From the ECS State Policy Database - Highlighted Policies

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. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. Status/Date State Level Summary 21st Century Skills Accountability Accountability--Accreditation Accountability--Measures/Indicators Accountability--Reporting Results Accountability--Rewards Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions 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--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--Finance Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment Choice of Schools--Innovation Schools Choice of Schools--Tax Credits Choice of Schools--Vouchers Civic Education Civic Education--Character Education Class Size Counseling/Guidance Curriculum Curriculum--Arts Education Curriculum--Drivers Education Curriculum--Excusal Curriculum--Financial Literacy/Economics Ed. Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language Curriculum--Geography Education Curriculum--Health/Nutrition Education Curriculum--International Education Curriculum--Language Arts--Writing/Spelling Curriculum--Mathematics Curriculum--Physical Education Curriculum--Science Data-Driven Improvement Desegregation Economic/Workforce Development Education Research Equity Federal Finance Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost Finance--District Finance--Equity Finance--Facilities Finance--Federal Finance--Funding Formulas Finance--Performance Funding Finance--Resource Efficiency Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures Finance--Taxes/Revenues Finance--Taxes/Revenues--Alternative Revenues Governance Governance--Deregulation/Waivers/Home Rule Governance--Regional Entities 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--Constructivism 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 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 Mentoring/Tutoring Middle School Minority/Diversity Issues--African American 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--Parent Involvement No Child Left Behind--Reauthorization Issues/Waivers 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 Family Involvement P-3 Finance P-3 Governance P-3 Grades 1-3 P-3 Kindergarten--Full-Day Kindergarten P-3 Preschool Parent/Family Veto overridden: legislature has overridden governor's veto 01/2012 NH P-12 Parental Objections to Course Material H.B. 542 Requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent's or legal guardian's determination that the material is objectionable. Requires such parent to notify the school principal or designee in writing o... More... Signed into law 01/2010 CA P-12 Parent Empowerment S.B. 4E - Parent Empowerment Creates new sections 53300 and ff. of the Education Code, establishing new "Parent Empowerment" section. Provides that for any school not identified as a persistently low-achieving school under new Section 53201 (see enacted S.B. 1E http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/p... More... Signed into law 07/2009 OH P-12 Financial Reporting and Minimum Standards H.B. 1 - Section 3301.07 Partially from the DOE summary of H.B. 1:Modifies the current requirement for the state board to develop a standard for reporting financial information to the public. Requires districts and educational service center boards to report revenues and expenditures ... More... Signed into law 04/2008 KY P-12 Family Resource and Youth Services Centers S.B. 192 Provides that family resource and youth services centers must provide services to enhance a student's ability to succeed in school. Provides that the most economically disadvantaged students and families must receive priority status for receiving services. Pro... More... Signed into law 03/2008 UT 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... Signed into law 03/2008 UT P-12 English Language Learner Family Literacy Centers S.B. 2 - Section 24 Establishes the English Language Learner Family Literacy Centers to: (1) Increase parent involvement (2) Communicate with parents who are not proficient in English concerning required and optional activities at the school, in the parents' preferred language to... More... Signed into law 07/2007 NC P-12 Reaching One's Potential for Excellence (ROPE) Scholars Pilot Program. S.B. 1030 The purpose of the ROPE Scholars Pilot Program is to strengthen middle grades education in order to provide students with the opportunity to graduate from high school with the core academic skills needed for postsecondary education and high-skilled employment,... More... Signed into law 04/2007 NY P-12 Student Progress Reports S.B. 2107 - Part A, Section 2 Provides that by July 1, 2008, a student progress report must be prepared for all students. States that the progress report must provide parents with information on their child's performance on state assessments over multiple years of testing, and must also ex... More... Signed into law 05/2006 FL P-12 Florida Secondary School Redesign Act H.B. 7087 - Section 19 Defines secondary schools as those serving grades 6-12. Specifies that the following guiding principles must be used in the annual preparation of each secondary school's improvement plan: (a) Struggling students, especially those in failing schools, need th... More... Signed into law 08/2005 IL P-12 The Parental Participation Pilot Project S.B. 10 Provides that by the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, the State Board of Education shall by rule establish a parental participation pilot project to provide grants to the lowest performing school districts to help these districts improve parental partic... More... Signed into law 04/2005 AR P-12, Postsec. Career Counseling for Students H.B. 2868 Requires each district's student services plan to include a district-level tracking system for students who fail to reach proficiency on state-mandated assessments. Specifies that guidance and counseling services in each district's "student services program" i... More... Signed into law 03/2005 ID P-12 Habitual Truant S.B. 1066 Revises the definition of a "habitual truant." Revises the provisions applicable to proceedings against parents and guardians whose children are habitual truants. Allows proceedings to be brought against any parent of a habitual truant who is found to have kno... More... Signed into law 06/2004 NH P-12 Parental Refusal to Administer Drug H.B. 551 Establishes that further study is needed to determine the biological or medical reasons for administering psychotropic drugs, such as Ritalin, to students in public schools, preschools, and childcare centers and to investigate the research documenting the medi... More... Signed into law 04/2004 VA P-12 Notification to Parents of Rights of Students S.B. 438 Directs local school boards to notify parents of the educational rights of students who fail to graduate or who have failed to achieve the number of verified units of credit required for graduation as provided in the standards of accreditation or who have been... More... Partnerships--University/School Postsecondary Postsecondary Accountability Postsecondary Accountability--Accreditation Postsecondary Accountability--Diploma Mills Postsecondary Affordability Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid Postsecondary Affordability--Textbooks Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees--Undocumented Immigrants Postsecondary Faculty Postsecondary Faculty--Compensation Postsecondary Faculty--Intellectual Property Postsecondary Faculty--Teaching Assistants Postsecondary Faculty--Tenure Postsecondary Finance Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding Postsecondary Governance and Structures Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges Postsecondary Institutions--Private/Independent Postsecondary Online Instruction Postsecondary Participation--Access Postsecondary Participation--Admissions Requirements Postsecondary Participation--Outreach Postsecondary Students--Foster Youth Postsecondary Students--Graduate/Professional Postsecondary Students--Low-Income Postsecondary Students--Minority Postsecondary Success Postsecondary Success--Completion Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation Postsecondary Success--Retention/Persistence Postsecondary Success--Transfer/Articulation Proficiency-Based Approaches Promising Practices Promotion/Retention Public Involvement Reading/Literacy Remediation (K-12) 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--Disaster/Emergency Preparedness School Safety--Sexual Harassment and Assault 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 Social/Emotional Learning and Non-Cognitive Skills Special Education Special Education--Finance Special Education--Inclusion (Mainstreaming) Special Education--Transition Special Populations--Corrections Education Special Populations--Foster Care Special Populations--Gifted and Talented Special Populations--Homeless Education Standards Standards--Common Core State Standards State Longitudinal Data Systems State Policymaking State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions STEM Student Achievement Student Achievement--Closing the Achievement Gap Students Students--Athletics/Extracurricular Activities 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--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--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--Tenure or Continuing Contract Teaching Quality--Unions/Collective Bargaining Technology Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware Technology--Funding Issues Technology--Teacher/Faculty Training Textbooks and Open Source Urban