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From the ECS State Policy Database 2011 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 2011. 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 21st Century Skills Accountability Accountability--Accreditation Accountability--Measures/Indicators Accountability--Reporting Results Accountability--Rewards Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions 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 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention) At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Drugs/Alcohol Attendance Attendance--Compulsory 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--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--Innovation Schools Choice of Schools--Magnet or Specialized Schools Choice of Schools--Tax Credits Choice of Schools--Vouchers Choice of Schools--Vouchers--Privately Funded Civic Education Civic Education--Character Education Civic Education--Civic Knowledge and Literacy Civic Education--Pledge of Allegiance Class Size Counseling/Guidance Curriculum Curriculum--Arts Education Curriculum--Drivers Education Curriculum--Financial Literacy/Economics Ed. Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language Curriculum--Health/Nutrition Education Curriculum--Language Arts Curriculum--Mathematics Curriculum--Physical Education Curriculum--Science Curriculum--Sex Education Curriculum--Social Studies/History Data-Driven Improvement Demographics--Enrollments Desegregation Economic/Workforce Development Equity Federal Finance Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost Finance--Aid to Private Schools Finance--Bonds Finance--District Finance--Facilities Finance--Federal Finance--Funding Formulas Finance--Local Foundations/Funds 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--Mandates 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 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 Instructional Approaches--Grading Practices Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools International Baccalaureate 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--Induction Programs and Mentoring Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Preparation Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Preparation--Alternative Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Professional Development Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Tenure Mentoring/Tutoring Middle School Minority/Diversity Issues Minority/Diversity Issues--African American Minority/Diversity Issues--American Indian / Alaska Native / Native Hawaiian No Child Left Behind--Adequate Yearly Progress No Child Left Behind--Assessment No Child Left Behind--Consequences for Schools 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 Ensuring Quality P-3 Finance P-3 Governance P-3 Grades 1-3 P-3 Health and Mental Health P-3 Kindergarten P-3 Kindergarten--Full-Day Kindergarten P-3 Preschool P-3 Special Ed./Inclusion P-3 Teaching Quality/Professional Development Parent/Family Postsecondary Postsecondary Accountability Postsecondary Accountability--Accreditation Postsecondary Accountability--Student Learning Postsecondary Affordability Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid Postsecondary Affordability--Textbooks 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--Tenure Postsecondary Finance CA Vetoed 10/2011 P-12 Postsec. Contracts for Services at CSU A.B. 450 From bill summary: Requires the California State University trustees' policies and procedures for the acquisition of food services to ensure a service contractor fully discloses to the campus, auxiliary organization, or other unit of the California State Unive... More... CA Signed into law 09/2011 P-12 Postsec. Intersegmental Working Group S.B. 940 - Intersegmental Working Group From bill summary: Eliminates the intersegmental working group within the California Postsecondary Education Commission to determine state funding priorities consistent with the institutional missions of the systems of higher education. http://www.leginfo.ca.g... More... IL Signed into law 08/2011 Postsec. Public University Debt H.B. 466 Permits an agency to delete from its records debts certified as uncollectible for public university debts of $1,000 or more when the debt is more than 8 years old. Specifies that section pertaining to the sale of debts certified as uncollectable does not apply... More... LA Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Revises LA Grad Act - Peformance Agreements H.B. 549 Revises the Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomy for Diplomas Act (LA GRAD Act) to provide for additional operational autonomies to be granted to public postsecondary education institutions, including but not limited to authority and exemptions relative t... More... MI Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Community College Development Courses/Performance Indicators H.B. 4325 - Postsecondary Provisions From Legislative Staff Summary: Creates a committee to develop a common set of scores using the ACT assessment to determine placement in developmental courses. Requires the senate and house appropriations subcommittees on community colleges to review the esti... More... NV Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Study of Funding Higher Education S.B. 374 This bill creates the Committee to Study the Funding of Higher Education. Establishes the composition of the committee. Directs the committee to study specified issues, including: (1) Compare the method of funding higher education in Nevada with the methods us... More... OH Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Charter Universities H.B. 153 - Charter Universities Directs the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents to develop a plan for designating public institutions of higher education as charter universities. Directs the chancellor to study specified issues and consult with the presidents of constituent institutions ... More... TX Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Permanent University Fund Investment Authority H.B. 2825 Amends the composition and appointment of the board of directors of a corporation to which the board of regents of the University of Texas System delegates investment authority for the permanent university fund or other funds under the control of the board of ... More... TX Signed into law 06/2011 Postsec. Miscellaneous Higher Education Finance S.B. 5 - Miscellaneous Higher Education Finance Directs each institution of higher education to post on its Web site specified information on financial transactions. Permits an institution to comply with this requirement by providing on its Web site an easily noticeable direct link, the purpose of which is ... More... FL Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Postsec. Transparency Requirements S.B. 2096 Requires charter schools and charter technical career centers to post their financial information on the Transparency Florida website. Requires the Auditor General to annually submit to the Legislature a list of any school districts, charter schools, charter t... More... FL Signed into law 05/2011 Postsec. Postsecondary Education Funding S.B. 2150 From Legislative Budget Committee Summary: Coenrollment in Public Schools and Adult Education Programs Prohibits funding for coenrollment in public schools and adult general education programs, except that for the 2011-2012 fiscal year students may enroll i... More... IL Adopted 05/2011 Postsec. Reduction in Energy and Water Consumption at Public Universities H.R. 120 Resolves that each public university report to the general assembly by January 2012 on its efforts regarding use of energy and water at its facilities, and have a target goal of reducing its expense footprint for power, gas and water consumption by at least 15... More... KS Signed into law 05/2011 Postsec. Community