From the ECS State Policy Database Accountability--School Improvement

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. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary CA Signed into law 07/2012 P-12 From bill summary: Authorizes the governing board of a qualifying district, after one complete fiscal year has elapsed following the district's acceptance of an emergency apportionment, to conduct an annual advisory evaluation of the administrator appointed by the superintendent. Requires (A) an advisory evaluation to focus on the administrator's effectiveness in leading the district toward fiscal recovery and improved academic achievement, (B) advisory evaluation criteria to be agreed upon by the district governing board of the and the administrator before the advisory evaluation, and (C) the advisory evaluation to include, among other things, commendations in the areas of the administrator's strengths and achievements. Also requires that the advisory evaluation of the administrator be submitted to the governor, the legislature, the state superintendent, and the county office fiscal crisis and management assistance team. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_2251-2300/ab_2278_bill_20120723_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 2278 Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 07/2012 P-12 From bill summary: Extends until June 30, 2013 exemptions to limits on the postretirement compensation that may be earned in specified types of employment by a retired member of the Defined Benefit Program without a reduction in the member's retirement benefits. Until June 30, 2013, also exempts from the earnings limitation compensation paid to a retired member who has returned to work after the date of retirement as a trustee, administrator, or fiscal advisor approved pursuant to specified provisions by the superintendent of public instruction, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, or a county superintendent of schools to address academic or financial weaknesses in a school district. Specifies the documentation required for any of those persons exercising that compensation exemption. Additionally exempts from the earnings limitation an employee of a 3rd party that does not participate in a California public pension system if the activities performed by the person are not normally performed by employees of a public employer and it is for a limited-term assignment. Changes method of calculating limit to the amount of compensation for certain creditable service activities by a retired member in one school year. Existing law authorizes a retired member of the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) to terminate his or her retirement allowance, reinstate as an active member, and later cancel the termination upon subsequently retiring, as specified. Existing law prescribes the conditions under which a STRS service retirement allowance becomes effective and requires, in this regard, that the effective date be at least one year following the date on which it is terminated pursuant to the above-described provision. New provisions (1) eliminate the one-year waiting period after the termination, and (2) prohibit a member who terminates his/her retirement allowance pursuant to that provision and retires within one year of reinstatement from electing a different option or different set of beneficiaries than were in effect at the time of the termination. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0151-0200/ab_178_bill_20120717_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 178 Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov LA Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Section 1: Requires that the department establish a program of technical assistance for local public school systems (previous language offered assistance to parish and municipal school systems). Requires that technical assistance on teacher selection provide information and assistance in developing methods of selecting highly qualified teachers. Pages 1-2 of 9: http://legis.la.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=812415 Title: S.B. 494 - Technical Assistance to Districts Source: legis.la.gov LA Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Provides relative to certain requirements for educational improvement plans. Removes certain requirements related to school improvement plans. Requires the department of education to provide trend data reports to the governing authority of each public school. Repeals provision relative to implementation of a school improvement pilot program. Bill text: http://legis.la.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=811599 More details on present law vs. proposed law in summary of engrossed version of S.B. 309: http://legis.la.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=788836 Title: S.B. 309 Source: legis.la.gov OK Signed into law 06/2012 P-12 Requires that school district alternative education plans be included in the school improvement plans school districts must adopt every six years. School districts with one or more school sites on the needs improvement list must submit school improvement and capital improvement plans electronically. The state board must identify schools that are consistently listed as persistently low-achieving and boards of education with schools on that list must submit an annual update of the school improvement plan to the state board. Repeals the section of law that requires school districts to adopt a Comprehensive Local Education Plan every six years as part of receiving accreditation. This eliminates the need for school districts to submit information twice since information in the Comprehensive Local Education Plan state law already requires that information in other reports to the state board. also removes language that gives the State Board of Education the authority to review preliminary plans for new construction and major alteration of public school buildings before a school district can let bids. Requires the state department to provide training for regional accreditation officers in alternative education compliance. School districts must show on transcripts students' highest achieved scores on end-of-instruction tests rather than all scores. http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf/2011-12%20ENR/hB/HB2306%20ENR.DOC Title: H.B. 2306 Source: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us AL Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 From K-12 appropriations bill: Specifies that funds appropriated to the Governor's Local School and School System Academic and Financial Improvement Program are to be used for specified purposes, including to employ personnel under short-term contracts to provide direct assistance to placed in intervention for academic and/or financial reasons. Permits the state superintendent to use funds appropriated to the Governor's Local School and School System Academic and Financial Improvement Program to implement flexibility and innovation in rules and procedures to assist schools in need of academic and/or financial assistance as determined by the state superintendent. Provides these programs include, but are not limited to, after-school programs, character education programs, dropout prevention programs, summer programs, career technical youth programs, programs to improve reading, and/or math and/or science skills to increase grade-to-grade promotion, high school graduation and college preparedness, and other activities designed to assist at-risk students. Provides personnel employed or contracted by the department of education to assist at-risk schools must be on release status from their local boards of education and retain all benefits and tenure status unless they are given permanent employment in the state department of education. Pages 21-22 of 69: http://www.alsde.edu/general/SB0318_ENACTED.pdf Title: S.B. 318 - Use of Specified At-Risk Funds Source: www.alsde.edu TN Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 Requires standardized testing of K-2 students in low-performing schools to determine how to best target student learning needs and assess whether any learning disparities exist. