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 Partnerships--University/School Postsecondary Postsecondary Accountability Postsecondary Accountability--Accreditation Postsecondary Accountability--Diploma Mills Postsecondary Affordability Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid Signed into law 02/2010 IL Postsec. Task Force on Higher Education Private Student Loans S.B. 1698 Cites legislative findings, including that (1) private loans currently constitute 20% of total education loan money, as opposed to 5% of student loans 10 years ago, and (2) tuition at public universities has risen 57% in the past five years. Creates the Task F... More... Signed into law 06/2009 TX P-12, Postsec., Community College Increasing Workforce in High-Demand and "Green" Occupations H.B. 1935 and H.B. 3, Section 64 Establishes the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant program and fund to award grants to public junior colleges and public technical institutes, and to eligible nonprofit organizations to: (1) Develop or support nonprofit organizations' programs that pre... More... Signed into law 06/2009 TX Postsec., Community College Information on College Costs and Financial Aid H.B. 2504 - Section 3 and S.B. 1764 Directs the higher education coordinating board to prescribe uniform standards to ensure that information on the cost of attending Texas public higher education institutions is available in a manner that is readily accessible and easily understandable to prosp... More... Signed into law 07/2007 NH Postsec. Tuition Waivers for Foster Children S.B. 168 Establishes tuition waivers for foster children at any public postsecondary institution. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/SB0168.html... More... Signed into law 05/2007 MO Postsec., Community College Higher Education Finance S.B. 389 [Postsecondary Finance] Increases the amount of the Bright Flight scholarships from $2,000 to $3,000 beginning with fiscal year 2011. Beginning with fiscal year 2011, students with test scores between the top five percent and the top three percent qualify for a scholarship of $1,000.... More... Signed into law 04/2007 MD P-12, Postsec., Community College Dual Enrollment Grant Program S.B. 525 Requires the Maryland Higher Education Commission to establish and administer a grant program for dually enrolled students; requires a recipient of a dual enrollment grant to be a resident of the State and a dually enrolled student; requires the Commission to ... More... Signed into law 04/2007 WA Postsec., Community College Meeting the Demand for Higher and Differently Skilled Workers H.B. 1096 Finds that: (1) The economic trends of globalization and technological change are increasing the demand for higher and differently skilled workers than in the past; (2) Increasing Washington's economic competitiveness requires increasing the supply of skilled ... More... Vetoed 12/2006 MI Postsec., Community College Financial Aid for Legal Residents H.B. 5303 Conditions eligibility for state competitive scholarships on being a U.S. citizen or legal alien with permanent residency status. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billenrolled/House/pdf/2005-HNB-5303.pdf... More... Vetoed 12/2006 MI Postsec., Community College Work Study Eligibility and Legal Residents H.B. 5305 Conditions eligibility for work-study programs on being a U.S. citizen or legal alien with permanent residency status. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billenrolled/House/pdf/2005-HNB-5305.pdf... More... Signed into law 05/2006 VT P-12, Postsec., Community College Commission to Develop the Next Generation Initiative S.B. 312 Relates to higher education. Creates a commission to develop the next generation initiative to encourage Vermonters to live and work in Vermont. Proposes the commission consider a broad range of ideas to meet this goal, including: (1)  Strategies to ensure t... More... Adopted 01/2006 IL P-12, Postsec. The "Grow Your Own" Teacher Education Initiative 23 IAC 60.10 thru 100 Establishes rules to implement the Grow Our Own Teacher Education Act. Allows consortia of at least one postsecondary institution, at least one school district or group of schools and at least one community organization to apply for a grant provided the appli... More... Signed into law 09/2005 DE P-12, Community College, Postsec. Delaware Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) Program S.B. 30 Creates the Delaware Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) Program, to encourage Delaware students to stay in school, avoid contact with the criminal justice system, excel academically, and have access to higher education regardless of a family's financial c... More... Signed into law 06/2005 FL P-12, Postsec., Community College International General Certificate of Secondary Education (pre-AICE) and Advanced International Certificate of Education H.B. 579 Adds International General Certificate of Secondary Education (pre-AICE) and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) to public school choice options and to rigorous academic programs parents must have the opportunity to learn about. Adds Advance... More... Signed into law 06/2005 LA P-12, Postsec. TOPS-Tech Early Start Awards S.B. 355 AN ACT To enact R.S. 17:3048.5. Establishes the TOPS-Tech Early Start Award as part of the Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program for Students for eligible 11th- and 12th-grade students attending Louisiana public high schools. States that a TOPS-Tech Early Star... More... Signed into law 06/2005 LA Postsec. Homeschooled Student Access to State Scholarship H.B. 120 Relative to initial eligibility for a Tuition Opportunity for Students Program (TOPS) award for a student certified by a parent (or court-ordered custodian) to have successfully completed at the 12th grade level a home study program approved by BESE, provides ... More... Signed into law 05/2005 AZ Postsec. Financial Aid for Medical Students S.B. 1517 (Section 6-9) Rewrites section 15-1723 on the amount of medical student loans so that loans are for tuition plus a living allowance. Creates new section allowing the board of regents to grant scholarships to qualified first-year medical students who are Arizona residents w... More... Signed into law 05/2005 GA Postsec., Community College Postsecondary Educational and Living Expense Grants for Foster Children H.B. 272 Provides for a program of educational and living expense grants for certain children who qualify as foster children (or are adopted and whose families receive adoption assistance); provides for eligibility; covers tuition, ancillary student fees, and the cost-... More... Signed into law 04/2005 KS P-12, Postsec. Math and Science Teacher Scholarships S.B. 138 Allows the board of education of any school district, any teacher of mathematics, science, physics, chemistry or biology, and a business firm to enter a partnership agreement under which such business firm agrees to employ such teacher in a position that requi... More... To governor 04/2005 WA Postsec., Community College Foster Care Endowed Scholarship Program H.B. 1050 Adds a new chapter to Title 28B RCW. Creates a foster care endowed scholarship program. The purpose of the program is to help students who were in foster care attend an institution of higher education in the state of Washington. Creates an advisory board and m... More... Signed into law 06/2004 NJ Postsec. Scholarships For County College Students S.B. 1192 Establishes the New Jersey Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship Program (NJ STARS) to provide scholarships for students attending New Jersey county colleges on a full-time basis in a curriculum leading to a degree. Scholarships awarded under the progr... More... Signed into law 05/2004 TN P-12, Postsec. Uniform Grading System S.B. 2205 Directs the state board to establish a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, and representatives of school boards and higher education no later than June 30, 2004. The task force is to make recommendations to the board including, but n... More... 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