ECS
From the ECS State Policy Database
2011 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 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
+ 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
+ High School--International Baccalaureate
+ Instructional Approaches--Grading Practices
+ Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling
+ Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools
+ 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
+ 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
+ Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding
+ Postsecondary Finance--Facilities
- Postsecondary Finance--Revenue and Expenditures
SCSigned into law 08/2011Postsec.
Transparency and Efficiency
Requires each public institution of higher learning to maintain a transaction register that includes a complete record of all funds expended, from whatever source for whatever purpose. Provides that the register must be prominently posted on the institution's Internet website and made available for public viewing and downloading. Grants the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education the authority to employ and administer certain administrative efficiency provisions.

Comprehensive Human Resources System
Directs the State Budget and Control Board's State Office of Human Resources to participate with five representatives selected by the respective presidents of the public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges to represent all of the public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges to study, develop, and recommend a separate, comprehensive human resources system for the public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges. Provides that the recommendation must include, but not be limited to, prescription of a methodology to establish a uniform compensation and classification plan among the public institutions of higher learning and technical colleges.

Facility and Procurement
Defines "permanent improvement project" for institutions of higher learning and revises the procurement statutory provisions.

Public Vote for Tuition Change
When the governing board of a public institution of higher learning, excluding technical colleges, adopts a change to the tuition or fees imposed on students, the change may be implemented by the institution only after a public vote with the number of trustees voting for and against the change being counted. http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/bills/172.htm
Title: S.B. 172
Source: http://www.scstatehouse.gov

FLSigned into law 06/2011P-12
Postsec.
Removes the requirement that the commissioner of education review the budgets for school districts and Florida College System institutions. Removes the requirement that the state department of education approve school board budgets. Requires school districts to post certain budget information on their websites. Revises the gift ban law for school board members and relatives.
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h1255er.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=1255&Session=2011
Title: H.B. 1255 - Sec. 6, 29
Source: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov

MISigned into law 06/2011Postsec.From Legislative Staff Summary: Requires colleges to develop on a publically accessible Internet site a comprehensive report categorizing all institutional general fund expenditures. Provides that a college must not take disciplinary action against an employee for communicating with a member of the Legislature or their staff. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/publicact/htm/2011-PA-0062.htm
Title: H.B. 4325 - Postsecondary Provisions
Source: http://www.legislature.mi.gov

TXSigned into law 06/2011Postsec.Directs the offices of the governor and the legislative budget board, in consultation with public institutions of higher education, to review the forms for higher education legislative appropriations requests to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, provide better transparency of funding sources, eliminate unnecessary or duplicative requirements, and otherwise reduce the cost or difficulty of providing information related to appropriations requests. Page 28 of 38: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/SB00005F.pdf#navpanes=0
Title: S.B. 5 - Higher Education Legislative Appropriations Requests Process
Source: www.legis.state.tx.us

FLSigned into law 05/2011P-12
Postsec.
Requires, beginning October 1, 2011, the Chief Financial Officer to conduct workshops with state agencies, local governments, educational entities, and entities of higher education to gather information pertaining to uniform reporting requirements. Requires the Chief Financial Officer to accept comments from state agencies, local governments, educational entities, entities of higher education, and interested parties regarding proposed charts of account by a certain date. Requires, by January 15, 2014, the CFO to will present a report to the Governor, President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives recommending a uniform chart of accounts, which requires specific enterprise-wide information related to revenues and expenditures of state agencies, local governments, educational entities, and entities of higher education. http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_2011-044.pdf
Title: S.B. 1292
Source: http://laws.flrules.org

ARSigned into law 03/2011Postsec.
Community College
Requires state-supported institutions of higher education to present expenditure data on a Web site operated by the institution. The website must be updated annually and retain data for each fiscal years for 10 years, starting with 2013 fiscal year. "Expenditure data" means information regarding the spending of public funds that adequately identifies the purpose, amount, payor, and vendor, if such disclosure is permissible under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and federal laws or regulations.
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Bills/HB1017.pdf
Title: H.B. 1017
Source: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us

CASigned into law 03/2011Community College
Postsec.
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 districts greater freedom when expending categorical funds). (Prior to this legislation, this provision extended through the 2012–13 fiscal year.) Pages 56-57 of 81: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0051-0100/sb_70_bill_20110324_chaptered.pdf
Title: S.B. 70 - Sec. 84043
Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov

SDSigned into law 03/2011Postsec.Creates a special fund known as the Board of Regents performance improvement fund. All monies in this fund are dedicated for the purposes of leveraging non-state grant funding for research infrastructure and improving postsecondary students' academic success. Interest earned on money in the fund is to be deposited into the fund. Expenditures from the fund are to be appropriated through the normal budgeting process. The Board of Regents may accept, for the purposes of this act, any funds obtained from federal sources, gifts, contributions or any other source if such acceptance and expenditure is approved in accordance with Section 4-8B-10. The executive director of the Board of Regents is to approve vouchers and the state auditor is to draw warrants to pay expenditures authorized by this act. Appropriation from the general fund in the sum of $1,500,000 is directed to the Board of Regents performance improvement fund.
http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2011/Bills/HB1235ENR.pdf
Title: H.B. 1235
Source: http://legis.state.sd.us

+ 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--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
+ 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--Migrant 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 Supports
+ Student Supports--Counseling/Guidance
+ Student Supports--Mentoring/Tutoring
+ Student Supports--Remediation
+ 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