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/SB3155.pdf Title: S.B. 3155 Source: http://www.capitol.tn.gov CT Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 (Sec. 19) Establishes the education commissioner's network of schools to improve the student academic achievement in low-performing schools and establishes steps the commissioner, district turnaround committees, and local and regional boards of education must take regarding the network. On or before July 1, 2014, the commissioner must select up to 25 schools that have been classified as a category four or a category five school (lowest-performing) pursuant to section 18 of the bill to participate in the network. Schools must be in the network for between three and five years and the bill details steps that must be taken before a school can leave the network. Requires the commissioner to provide funding, technical assistance, and operational support to schools participating in the commissioner's network of schools and may provide financial support to teachers and administrators working at a participating school. Directs the SBE to pay all costs attributable to developing and implementing a turnaround plan in excess of the school's ordinary operating expenses. Each school selected for the network must begin to implement of a turnaround plan, as described in the bill, not later than the school year commencing July 1, 2014. Provides details on (1) numerous steps to establish a turnaround committee for each district to develop turnaround plans for network schools, (2) how those plans are approved and implemented, (3) limits on the number of nonprofit private entities authorized to manage network schools, (4) the transition out of the network, and (5) reporting requirements for the commissioner regarding the network. (Sec. 23) Requires boards of education that have jurisdiction over schools designated as low-achieving to establish a school governance council for each such school and allows boards with schools designated as "in need of improvement" to create them. Makes exceptions to the requirement for (1) schools with only one grade and (2) governance councils that were already in place when the governance council law was enacted, if they involve teachers, parents, and others. After July 1, 2012, requires all school boards that have category four and five schools to establish councils for each of those schools. By law, the councils must consist of seven parents or guardians of students, two community leaders within the school district, five teachers in the school, and one nonvoting member who is the principal or his or her designee. Councils for high schools must also have two nonvoting student members. Included in council responsibilities is analyzing school achievement data, participating in hiring the principal and other administrators, and developing and approving a written parent involvement policy. A council may also recommend that a school be reconstituted and this recommendation sets off a series of statutorily required steps. http://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/ACT/PA/2012PA-00116-R00SB-00458-PA.htm Title: S.B. 458 Source: cga.ct.gov FL Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Requires a school improvement plan to include strategies for improving student achievement if a school has a significant student achievement gap for one or more subgroups, has not significantly decreased the percentage of students scoring below satisfactory on statewide assessments, or has significantly lower graduation rates for a subgroup compared to the state's graduation rate. Revises provisions requiring a charter school to implement a school improvement plan to raise student achievement. Revises corrective actions to be selected and implemented by a low-performing charter school. Provides requirements for implementation of corrective actions and intervention and support strategies identified in a charter school's school improvement plan. Provides for termination of a charter school not making continuous improvement unless it meets specified criteria. Revises provisions relating to the state board's authority to enforce public school improvement, to require the state board to comply with the federal flexibility waiver approved by the U.S. secretary of education. Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, directs the department of education to annually identify each public school in need of intervention and support to improve student academic performance. Defines all schools earning a grade of "D" or "F" as schools in need of intervention and support. Directs the state board to adopt by rule a differentiated matrix of intervention and support strategies for assisting traditional public schools and rules for assisting a charter school that has earned a "D" or "F." Specifies that the state board must apply the most intense intervention and support strategies to schools earning an "F" grade. Deletes department duties relating to the categorization of low-performing schools. Provides state board, district, and school requirements for implementing strategies and turnaround options to improve school performance. Revises turnaround options available to a district, and requires state board approval of the option selected for implementation. Directs the state board to adopt rules relating to plans for implementing turnaround options. Requires districts, for the 2012-13 school year, to use 15% of their Title I funds to meet supplemental educational services requirements. Requires that supplemental educational services be provided in Title I schools to students performing at Level 1 or Level 2 on the FCAT. Requires each district to contract with department-approved supplemental educational service providers. Revises the contents of the annual report of statewide assessment program results. Requires school report cards to include the percent of students performing at or above grade level and making a year's learning growth in a year's time in reading and math. Revises certain criteria on which school letter grades are based, including permitting more than 50% of a high school's grade to be based on specified factors (previous legislation made specified factors 50% of a high school's letter grade). Includes Postseconary Education Readiness Test as part of calculation of high school's letter grade. Amends methodology for calculating a school district's grade. Requires district grades to be calculated using student performance and learning gains data on statewide assessments for students enrolled in a district for a full school year. http://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h7127er.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=7127&Session=2012 Title: H.B. 7127 - School Improvement and Education Accountability Source: myfloridahouse.gov FL Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, requires each district with one or more of the 100 lowest-performing elementary schools based on the state reading assessment to use specified funds to provide intensive reading instruction during an additional hour of instruction beyond the normal school day each day of the school year. Specifies this hour of instruction may only be provided by teachers or reading specialists who are effective in teaching reading. Makes participation in additional hour of reading instruction optional for students who have level 5 assessment scores. Specifies criteria that additional reading instruction must meet. Additionally amends provisions related to broader allocation of funds for research-based reading instruction. Previous policy permitted funds to be allocated to provide reading coaches, summer reading camps, intensive interventions for middle and high school students, and other purposes. New amendment includes the aforementioned additional hour a day in 100 lowest-performing elementary schools as another permitted allocation, as well as K-5 reading intervention teachers during the school day. Specifies that reading coaches are intended to support teachers in making instructional decisions based on student data and improve teacher delivery of effective reading instruction, intervention, and reading in the content areas. Specifies that summer reading camps are to be provided to all K-2 students demonstrating a reading deficiency, and to students in grades 3-5 scoring at Level 1 on FCAT Reading. Expands "intensive interventions" to make all K-12 students identified by FCAT as having a reading deficiency or reading below grade level. Existing provision required districts receiving reading funds to adopt and implement a district plan. New amendment directs the department to monitor implementation of each district plan, including conducting site visits and collecting specified data, and to report its findings annually to the legislature. Pages 26-33 of 41: http://myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h5101er.