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From the ECS State Policy Database 2008 State Policies / Activities

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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 2008. 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--Measures/Indicators Accountability--Reporting Results Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--No Pass No Drive Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--No Pass No Play 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 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention) At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Drugs/Alcohol Attendance Attendance--Truancy Background Checks Bilingual/ESL Business Involvement Career/Technical Education Career/Technical Education--Career Academies/Apprenticeship Choice of Schools--Charter Schools Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Finance Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Research Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment Choice of Schools--Innovation Schools 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 Counseling/Guidance Curriculum Curriculum--Alignment Curriculum--Arts Education Curriculum--Drivers Education Curriculum--Environmental Education Curriculum--Financial Literacy/Economics Ed. Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language Curriculum--Health/Nutrition Education Curriculum--International Education Curriculum--Language Arts Curriculum--Mathematics Curriculum--Multicultural Curriculum--Physical Education Curriculum--Science Curriculum--Sex Education Curriculum--Social Studies/History Demographics--Condition of Children/Adults Demographics--Enrollments Desegregation Economic/Workforce Development Education Research Equity Federal Finance Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost Finance--Aid to Private Schools Finance--Bonds Finance--District Finance--Equity Finance--Facilities Finance--Federal Finance--Funding Formulas Finance--Local Foundations/Funds Finance--Lotteries 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--School Boards--Training 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--Exit Exams High School--GED (General Education Development) High School--Graduation Requirements Instructional Approaches--Grading Practices Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling Instructional Approaches--Single-Sex Education Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools International Baccalaureate Leadership Leadership--District Superintendent 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 Mentoring/Tutoring Middle School Minority/Diversity Issues Minority/Diversity Issues--American Indian / Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian 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--Finance 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 FL Adopted 11/2008 P-12 District Virtural Instruction Program FAC 6A-6.0981 Requires districts, beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, to provide eligible students within its boundaries the option to participate in a virtual instruction program. The program must be full-time for K-8 students and may be full-time or part-time for st... More... CO Adopted 10/2008 P-12 Online Learning Programs 1 CCR 301-71 Establishes rules regarding the administration, certification and oversight of Colorado online education programs. Establishes quality standards for online programs, promote online program student participation, and establish a process and timeline for continu... More... WY Adopted 10/2008 P-12 Distance Education Courses ER08-31 These emergency rules add a new chapter to the education rules to deal with distance education.  The new chapter provides uniform rules for the offering of distance education courses and the transfer and acceptance of credit for those courses.  The new chapter... More... WY Adopted 10/2008 P-12 School Foundation Program Chapter 8 These emergency rules amend the existing rules related to the school foundation program.  The emergency rules provide additional definitions for terms used throughout the rules.  The emergency rules add a new section 8 which provides a process for a school dis... More... CA Signed into law 09/2008 P-12 Community College Postsec. Virtual campus S.B. 1437 Authorizes the State Virtual Campus to partner with education entities and community-based organizations to facilitate efforts relating to the use of technology resources and Internet connectivity. Authorizes campus grantees to accomplish certain online educat... More... MT Adopted 09/2008 P-12 Distance Learning - Teachers ARM 10.55.907 Requires any teacher of distance, online or technology delivered learning to be licensed, with such license granted as a result of the completion of an accredited professional educator preparation program.... More... AZ Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 virtual learning H.B. 2064 Concerns the E-Learning Task Force; provides that the duties of the task force shall include, among other things, submission of recommendations on the transformation of traditional instruction programs to e-learning programs, option to equip teachers with the ... More... FL Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 Virtual Education Programs H.B. 7067 Relates to virtual education programs; provides that K-8 virtual schools are public schools and a public school choice option; establishes school district K- 8 Virtual School Program; requires school districts to offer program beginning with 2009-2010 school y... More... FL Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 High School Programs - Career/Tech & Virtual Schools S.B. 1906 Relates to alternative high school courses and programs. Establishes a pilot project for awarding high school credit for industry certification programs. Requires school districts to indicate interest in the pilot project. Provides for specified courses to be ... More... HI Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 Postsec. Community College Online Learning H.B. 2971 Directs the Department of Education to adopt and implement recommendations and strategic goals contained in the report of the online learning task force established by Act 275, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007. Specifically requires the department to: (1) Continue ... More... TN Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 Virtual Education Programs S.B. 2008 Requires the state board to develop policies and guidelines for the operation of virtual education programs, including those operated by the Department of Education. Requires the department to monitor enrollments, etc. and to report annually. http://www.legisl... More... AL Adopted 05/2008 P-12 Graduation Requirements and Other Changes 290-3-1-.02 Increases the minimum number of teaching days in the school year from 175 to 180 (in compliance with 2003 S.B. 4). Permits secondary school students (in both summer school and regular school year) to demonstrate mastery of Alabama course of study content stand... More... GA Adopted 05/2008 P-12 Accountability Audits, Georgia Virtual School GAC 160-7-1-.04, 160-8-1-.01 160-7-1-.04: Clarifies rules regarding the audit procedures for the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (OSA). http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/doe/legalservices/160-7-1-.04.pdf 160-8-1-.01: Revises the definition of "blended learning" with regard to t... More... KS Signed into law 05/2008 P-12 School Finance S.B. 531 Provides that a student enrolled in a district and attending both a non-virtual school and a virtual school must be counted as that proportion of one pupil (to the nearest one-tenth) that the student's attendance at the non-virtual school bears