ECS
From the ECS State Policy Database
2009 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 2009. 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--No Pass No Play
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--Takeovers
+ Accountability--School Improvement
+ Adult Basic Education
+ Assessment
+ Assessment--Accommodations
+ Assessment--College Entrance Exams
+ Assessment--Computer Based
+ Assessment--End-of-Course
+ Assessment--Formative/Interim
+ Assessment--NAEP (NAEP Results and NAEP Organization)
+ Assessment--Performance Based/Portfolio
+ 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--Charter Districts
+ 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--Vouchers
+ Civic Education
+ Civic Education--Character Education
+ Civic Education--Pledge of Allegiance
+ Class Size
+ Curriculum
+ 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--Health/Nutrition Education
+ Curriculum--Home Economics
+ 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
+ Demographics--Condition of Children/Adults
+ Desegregation
+ 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--Litigation
+ 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--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--Grading Practices
+ Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling
+ Instructional Approaches--Problem Based Learning
+ Instructional Approaches--Single-Sex Education
+ Instructional Approaches--Time/Time on Task
+ Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools
+ International Benchmarking
+ Leadership
+ Leadership--District Superintendent
+ Leadership--District Superintendent--Compensation and Diversified Pay
+ 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
+ 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
NYAdopted 12/2009P-12Amends rule to implement the No Child Left Behind differentiated accountability pilot program. One of the key components of this rule is the repeal of the current paragraph 100.2(p)(6), "School Requiring Academic Progress", and its replacement with a new paragraph 100.2(p)(6), "Differentiated Accountability for Schools," beginning with the 2009-10 school year. The new paragraph will:
(1) Integrate federal and state accountability systems
(2) Reduce the number of school accountability categories by eliminating dual Title I and non-Title I streams of improvement
(3) Collapse identifications for improvement into three simplified accountability phases--Improvement, Corrective Action and Restructuring--based on the number of years a school failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) on an accountability performance criterion and/or accountability indicator
(4) Further differentiate each phase into three categories of intervention: Basic, Focused and Comprehensive, based upon the number of accountability groups that failed to make AYP in an accountability performance criterion and/or accountability indicator for which a school has been identified
(5) Determine a school's accountability designation for the 2009-2010 school year based upon the school's accountability status for the 2008-09 school year and the school's AYP for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years
(6) Provide schools with diagnostic tools, planning strategies, and supports and interventions specific to that phase in the improvement process and the school's category of need
(7) Allow for differentiation in the accountability process, permitting schools and districts to prepare and implement two-year school improvement/corrective action/restructuring plans that best match a school's designation
(8) Better align the School Under Registration Review (SURR) and NCLB processes and ensure that schools with systemic and persistent failure fundamentally restructure or close
(9) Maximize the state education department's limited resources and utilize the resources of the University of the State of New York (USNY) to assign School Quality Review Teams, Joint Intervention Teams, and Distinguished Educators to schools in improvement; strengthen the capacity of districts to assist schools to improve
(10) Empower parents by increasing combined participation in Public School Choice (PSC) and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) by providing for SES in the first year of a school's identification for improvement and PSC only after an identified school has failed to make AYP.

In addition, Section 100.2p(10) is amended to set forth the action that is to be taken when a school has been designated as Improvement, Corrective Action or Restructuring and has been placed on registration review. More specifically, under the amended regulations, requires a school designated as Improvement (year 1) or Corrective Action (year 1) to modify its plan to meet the requirements of a restructuring plan for implementation no later than the beginning of the school year following the year identified for registration review. The amended regulations also provide that a school designated as Restructuring (advanced) may be warned of revocation of registration unless an acceptable plan for closure or phase out has been submitted. Also allows a school identified for registration review to be identified for phase out or closure if progress has not been demonstrated after two full academic years of implementing a restructuring plan.

Adopted as published in the July 1, 2009 issue of the Register (pages 10-14 of 28): http://www.dos.state.ny.us/info/register/2009/jul1/pdfs/rules.pdf
Title: Title 8 NYCRR 100.2(p), 120.2, 120.3, 120.4
Source: www.dos.state.ny.us

ILSigned into law 08/2009P-12Requires teacher supply and demand reports to be published every three years instead of annually. Deletes provision that adequate yearly progress for students with disabilities must be based on students' individual education plans. Provides that schools and districts that do not submit accurate data within the state board's timeframes may have federal funds withheld. Eliminates provision that schools and districts that do not make adequate yearly progress in same subgroup in two consecutive years or successive years are subject to accountability provisions. Requires schools to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years (previously was one year) to be removed from any accountability warning designation. Replaces reference to state board's "research department" with reference to "data division." Pages 1-11 of 63: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/SB/PDF/09600SB1977lv.pdf
Title: S.B. 1977 - Reporting, Accountability and Data
Source: www.ilga.gov

TXSigned into law 06/2009P-12Previous legislation on measuring annual improvement from one year to the next required the state education agency to determine the necessary annual improvement required each year for a student to be prepared to perform satisfactorily on the end-of-course assessments required for graduation. New provision requires the agency to additionally determine the annual improvement needed for satisfactory performance on the grade 5 and 8 assessments, and for the necessary annual improvement required on these additional assessments to be reported to the district, as they are for end-of-course assessments.
Page 67 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf
Title: H.B. 3 - Section 58
Source: www.legis.state.tx.us