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=5101&Session=2012 Title: H.B. 5101 - Reading Instruction Source: myfloridahouse.gov GA Signed into law 04/2012 P-12 Repeals Section Section 20-2-253, relating to achievement grants to recognize schools and school systems with high achievement, high levels of improved achievement, or to raise the performance of low-performing schools. Page 6 of 11: http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20112012/127649.pdf Title: H.B. 706 - Achievement Grants Source: www.legis.ga.gov NY Signed into law 03/2012 P-12 Part A, Section 2: Requires a district that submitted a contract for excellence for the 2011-12 school year, unless all schools in the district are identified as in good standing, to submit a contract for excellence for the 2012-13 school year that must provide for the expenditure of an amount not less than the amount approved by the commissioner in the contract for excellence for the 2011-12 school year. Chapter 57: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A09057&term=&Summary=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y#jump_to_Text Title: A.B. 9057 - Contract for Excellence Source: assembly.state.ny.us LA Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Requires the superintendent of the Recovery School District (New Orleans) to develop a community outreach plan to engage parents and community leaders in the successful operation and academic improvement of all schools under its jurisdiction and to solicit input on any proposed changes in school governance regarding the establishment of any new school site. http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=760374 Title: S.B. 216 Source: http://www.legis.state.la.us/ NV Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Makes requirements imposed by statute on school districts and public schools to adopt a pilot program to provide a program of small learning communities in certain middle schools, junior high schools and high schools; extending the effective date for the implementation of academic plans for pupils enrolled in middle school or junior high school; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/SB/SB365_EN.pdf Title: S.B. 365 Source: http://www.leg.state.nv.us NC Veto overridden: legislature has overridden governor's veto 06/2011 P-12 Removes all statutory references to school improvement plans, building school improvement teams, local safe school plans, and local school system technology plans. Pages 48-52 of 342: http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H200v9.pdf Title: H.B. 200 - School Improvement Plans, School Improvement Teams, etc. Source: www.ncleg.net NV Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Removes the provisions creating the 10-member elected State Board of Education and provides for the election and appointment of members whose terms will commence on January 8, 2013. Bill provides for the appointment of the superintendent of public instruction by the governor from a list of candidates submitted by the state board. Further provides that the superintendent serves at the pleasure of the governor and is in the executive department of state government. Bill provides that the superintendent of public instruction is responsible for ensuring that the duties and responsibilities of the previously created Commission on Educational Excellence, Advisory Council on Parental Involvement, Commission on Educational Technology, Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools, and the Commission on Professional Standards in Education are successfully carried out by the commissions, councils and programs. The bill further revises the qualifications and duties of the superintendent of public instruction to: (1) possess the knowledge and ability to carry out the duties of the position; (2) provide that the superintendent is the educational leader for the K-12 public education in the state; (3) require the superintendent to enforce the observations of statutes and regulations governing K-12 public education; and (4) request a plan of corrective action if the superintendent determines that a school district or charter school has not complied with those statutes and regulations. Provisions of the bill require the state board, in developing the plan to improve the academic achievement of pupils enrolled in public schools, to establish clearly defined goals and benchmarks for improving the achievement of pupils and prescribes those goals and benchmarks. Requires the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to submit annual reports to the State Board and the Legislative Committee on Education describing the status of the regulations adopted by the Commission and a work plan designating the proposed activities of the Commission during the next year. Provisions assign the three regional training programs for the professional development of teachers and administrators and designates the schools districts which will fall within the jurisdictions of the three programs. The bill requires the governing body of each of the regional training programs to establish an evaluation system for the teachers and other licensed educational personnel who participate in the program and prescribes the requirements of that evaluation system. The bill provides for the funding of the three regional training programs and requires the Department of Education to transfer sums to the appropriate districts for the purchase of professional development for teachers and administrators. http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Sessions/76th2011/ Bills/SB/SB197_EN.pdf Title: S.B. 197 Source: http://www.leg.state.nv.us OR Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Specifies that Department of Education may not require, except under certain circumstances, school districts or schools to conduct self-evaluations or update local district continuous improvement plans more frequently than biennially. Modifies filing requirements for local district continuous improvement plans. http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measures/sb0500.dir/sb0560.a.html Title: S.B. 560 Source: http://www.leg.state.or.us NC Signed into law 06/2011 P-12 Budget Technical Corrections Legislation: Section 7.31 - Repeals the statutory provisions of the Teacher Academy, created to establish a statewide network of high quality, integrated, comprehensive, collaborative, and substantial professional development for teachers, provided through summer programs. Section 7.32. Repeals the statutory provisions of the Professional Teaching Standards Commission, created to establish high standards for North Carolina teachers and the teaching profession. Section 14. Reinstates personal education plans, and restores school improvement plans. