program; authorizes the State Superintendent to delegate authority to approve direct incentive grants to specified boards; authorizes the Department to award direct incentive grants to an applicant under specified circumstances.
http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/bills/hb/hb0601t.pdf
Title: H.B. 601
Source: Maryland Legislature

MSSigned into law 03/2006P-12Enacts the Education Reform Act of 2006. Section 16 directs the department of human services to establish a child care quality step program by requiring the office for children and youth to develop and implement a voluntary pilot rating system (QRS) for improving the quality of all licensed early care and after-school programs. Requires the office for children and youth to conduct a needs assessment to determine the need for an incentive program, which would allow participating early care and education programs in the QRS access to funds to provide incentives to teachers/directors that make educational advancements that are listed in the QRS criteria.
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2006/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2602SG.htm
Title: S.B. 2602
Source: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2006/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2602SG.htm

WASigned into law 03/2006P-12Finds that the early years of a child's life are critical to the child's healthy brain development and that the quality of caregiving during the early years can significantly impact the child's intellectual, social, and emotional development. Declares that the purpose of this act is: (1) To establish the department of early learning, the purpose of which is to coordinate and consolidate child care and early learning programs; (2) To safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of children receiving child care and early learning services, which is paramount over the right of any person to provide care; (3) To promote linkages and alignment between early learning programs and elementary schools and support the transition of children and families from prekindergarten environments to kindergarten; (4) To promote the development of a sufficient number and variety of adequate child care and early learning facilities, both public and private; and (5) To license agencies and to a ssure the users of such agencies, their parents, the community at large and the agencies themselves that adequate minimum standards are maintained by all child care and early learning facilities. Provides that two years after the implementation of the department's early learning program, and every two years thereafter by July 1st, the department shall submit to the governor and the legislature a report measuring the effectiveness of its programs in improving early childhood education. The first report shall include program objectives and identified valid performance measures for evaluating progress toward achieving the objectives, as well as a plan for commissioning a longitudinal study comparing the kindergarten readiness of children participating in the department's programs with the readiness of other children, using nationally accepted testing and assessment methods. Such comparison shall include, but not be limited to, achievement as children of both groups progress through the K-12 system and identify year-to-year changes in achievement, if any, in later years of elementary, middle school, and high school education.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Law%202006/2964-S2.SL.pdf
Title: H.B. 2964
Source: http://www.leg.wa.gov

+ P-3 Evaluation/Economic Benefits
+ P-3 Finance
+ P-3 Governance
+ P-3 Grades 1-3
+ P-3 Kindergarten--Full-Day Kindergarten
+ P-3 Preschool
+ P-3 Teaching Quality/Professional Development
+ Parent/Family
+ Parent/Family--Parent Rights
+ Parent/Family--Research
+ Postsecondary
+ Postsecondary Accountability
+ Postsecondary Accountability--Accreditation
+ Postsecondary Accountability--Diploma Mills
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees--Prepd/College Savings Plans
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees--Undocumented Immigrants
+ Postsecondary Faculty
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Compensation
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Intellectual Property
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Teaching Assistants
+ Postsecondary Finance
+ Postsecondary Governance and Structures
+ Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges
+ Postsecondary Institutions--For-Profit/Proprietary
+ Postsecondary Institutions--Private/Independent
+ Postsecondary Online Instruction
+ Postsecondary Participation--Access
+ Postsecondary Participation--Admissions Requirements
+ Postsecondary Participation--Affirmative Action
+ Postsecondary Participation--Outreach
+ Postsecondary Students--Disabled
+ Postsecondary Students--Foster Youth
+ Postsecondary Students--Military
+ Postsecondary Students--Minority
+ Postsecondary Success--Completion
+ Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation
+ Postsecondary Success--Transfer/Articulation
+ Private Schools
+ Promising Practices
+ Promotion/Retention
+ Reading/Literacy
+ Religion
+ Religion--Scientific Creationism (Evolution)
+ Rural
+ Scheduling/School Calendar
+ Scheduling/School Calendar--Day/Class Length
+ Scheduling/School Calendar--Extended Day Programs
+ Scheduling/School Calendar--Summer School
+ Scheduling/School Calendar--Year
+ School Safety
+ School Safety--Bullying Prevention/Conflict Resolution
+ School Safety--Code of Conduct
+ School Safety--Disaster/Emergency Preparedness
+ School Safety--Expulsion/Suspension
+ School Safety--No Child Left Behind--Safe Schools
+ School Safety--Sexual Harassment and Assault
+ School Safety--Special Education
+ School Safety--Uniforms/Dress Codes
+ School/District Structure/Operations
+ School/District Structure/Operations--District Consolidation/Deconsolidation
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Facilities
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Food Service
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Libraries
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Personnel (Non-Teaching)
+ School/District Structure/Operations--School Size
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Shared Services
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Transportation
+ Service-Learning
+ Special Education
+ Special Education--Federal Law/Regulations
+ Special Education--Finance
+ Special Education--Inclusion (Mainstreaming)
+ Special Education--Placement
+ Special Education--Transition
+ Special Populations--Corrections Education
+ Special Populations--Foster Care
+ Special Populations--Gifted and Talented
+ Special Populations--Homeless Education
+ Standards
+ State Longitudinal Data Systems
+ State Policymaking
+ State Policymaking--Ballot Questions
+ State Policymaking--Politics
+ State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions
+ STEM
+ Student Achievement
+ Student Achievement--Closing the Achievement Gap
+ Student Achievement--State Trends
+ Student Supports--Counseling/Guidance
+ Student Supports--Mentoring/Tutoring
+ Student Supports--Remediation
+ Students
+ Students--Athletics/Extracurricular Activities
+ Students--Records/Rights
+ Teaching Quality
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Alternative
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Assignment
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Highly Qualified Teachers
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Natl. Bd. for Prof. Teach. Stds.
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Special Education
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--State Prof. Standards Bds.
+ Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Substitute Teachers
+ Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay
+ Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Pay-for-Performance
+ Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Retirement/Benefits
+ Teaching Quality--Evaluation and Effectiveness
+ Teaching Quality--Induction Programs and Mentoring
+ Teaching Quality--Paraprofessionals
+ Teaching Quality--Preparation
+ Teaching Quality--Professional Development
+ Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention
+ Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention--At-Risk Schools
+ Teaching Quality--Teacher Rights
+ Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract
+ Teaching Quality--Unions/Collective Bargaining
+ Technology
+ Technology--Computer Skills
+ Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware
+ Technology--Equitable Access
+ Technology--Funding Issues
+ Technology--Internet Safety
+ Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training
+ Textbooks and Open Source