College Postsecondry Tiered Technical Education State Aid Act S.B. 143 Creating the postsecondary tiered technical education state aid act, replacing the current funding structure. Beginning in fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter, each community college and technical college and the Washburn Institute of Teachnology ... More... KS Signed into law 05/2011 Postsec. Postsecondary Finance H.B. 2020 Relating to postsecondary educational institutions. Allows revenues from rents, boarding fees and otoher charged related to university student housing at state universities to go to either the Housing System Suspense Fund or directly to the Housing System Oper... More... MN Vetoed 05/2011 P-12 Postsec. Omnibus Higher Education Finance Bill H.F. 1101 Omnibus Higher Education Finance Bill https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=50&year=2011&type=0... More... MN Vetoed 05/2011 Postsec. Omnibus Higher Education Finance Bill. H.F. 1101 Provides for appropriations of $2.51 billion: $2.5 billion from the general fund and $4.3 million from the Health Care Access fund. Sets the maximum annual increase for tuition at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for Minnesota undergraduate resident... More... WV Signed into law 05/2011 Postsec. Collection and Dissemination of Information Concerning Higher Education Institutions S.B. 375 Authorizes the Higher Education Policy Commission to collect and disseminate information concerning higher education institutions. Requires each institution to annually provide the commission, as requested, all information the commission or council considers n... More... NC Vetoed 04/2011 P-12 Postsec. Community College Community Colleges Opt Out Of Participation In Federal Direct Loan Program H.B. 7 Allows community colleges to opt out of participation in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Govenor's Veto Message: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemID=1803 Bill text: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions... More... AR Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Community College Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act H.B. 1302 Amends the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act, amends provisions concerning criminal penalties for lottery fraud and scholarship stacking. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Acts/Act207.pdf... More... AR Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Community College Postsecondary Funding Forumla S.B. 766 Revises funding formula for postsecondary institutions to include a needs-based component and an outcome-centered component. Directs the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop an outcome-centered funding formula by December 31, 2011. The outco... More... CA Signed into law 03/2011 Community College Postsec. Community College Finance S.B. 70 - Sec. 84043 Extends through the 2014-15 fiscal year a provision authorizing a community college district to use funds apportioned to the district for specified categorical programs, for purposes of a prescribed list of programs (thereby allowing community college district... More... CA Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Lowering Instruction and Administration Costs, Meeting Enrollment Goals S.B. 70 - Sec. 59 and 60 From bill summary: Requires the Regents of the University of California and the Trustees of the California State University, in implementing reductions contained in the Budget Act of 2011, to minimize fee and enrollment impacts on students by targeting action... More... MS Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Community College Mississipi Education Achievement Council H.B. 875 Directs the Mississipi Education Achievement Council to research and develop new funding mechanism for community colleges and institutions of higher learning based upon productivity and make a report to the 2013 regular session of the legislature. http://bills... More... NY Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. State and City University Budgetary Power S.B. 2808 - Part D, Subparts A and B Provides that the state university trustees may acquire property by the acceptance of conditional gifts, grants, devises or bequests. Provides that fund procurement by state and city university trustees is not subject to the prior approval of any state officer... More... VA Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Community College Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 H.B. 2510/S.B. 1459 Establishes the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011 for the purpose of fueling strong economic growth in the Commonwealth and preparing Virginians for the top job opportunities in the knowledge-driven economy of the 21st century. The bill provide... More... VA Signed into law 03/2011 Postsec. Community College Tuition Assistance Grant Program S.B. 1439/H.B. 1960 Amends the criteria for institutions of higher education to be eligible to receive tuition assistance on behalf of eligible students. For an institution to be eligible, the institution must have either been receiving such funds as of January 1, 2011, or (i) be... More... NE Signed into law 02/2011 Postsec. Community College Distribution of State Aid to Community College Areas L.B. 59 Does not impact the level of funding appropriated for state aid to community college areas but does specify the distribution of state aid among the six community college areas for 2011-12 and 2012-13. http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Fi... More... Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding Postsecondary Finance--Facilities Postsecondary Finance--Revenue and Expenditures Postsecondary Governance and Structures Postsecondary Governance and Structures--Administrative/Leadership Issues Postsecondary Governance and Structures--State Executives/State Agencies Postsecondary Institutions Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges Postsecondary Institutions--For-Profit/Proprietary Postsecondary Institutions--Four-Year Baccalaureate Postsecondary Institutions--HBCUs/Minority-Serving Institutions Postsecondary Institutions--Private/Independent Postsecondary Online Instruction Postsecondary Participation--Access Postsecondary Participation--Admissions Requirements Postsecondary Participation--Affirmative Action Postsecondary Participation--Enrollments (Statistics) Postsecondary Students Postsecondary Students--Adults Postsecondary Students--Disabled Postsecondary Students--Foster Youth Postsecondary Students--Graduate/Professional Postsecondary Students--International Postsecondary Students--Low-Income Postsecondary Students--Military Postsecondary Students--Minority Postsecondary Success Postsecondary Success--Completion 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 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 Scheduling/School Calendar--Year Round School Climate/Culture 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--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--District Size 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--Staffing Ratios School/District Structure/Operations--Transportation Service-Learning 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--Immigrant Education Special Populations--Military Standards Standards--Common Core State Standards State Longitudinal Data Systems State Policymaking State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions STEM Student Achievement Student Surveys Students--Athletics/Extracurricular Activities Students--Employment Students--Incentives 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--Unions/Collective Bargaining--Strikes Technology Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware Technology--Equitable Access Technology--Funding Issues Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training Textbooks and Open Source Urban--Change/Improvements