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2011/Bills/House/PDF/H22v4.pdf Title: H.B. 22 Source: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us NV Signed into law 05/2011 P-12 Revising the contents of plan to improve the academic achievement of pupils prepared by the State Board of Education to require a 5-year strategic plan; revising the dates on which determinations must be made whether public schools and school districts are making adequate yearly progress; revising various other dates for the preparation and submission of reports and plans relating to the statewide system of accountability for public schools; requiring the Department of Education to revise the testing schedule for the administration of the criterion-referenced examinations in grades 3 through 8; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Chapter 122 http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Bills/AB/AB113_EN.pdf Title: A.B. 113 Source: http://www.leg.state.nv.us CO Signed into law 04/2011 P-12 Encourages districts to adopt policies to increase parental involvement. Requires schools that must develop improvement plans to notify parents of the issues giving rise to the need for such a plan, and to include other relevant information about the plan and timeline.The same policy applies to charter schools required to develop improvement plans. http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2011a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/64C61264FC2538048725780800800CFC?Open&file=1126_enr.pdf Title: H.B. 1126 Source: http://www.leg.state.co.us/ NY Signed into law 03/2011 P-12 Section 1: Provides that a district that submitted a contract for excellence for the 2009-10 school year, unless all schools in the district are in good standing, must submit a contract for excellence for the 2011-12 school year, which must provide for the expenditure of an amount based on a specified calculation. Provides that such amount must be expended either to support programs and activities approved in the 2009-10 school year, or to support new or expanded allowable activities. Section 2: Provides that a district that submitted a contract for excellence for the 2009-10 school year but did not fully expend all its 2009-10 foundation aid subject to the contract for excellence restrictions may reallocate and expend such funds during the 2011-12 school year for allowable contract for excellence programs and activities as specified in statute, provided that such amount may not be counted more than once in determining any maintenance of effort. Chapter 58 http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=S02808&Summary=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y Title: S.B. 2808 - Part A, Sec. 1 and 2 Source: assembly.state.ny.us AK Adopted 07/2010 P-12 The Department of Education & Early Development proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 4 of the Alaska Administrative Code, 4 AAC 06.835, Designations, and 4 AAC 06.882, Ranking of schools, having to do with school improvement grants. ALASKA REG 219666 http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/aac/title04/chapter006/section835.htm Title: 4 AAC 06.835, 882 Source: http://www.touchngo.com NV Adopted 07/2010 P-12 Establishes provisions relating to corrective actions for schools http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-385.html#NAC385Sec558 Title: NAC 385 Source: Westlaw/StateNet TX Adopted 07/2010 P-12 Makes various changes to state accountability provisions. Language below primarily from July 23, 2010 Texas Register. 97.1051: Amends definitions. Changes the definition of "campus closure" to remove references to "repurposing," which is now defined in statute. 97.1053: Purpose, updates statutory references in alignment with 2009 H.B. 3. 97.1055: Clarifies the process for assigning accreditation statuses during the period of transition to new H.B. 3 requirements. Adds new language regarding when an accreditation status may be raised or lowered based on the performance of the district or one or more campuses in the district. Also states how the statutory requirements related to a financial solvency review and projected deficit affect accreditation statuses. In addition, the adopted amendment incorporates current agency procedures for completing the asset-to-liability calculation for the purposes of charter financial accountability. Language is added, providing an additional method for districts to meet the notification requirements related to a lowered accreditation status. 97.1057: Accreditation Sanctions. Updates statutory references and adds information regarding the factors the commissioner must consider in determining whether to impose a particular sanction based on resource allocation practices. 97.1059: Standards for All Accreditation Sanction Determinations. Updates statutory references and adds language to reflect statutory requirements regarding the commissioner's obligation to review the performance of a district. Specifically, the commissioner must review at least annually the performance of a district for which the accreditation status has been lowered due to insufficient student performance. The adopted amendment also requires the commissioner to increase sanctions if a lack of improvement is shown unless there is good cause not to do so. 97.1061: Interventions and Sanctions for Campuses. Adds language to align with new statutory requirements related to campuses that satisfy current performance standards under TEC, §39.054(e), but that would not satisfy performance standards if the standards to be used for the following school year were applied to the current school year. Also adds language to align with new statutory requirements for intervening with and sanctioning campuses with performance below any standard under TEC, §39.054(e), including requirements relating to a hearing and a school community partnership team (SCPT). Adds new statutory language that allows the commissioner to accept certain interventions that a campus has implemented under federal accountability requirements in lieu of required state measures if the intervention measures are substantially similar. 97.1063: Campus Intervention Team; Reconstitution. Implements the provisions of HB 3 related to campuses below any standard under TEC, §39.054(e), and the assignment of a campus intervention team (CIT) to those campuses. Defines the duties and responsibilities of the CIT, including responsibilities to conduct a targeted on-site needs assessment relevant to the areas of insufficient performance or, if the commissioner determines necessary, a comprehensive on-site needs assessment. Also outlines requirements related to the development and submission of a school improvement plan (SIP) by a campus and establishes timelines for how long the CIT will be assigned to a campus. Outlines requirements related to the involvement of the board of trustees of a school district in conducting a hearing to notify the public of the insufficient performance of one or more campuses within the district, the improvements expected by the agency for the campus(es), and the intervention measures or sanctions that may be imposed under the subchapter if performance does not improve. Also details requirements related to public posting of the SIP and, as appropriate, modification of the SIP in response to public comment. Further notes that the commissioner may authorize a SIP or updated SIP developed under 19 TAC Chapter 97, Subchapter EE, to supersede the provisions of and satisfy the requirements of developing, reviewing, and revising a campus improvement plan under TEC, Chapter 11, Subchapter F. Also specifies actions that the commissioner may take if the commissioner determines that a campus for which an intervention is ordered is not fully implementing the CIT's recommendations or the SIP or updated SIP. References and requirements related to the School Leadership Pilot Program are stricken from 19 TAC §97.1063 in alignment with changes in HB 3. Language is added to this section to clarify that, if assigned by the commissioner, a SCPT may supersede the authority of and satisfy the requirements of establishing and maintaining a campus-level planning and decision-making committee under TEC, Chapter 11, Subchapter F. The section title is also changed. 