to full-time at... More... KS Signed into law 05/2008 P-12 Virtual School S.B. 669 Establishes the virtual school act. Authorizes districts to operate virtual schools. Provides for requirements for virtual schools. Requires districts to provide adequate training to teachers who teach in virtual schools. Requires districts to annually submit ... More... AZ Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Administrator salaries S.B. 1081 Requires that schools selected by the state board of education to participate in the technology assisted project-based instruction program, an internet-based alternative to learning in traditional brick-and- mortar schools, include in the annual report require... More... ID Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Distance Learning/Virtual Univ. H.B. 672 Makes an appropriation for the Division of Children's Programs portion of the Public Schools budget; increases funding for the Idaho Digital Learning Academy. Chapter 392 http://www3.idaho.gov/oasis/H0672.html... More... ID Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 virtual schools H.B. 670 Makes an appropriation for the Division of Operations portion of the Public Schools budget; provides for expenditures for certain technology programs; distributes moneys for replacement of school maintenance and operations levy funds; directs the distribution ... More... KY Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Postsec. STEM S.B. 2 Defines "Advanced science and mathematics" as Advanced Placement (AP) biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, and physics, and International Baccalaureate (IB) biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental systems, mathemat... More... WI Signed into law 04/2008 P-12 Virtual Charter Schools S.B. 396 The bill requires that anyone who teaches in a public school or charter school must hold a teaching license issued by the department of public instruction (DPI). Teachers in virtual charter schools (defined as a charter school offering an online learning progr... More... ID Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Virtual schools H.B. 567 Amends existing law to provide that the Idaho Digital Learning Academy is an educational institution for sales and use tax exemption purposes. Chapter 172 http://www3.idaho.gov/oasis/H0567.html... More... ID Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Virtual schools H.B. 423 Amends existing law relating to public virtual schools; clarifies the definition of such schools; authorizes the public charter school commission to approve a charter for a public virtual school if it determines the petition contains certain requirements; esta... More... ID Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 virtual schools H.B. 552 Provides the Digital Learning Academy with financial independence from a host school district; allows the Academy to extend service to students in lower grades. Chapter 119 http://www3.idaho.gov/oasis/H0552.html ... More... IN Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Postsec. Concurrent Enrollment Partnership and Virtual School Committee H.B. 1246 The bill established the concurrent enrollment partnership to coordinate dual credit programs among high schools and state educational institutions. The commission on higher education is directed to provide support for the partnership. Also creates the interim... More... UT Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 UPSTART Program S.B. 2 - Sections 3-9 Establishes UPSTART, a pilot project that uses a home-based educational technology program to develop the school readiness skills of children age 4-5 who have not entered kindergarten. Provides that UPSTART is created to evaluate the effectiveness of giving pr... More... WA Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Postsec. Dual Enrollment Online Programs H.B. 3129 The office of the superintendent of public instruction (OSPI) is directed to compile information about online learning programs for high school students to earn college credit and place the information on its website. Directs high schools to ensure that teache... More... WA Signed into law 03/2008 P-12 Online Mathematics Curriculum H.B. 2598 Requires the office of the superintentdent of public instruction (OSPI) and the state board to work together to issue a request for proposals to adapt the existing mathematics curriculum to align it with the state's math standards and to make the curriculum av... More... MO Adopted 02/2008 P-12 VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM 5 CSR 50-500.010 Proposes rules to implement a public virtual school program to serve school-age students residing in the MO. http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/current/5csr/5c50-500.pdf... More... SD Signed into law 02/2008 P-12 Virtual school H.B. 1312 Changes the state virtual high school to the state virtual school. http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2008/Bills/HB1312ENR.htm... More... P-16 or P-20 P-3 P-3 Child Care P-3 Early Intervention (0-3) P-3 Ensuring Quality P-3 Evaluation/Economic Benefits P-3 Family Involvement P-3 Finance P-3 Governance P-3 Grades 1-3 P-3 Kindergarten P-3 Kindergarten--Full Day Kindergarten P-3 Preschool P-3 Teaching Quality/Professional Development Parent/Family Parent/Family--Parent Rights Partnerships--University/School 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 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--Foster Youth Postsecondary Students--Graduate/Professional Postsecondary Students--Military Postsecondary Students--Minority Postsecondary Success--Completion Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation Postsecondary Success--Transfer/Articulation Private Schools Privatization Promotion/Retention Public Involvement Reading/Literacy Religion Religion--Scientific Creationism (Evolution) Remediation (K-12) Rural Scheduling/School Calendar Scheduling/School Calendar--Day/Class Length Scheduling/School Calendar--Extended Day Programs Scheduling/School Calendar--Summer School Scheduling/School Calendar--Week Scheduling/School Calendar--Year School Safety School Safety--Bullying Prevention/Conflict Resolution School Safety--Code of Conduct School Safety--Corporal Punishment 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/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--Shared Services School/District Structure/Operations--Transportation Service-Learning Social/Emotional Learning and Non-Cognitive Skills Special Education Special Education--Federal Law/Regulations Special Education--Finance Special Education--Placement Special Education--Transition Special Populations--Corrections Education Special Populations--Foster Care Special Populations--Gifted and Talented Special Populations--Homeless Education Special Populations--Military Standards State Comparisons/Statistics State Longitudinal Data Systems State Policymaking State Policymaking--Ballot Questions State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions STEM Student Achievement Student Achievement--Closing the Achievement Gap Students Students--Athletics/Extracurricular Activities Students--Incentives Students--Mobility Students--Records/Rights Teaching Quality Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Alternative 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--Recruitment and Retention--High-Needs Subjects Teaching Quality--Reduction in Force Teaching Quality--Teacher Rights Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract Teaching Quality--Unions/Collective Bargaining Technology Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware Technology--Funding Issues Technology--Internet Safety Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training Textbooks and Open Source Urban Urban--Governance