MNSigned into law 05/2009P-12Requires the statewide educational accountability and reporting system to measure and separately report the adequate yearly progress of schools and the academic growth of individual students. Requires the system to include statewide measures of high and low student academic growth. Requires school districts to annually determine whether schools meet federal expectations for student achievement. Requires the state's educational assessment system to measure individual students' educational growth. Directs the commissioner to annually report to the public and the legislature, beginning June 30, 2012, the organizational and curricular practices implemented by schools that demonstrate medium and high student growth.
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0002.5.html&session=ls86
Title: H.F. 2
Source: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us

TNSigned into law 05/2009P-12Requires the department of education to explore with the Tennessee congressional delegation and the United States department of education modification of No Child Left Behind determination of who is a dropout for students who receive a GED and pass appropriate examinations established by the state board of education or have good scores on the ACT. - Amends TCA Title 49. http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/billinfo/BillSummaryArchive.aspx?BillNumber=SB2030&ga=106
Title: S.B. 2030
Source: http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov

KYSigned into law 03/2009P-12Provides that whereas it is imperative that schools, administrators, teachers, parents and policymakers maintain high expectations for students, and it is important that there be an orderly transition from the current state assessment to the new assessment and accountability system implemented in 2011-12, the following conditions will apply:
(1) The state board of education must provide for an interim assessment process (described in section 19 of this act)
(2) The board must ensure that all student assessments and data collection and reporting necessary to meet the accountability and proficiency requirements for the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are met
(3) The board must suspend the calculation of a state accountability index for 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11.

During the interim period the following will apply for accountability purposes:
(a) NCLB Annual Yearly Progress results must be used to determine improvement of student achievement for both Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools
(b) The NCLB definitions must be applied to both Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools
(c) State level assistance and resources must be provided to Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools falling into the federal definitions of consequences in order to help schools improve student achievemen
(d) Results of the interim tests must be reported publicly.

Permits the state board to use math items developed using revised math content standards during the spring of 2010 and administer an initial math test, based on the revised standards during the 2010-11 testing period to meet NCLB requirements, if approval is granted by the U.S. Department of Education. Directs the state department of education to develop and implement interim program assessments of writing programs, practical living skills and career studies, and arts and humanities in all schools during the transition period. Directs the department to finalize the process for program assessments for implementation during the 2011-12 school year. Directs the department and state board to ensure that teachers, administrators and local board members are well informed of pending changes in the assessment and accountability system during the transition period and continue to stress the importance of the quality of opportunities for all students.
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/SB1/bill.doc
Title: S.B. 1 Section 18
Source: www.lrc.ky.gov

+ 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--Report Cards
+ No Child Left Behind--School Support
+ 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 Content Standards and Assessment
+ P-3 Early Intervention (0-3)
+ P-3 Ensuring Quality
+ 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
+ Partnerships--University/School
+ Postsecondary
+ Postsecondary Accountability
+ Postsecondary Accountability--Accreditation
+ Postsecondary Accountability--Diploma Mills
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Textbooks
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees
+ Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees--Prepd/College Savings Plans
+ Postsecondary Faculty
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Compensation
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Intellectual Property
+ Postsecondary Faculty--Teaching Assistants
+ Postsecondary Finance
+ Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding
+ Postsecondary Finance--Facilities
+ Postsecondary Governance and Structures
+ Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges
+ Postsecondary Institutions--For-Profit/Proprietary
+ Postsecondary Institutions--Private/Independent
+ Postsecondary Online Instruction
+ Postsecondary Participation
+ Postsecondary Participation--Access
+ Postsecondary Participation--Admissions Requirements
+ Postsecondary Participation--Affirmative Action
+ Postsecondary Participation--Outreach
+ Postsecondary Students
+ Postsecondary Students--Foster Youth
+ Postsecondary Students--Graduate/Professional
+ Postsecondary Students--Military
+ Postsecondary Students--Minority
+ Postsecondary Success--Completion
+ Postsecondary Success--Completion--Completion Rates (Statistics)
+ Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation
+ Postsecondary Success--Retention/Persistence
+ Postsecondary Success--Transfer/Articulation
+ Private Schools
+ Privatization
+ Promising Practices
+ Promotion/Retention
+ Public Involvement
+ Reading/Literacy
+ Reading/Literacy--Adult Literacy
+ Religion
+ Religion--Prayer/Meditation
+ 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--School Size
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Shared Services
+ School/District Structure/Operations--Transportation
+ Service-Learning
+ Special Education
+ 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--Immigrant Education
+ Special Populations--Military
+ Standards
+ State Longitudinal Data Systems
+ State Policymaking
+ State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions
+ STEM
+ Student Achievement
+ Student Achievement--Closing the Achievement Gap
+ Student Supports--Counseling/Guidance
+ Student Supports--Mentoring/Tutoring
+ Student Supports--Remediation
+ Students
+ Students--Athletics/Extracurricular Activities
+ Students--Employment
+ Students--Mobility
+ 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--Recruitment and Retention--High-Needs Subjects
+ Teaching Quality--Reduction in Force
+ Teaching Quality--Teacher Attitudes
+ Teaching Quality--Teacher Rights
+ Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract
+ Teaching Quality--Unions/Collective Bargaining
+ Teaching Quality--Working Conditions
+ Technology
+ Technology--Computer Skills
+ Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware
+ Technology--Equitable Access
+ Technology--Funding Issues
+ Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training
+ Textbooks and Open Source
+ Urban
+ Urban--Governance