97.1064: Reconstitution, updates and relocates reconstitution requirements that previously were reflected in 19 TAC §97.1063. Continues to state the timelines under which a campus will be ordered to undergo reconstitution and describes the role of the CIT in updating and seeking approval of the SIP. Continues to include language regarding the authority of the CIT to determine which educators may be retained at a reconstituted campus but revises language in accordance with HB 3 to describe circumstances surrounding a CIT's determination related to the retention of the principal at a campus that is undergoing reconstitution. Continues to describe the authority of the commissioner to assign a monitor, conservator, management team, or board of managers to ensure and oversee district and campus-level activities related to required intervention and sanction activities and outlines factors the commissioner must take into consideration when appointing individuals to serve in these roles. References the authority of the commissioner to impose on a district or campus certain other sanctions that are reasonably required and addresses the role of the district in successful campus reconstitution. 97.1065: Campus Closure or Alternative Management. Changes the section title. Implements the provisions of HB 3 related to circumstances under which the commissioner may, or is required to, order certain sanctions for campuses with insufficient performance over multiple years. Specifically, revises the timeline under which the commissioner is required to order a sanction for certain campuses and adds repurposing, in addition to campus closure and alternative management, as one of the sanctions that must be ordered by the commissioner. Also establishes that repurposing, alternative management, or campus closure may be ordered for a multi-year unacceptable campus if students fail to demonstrate substantial improvement in the areas targeted by an updated SIP. Furthermore, establishes that re-purposing, alternative management, or campus closure will be ordered if a campus has been identified as unacceptable for the third, as opposed to second, consecutive year after reconstitution is required to be implemented, thus adding an additional year to the mandatory intervention timeline previously established in statute. Additionally, provides for a one-year waiver of these required sanctions if the commissioner determines that, based on significant improvement over the preceding two school years, the campus is likely to be acceptable in the following year. Also establishes the requirements that must be met before the commissioner can approve a plan for campus repurposing and includes parameters that may be considered by the commissioner when determining whether to order repurposing, alternative management, or campus closure when one of these sanctions is required. Also outlines requirements and procedures for the district to appeal the commissioner's order of repurposing, alternative management, or campus closure and outlines other sanction actions that the commissioner may impose to achieve the purposes outlined in TEC, Chapter 39, and 19 TAC Chapter 97, Subchapter EE. 97.1067: Updates statutory references in alignment with HB 3. 97.1069: Providers of Alternative Campus Management. Updates requirements to align with HB 3 by allowing the commissioner to solicit proposals from qualified for-profit entities to assume alternative management of a campus if a non-profit entity has not responded to the commissioner's request for qualifications. 97.1071: Special Program Performance; Intervention Stages. Updates statutory references in alignment with HB 3. 97.1073: Appointment of Monitor, Conservator, or Board of Managers. Updates statutory references to provide clarity and align with HB 3. Sections 97.1051 and 97.1055 adopted as published in the July 23, 2010 Texas Register (pp 24-28 of 34): http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/pdf/backview/0723/0723adop.pdf The amendments to §§97.1053, 97.1057, 97.1059, 97.1063, 97.1065, 97.1067, 97.1069, 97.1071, and 97.1073; the repeal of §97.1061; and new §97.1061 and §97.1064 are adopted as published in the April 23, 2010 Texas Register (pp 18-32 of 98): http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/pdf/backview/0423/0423prop.pdf Title: 19 TAC 97.1051, 1053, 1055, 1057, 1059, 1061, 1063, 1064, 1065, 1067, 1069, 1071, 1073 Source: www.sos.state.tx.us OK Signed by Governor 06/2010 P-12 Amends law to require each school district identified as in need of improvement for four years to submit a plan for compliance with this section to the State Department of Education, in a manner prescribed by the Department. Beginning December 31, 2010, and annually each year thereafter, requires the State Department of Education to submit a report of the district plans received to the members of the Senate and House Education Committees. http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2009-10bills/SB/SB1617_ENR.RTF Title: S.B. 1617 Source: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us GA Signed into law 05/2010 P-12 20-2-326 defines: --"Career academy" as (1) a specialized charter school established by a partnership between one or more local boards of education and a technical school or college or (2) a small learning community where a student receives academic instruction at his/her assigned high school, along with work-based learning opportunities at an industry center or technical school or college --"Chronically low-performing high school" as one (1) with a graduation rate below 60% for three consecutive years (using the National Governors Association methodology), or (2) that has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for three consecutive years --"Choice technical high school" as a high school other than the one the student is assigned to by residence, designed to prepare a student for postsecondary education and employment. Provides a choice technical high school may be operated by a local school system or technical college. Also permits a choice technical high school to be operated as a charter school under a governance board comprised of parents, employers and representatives from the local school board --"Focused program of study" as a rigorous academic core combined with (1) a focus in math and science, (2) a focus in humanities, fine arts and foreign language, or (3) a coherent sequence of career pathway courses that prepares a student for postsecondary education or immediate employment after high school graduation. Also defines "small learning community" as a subset of high school students and teachers joined around a broad career or academic theme where teachers have common planning time to connect teacher assignments and assessments to college and career readiness standards. Provides that students voluntarily apply for enrollment in a small learning community but must be accepted, and such enrollment must be approved by the student's parent. Specifies that a small learning community also includes a career academy organized around a specific career theme and integrates academic and career instruction, provides work-based learning opportunities, and prepares students for postsecondary education and employment, in partnership with local employers, community organizations and postsecondary institutions. New Section 20-2-328 directs the state board of education, subject to legislative appropriation, to establish a competitive grant program for local school systems to implement school reform measures in selected high schools. Requires the state board to establish grant criteria, which must include that priority for grants be given to chronically low-performing high schools. Directs the state board to develop, for high schools receiving a grant, an evidence-based model for serving at-risk students, which must focus on specified elements designed to increase student achievement; reduce dropout; help students and their parents set and achieve career and educational goals; and help students learn and apply study skills, coping skills and other habits that produce successful students and adults. Requires that the at-risk model program include: (1) Diagnostic assessments (2) A process for identifying at-risk students, closely monitored by the department of education to ensure that students are properly identified and receive timely and appropriate guidance and assistance, and to ensure no group is disproportionately represented (3) An evaluation component in each high school to ensure programs provide students an opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Identifies components the at-risk model program may include to facilitate 9th grade success, such as: (1) Flexible scheduling to increase student time in language/arts and math to eliminate academic deficiencies (2) Ninth grade student-teacher ratios no higher than those in any other grade in the high school (3) Using effective teachers as leaders for teacher teams in 9th grade to improve instructional planning, delivery and reteaching strategies (4) Assigning teacher mentors to meet frequently with students to provide planned lessons on study skills and other "habits of success" to help students become independent learners and help them receive the assistance they need to pass 9th grade (5) Ninth grade career courses incorporating a series of miniprojects throughout the school year that require the application of grade-level reading, math and science skills to complete, require students to use a range of technology, and help students explore a range of educational and career options to help them formulate post high school goals and give them a reason to stay in school and work toward achieving their stated goals. Requires the state board to adopt rules for chronically low-performing high schools receiving a reform grant, to make the high schools more relevant to and effective for all students. Requires that such rules encourage high schools to implement a comprehensive school reform research-based model that focuses on eight specified elements, including setting high expectations for all students and fostering collaboration among academic and career/technical teachers. New Section 20-2-329 requires high schools receiving a reform grant per Section 20-2-328 to provide focused programs of study that, whether offered at a choice technical high school, a career academy, a traditional high school, or on site at a two- or four-year postsecondary institution: (1) Are aligned with state board-set graduation requirements, including 4 years of math and 4 years of English with an emphasis on developing reading and writing skills to meet college and career readiness standards (2) Implement a teacher adviser system (3) Provide students in grades 9-12 with information on educational programs offered in high school, two- and four-year institutions, and through apprenticeship programs and how these programs can lead to a variety of career fields. Requires that districts offer opportunities for field trips, job shadowing and other means to help students and their parents in revising, if appropriate, the student's individual graduation plan. (4) Enroll students by grade 9 into one of the following options for earning a high school diploma and preparing students for postsecondary education and a career which will include a structured program of academic study with in-depth studies in: (A) Mathematics and science; (B) Humanities, fine arts, and foreign language; or (C) A career pathway that leads to passing an employer certification exam in a high demand, high skill, or high wage career field or to an associate's degree or bachelor's degree. (5) Implement the state board-developed at-risk model program (6) Schedule annual conferences to help students and their parents set educational and career goals and create individual graduation plans Directs the state board to adopt rules necessary to carry out the provisions of this bill. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/pdf/hb400.pdf Title: H.B. 400 - New Section 20-2-326, 328 and 329 Source: MS Signed into law 04/2010 P-12 Requires the Department of Education to provide assistance to certain schools not meeting adequate performance of accreditation standards. Requires schools at-risk to be identified by specified criteria. Authorizes evaluation teams to conduct on- site audits. Removes the requirement that evaluation reports identify personnel in need of improvement. Makes changes concerning pre-kindergarten districts, conservatorship, professional development, hiring of consultants, mentoring programs and other matters. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2010/pdf/HB/1000-1099/HB1097SG.pdf Title: H.B. 1097 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet TN Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Enacts the Tennessee First to the Top Act of 2010. From fiscal note: Authorizes the Commissioner of Education to move any public school or local education agency (LEA) into or out of a newly created "Achievement School District" (ASD) if the school is in the fifth year of improvement status or at any time a Title I school meets the U.S. Department of Education's definition of "persistently lowest achieving schools." Authorizes the Commissioner to contract with an individual, government entity, or nonprofit entity to manage the day-to-day operations of the ASD. The Administrator of the ASD may apply to the Commissioner for a waiver of any state board rule that hinders the ability of the school or LEA to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) benchmarks. Authorizes the administrator of the ASD to determine whether any teacher previously assigned to a school in the ASD will have the option of continuing to teach at that school. Any teacher not retained in the ASD will remain an employee of the LEA, subject to provisions in current law for dismissal. Eliminates current law restriction on use of specific teacher's effect on the educational progress of students in formal personnel evaluations. Schools or LEAs will remain in the ASD until achieving AYP for three consecutive years, at which time they will transition back to their pre-ASD status. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/106/Fiscal/HB7010.pdf Title: S.B. 7005A - H.B. 7010A Source: http://www.capitol.tn.gov IA Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Excerpts from the fiscal note: modifies Iowa Code to meet the requirements of the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative. . . [e]nactment of the Bill will qualify school districts with persistently lowest achieving schools eligible to receive U.S. Department of Education School improvement grants. The Bill provides the following: • Eliminates the repeal of Iowa's Charter School legislation. Under current law, Code Chapter 256F will be repealed July 1, 2011. • Eliminates the cap on the number of charter schools that may be authorized in the State. • Creates Innovation Zone schools consisting of two or more school districts and an area education agency with the goal of improving student learning. • Directs the Department of Education director to require persistently lowest-achieving schools to implement at least one of the interventions mandated by the U.S. Department of Education. Assumptions: If the State of Iowa is awarded a RTTT grant, the Department of Education would retain 50.0% of the award and the remaining 50.0% would be allocated to participating school districts. Any administration, implementation, and additional staff costs incurred by the Department as a result of the RTTT requirements would be funded with RTTT grant funds. Additionally, it is assumed that the Department would also cover school district staff training costs as a result of the RTTT initiative through RTTT grant funds. Fiscal Impact: No State General Fund impact is anticipated. If Iowa is awarded a Race to the Top grant, the estimated federal grant could total between $60.0 - $175.0 million between FY 2011 – FY 2014. If Iowa is awarded School Improvement grants for the persistently lowest achieving schools, the estimated grant could total approximately $18.0 million (maximum of $500,000 per eligible school). http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=BillInfo&Service=Billbook&ga=83&hbill=SF2033 Title: S.B. 2033 Source: http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us KY Emergency Rule Adoption 01/2010 P-12 Establishes the processes to be followed during a school leadership assessment and district leadership assessment after a school is identified as low-achieving, per 2010 H.B. 176 (http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/HB176/bill.doc). Defines "assessment team", "district leadership assessment", "needs assessment" and "school leadership assessment". Establishes rules to help identify the entity authorized to select an intervention option. Establishes reform activities permitted under each of the intervention options (external management, restaffing, school closure and transformation) established in H.B. 176. Establishes procedures for the commissioner of education to follow in selecting External Management Organizations for those schools undergoing the external management intervention option. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/703/005/180reg.htm Title: 703 KAR 5:180 Source: www.lrc.ky.gov KY Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Amends accountability provisions in KRS 160.346. Defines "persistently low-achieving school". Defines "school intervention" as a process chosen by a school council, a superintendent and a local board, or the commissioner of education or designee with state board approval, to turn around a persistently low-achieving school. Repeals certain language regarding actions of an audit team in relation to a school under accountability sanctions. Directs an audit team auditing a persistently low-achieving school to include in its review and report (1) a determination of the school council and principal's ability to lead the intervention in the persistently low-achieving school and (2) a recommendation to the commissioner of education as to whether the council should be replaced, and whether the current principal should remain as principal in the school. Repeals language allowing authority for a low-performing school to be transferred to a "highly skilled educator"; adds new language providing that if the audit team recommends transferring the school council's authority, the team may recommend that (1) such authority be transferred to the commissioner of education, who must designate staff to manage the school, and/or (2) the council members be replaced by the commissioner of education. Requires an audit team auditing the district of a persistently low-achieving school to include in its review and report a determination of the district's ability to manage the intervention in the persistently low-achieving school. Requires the commissioner of education, within 30 days of receiving the reports of the school and district audits, to act on the recommendations in the reports and other relevant data. Existing law permits the school council of a low-performing school to appeal the commissioner's action on the audit team' recommendations; new provision additionally allows the local board to appeal the commissioner's action, and requires the state board to hold a special meeting for action on the appeal if the state board is not scheduled to meet within 30 days of receipt of an appeal of the commissioner's decision. Existing legislation allows powers, duties and authority for an underperforming school to be transferred to the local superintendent or a highly skilled educator; new provisions replace such language with references to transfer of powers, duties and authority to local superintendent, commissioner of education, or his/her designee. Requires persistently low-achieving schools to select one of five intervention options: (1) "external management option" (day-to-day operations transferred to a for-profit or nonprofit education management organization (EMO); provides the EMO may make personnel decisions; (2) "restaffing option" (replacement of principal and school-based decision making council unless recommended otherwise, retention of no more than 50% of school staff, development and implementation of an action plan using research-based school improvement initiatives to improve student performance); (3) "school closure option" (transfer of students to district schools meeting accountability measures, reassignment of school staff, potential nonrenewal of contracts, dismissal, demotion, or a combination of such personnel actions); (4) "transformation option" (replacement of principal and of school council unless the audit report recommends otherwise, institution of an extensive set of specified strategies designed to turn around the identified school); (5) any other model recognized by the federal No Child Left Behind Act or its successor. Directs the state board to adopt rules establishing the process and procedures for implementing the enumerated intervention options. Specifies that professionally negotiated contracts by a local board of education shall not take precedence over the requirements of the "restaffing", "school closure" and "transformation" options. Directs the state department of education to provide services and support to assist persistently low-achieving schools. Directs the state department of education, based on the 2009 Advanced Placement results of schools participating in the "Advance Kentucky" initiative http://www.advancekentucky.com/Default.aspx, to include in the state's Race to the Top application a description of the intent to expand Advance Kentucky schools by 20 schools a year over a four-year period. Directs the state department of education to provide 50% of all program costs, with all additional costs to be covered by grants from philanthropy, local district funding, and other sources of funding, including legislative appropriation. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/HB176/bill.doc Title: H.B. 176 Source: www.lrc.ky.gov MA Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Repeals and replaces existing policies relating to Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education to designate a school as underperforming or chronically underperforming. Defines Commissioner's and State Board's authority and duties. http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/186/st02/st02247.htm Title: S.B. 2247; (NEW BILL) Source: http://www.mass.gov CA Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Adds Chapter 18 (commencing with Section 53100) to the Education Code. Numbers below relate to new section numbers. 53100: For purposes of implementing the federal Race to the Top program, (1) authorizes the state superintendent and president of the state board to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a local education agency (LEA), and (2) directs participating LEAs to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state superintendent and president of the state board. 53101: Directs the governor, state superintendent and state board to develop one or multiple plans to submit as part of a Race to the Top application. Requires that the plan address how the Race to the Top program funds and any other applicable federal funds will be used to provide resources to the low-achieving and persistently lowest-achieving schools as defined in statute, and provides that these resources may include professional development, technical assistance, and partnering with schools that have successfully transitioned from low- to higher-performing status. Provides legislative intent that funding for LEAs be the highest priority in the allocation of Race to the Top program funds. 53102: By January 2011, directs the state superintendent to contract for an independent evaluation of the implementation and impact of the state plan submitted in application for a federal Race to the Top Fund grant award. Requires that the legislative, governor and state board be provided an interim report by June 2012, and a final report by June 2014. 53201: Defines "low-achieving school" as any Title I school in improvement, corrective action or restructuring. Defines "persistently lowest-achieving school" as meeting any of a number of criteria. Some of these criteria include: the lowest 5% of low-achieving schools as measured by proficiency on NCLB assessments in reading/language arts and math; any secondary school eligible for but not receiving Title I funds that is in the lowest 5% as measured by proficiency on NCLB assessments in reading/language arts and math; and any of either such school (or any high school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring) that has had a graduation rate below 60% in each of the previous three years. 53201.5: Requires the state superintendent to notify a local governing board, or governing body of a charter school, if any school in its jurisdiction has been identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school. 53202: Provides that for purposes of implementing the federal Race to the Top program, a local board must implement for any persistently lowest-achieving school the turnaround model, the restart model, school closure, or the transformation model (as described in Appendix C of the Notice of Final Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, Selection Criteria for the Race to the Top program published in Volume 74 of Number 221 of the Federal Register on November 18, 2009). Provides an exception. Establishes a hearing process for any school subject to an intervention prior to selection of an intervention. Establishes parameters to allow a school implementing the turnaround or transformation model to participate in a school-to-school partnership program by working with a mentor school that has successfully transitioned from a low-achieving school to a higher-achieving school. (Higher-achieving school must either have exited Program Improvement under NCLB, or increased (in statewide Academic Performance Index rankings) by two or more deciles over the last five years, using the most recent data available.) Requires the principal and, at the principal's discretion, the staff of a mentor school to provide guidance to a persistently lowest-achieving school to develop a reform plan, and provide guidance on how the mentor school transformed the culture of the school from low-achieving to higher-achieving and how that transformation could be replicated at the school implementing a turnaround or transformation model. To the extent such funds are available, requires the mentor school to receive federal funds for serving as a mentor school; as a condition of receipt of funds, requires the mentor school's principal (and staff, at the principal's discretion), to meet regularly with the assigned persistently lowest-achieving school for at least three years. 53203: Directs regional consortia to provide technical assistance and support to LEAs with one or more persistently lowest-achieving schools in implementing any interventions for persistently lowest-achieving schools. Identifies 11 areas that such technical assistance may address, including: (1) Identifying staff recruitment and retention strategies (2) Identifying strategies to provide increased instructional time (3) Implementing professional development activities identified in the state's Race to the Top proposal (4) Developing a new governance structure, which may include establishment of a turnaround office in the LEA or the department, that a school implementing the turnaround model will report to (5) Developing social-emotional and community-oriented services (including parental involvement strategies) (6) Identifying, reviewing, and recommending quality charter school operators, charter management organizations, or education management organizations that can operate a persistently lowest-achieving school (7) Identifying higher-achieving schools in the district, including charter schools, to relocate pupils attending a school that is scheduled for closure (8) Developing a rigorous, transparent and equitable teacher and principal evaluation system that includes student growth data and other factors such as multiple observation-based assessments that all schools implementing the turnaround or transformation model may use (9) Identifying strategies to identify and reward school leaders, teachers, and other staff who, in implementing the transformation model, have increased pupil achievement and high school graduation rates and have identified and removed those, who, after ample opportunities, have been provided for them to improve their professional practice, have not done so (10) Identifying and approving mentor schools (11) Consistent with the collective bargaining agreement, assisting an LEA in: (a) meeting federal guidelines that encourage the state to ensure that persistently lowest-achieving schools are not required to accept a teacher without mutual consent of the teacher and principal, regardless of the teacher's seniority. (b) Implementing schoolsite-based teacher hiring decisions (c) Giving persistently lowest-achieving schools first priority in selecting from the qualified district applicant pool, among those teachers who have specifically applied to work at the school. Pages 8-13 of 32: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sbx5_1_bill_20100107_chaptered.pdf Specifies that these provisions become operative only if Senate Bill 4 of the Fifth Extraordinary Session of 2009-10 is also enacted (full text http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sbx5_4_bill_20100107_chaptered.pdf). S.B. 4E was also enacted January 7, 2010. Title: S.B. 1E - Section 8 Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov IL Adopted 11/2009 P-12 Partially from "Notice of Adopted Amendments" in Illinois Register (changes from this rulemaking but not listed below are technical in nature or echo recent changes in legislation): Section 1.20: Revised to distinguish among the appropriate levels of sign-off on the corrective plan a district must submit depending on whether a school or the district has been placed on probation. Adds a provision allowing a district's or school's status to be changed to "nonrecognized" if, at any time that a corrective action plan is in effect, the state superintendent determines that the agreed-upon actions are not being implemented in accordance with the plan or the underlying areas of noncompliance are not being remedied. Section 1.30: Updated to refer to state assessment accommodations now allowed for limited English proficient students, and now specifies when time extensions will be made available to those students (in response to P.A. 94-642, which authorized the state board to allow additional time "by rule"). Revises labels used to describe scores on the Illinois Alternate Assessment, and updates rule on review and verification of assessment information. Section 1.100: Adds details so that staff of districts and other eligible applicants will have more specific guidance as to what is expected as part of the process for receiving waivers and modifications of requirements in the school code or administrative rules. Section 1.240: Expanded to include a reference to gender identity among the prohibited bases for discrimination because it may otherwise not be clear that gender identity is encompassed in the definition of "sexual orientation". Section 1.420: Adds provision specifying that each district's plan for recording student progress and/or awarding credit must include credit for courses completed by correspondence, online or from other external sources. Specifies that a district may count four clock-hours as a day of instruction only due to a condition beyond the district's control; specifies other requirements that must be met for the state superintendent to approve a district's request to use "multiple sessions" to fulfill school day requirements. Specifies that students in attendance for at least 150 but fewer than 240 minutes of school work may be counted for a half-day of attendance; students in attendance for fewer than 150 minutes of school work are not to be counted for purposes of calculating average daily attendance. Emphasizes the meaning of the portion of the rule on library media programs that distinguishes between the services that may be performed only by certified library information specialists and the other tasks that may be inherent in districts' operation of their programs. Section 1.465 (on awarding of credit for foreign language study in an ethnic school program) and 1.480 (on correctional institution educational programs): Generally updated, including the insertion of current statutory citations. Section 1.510: Main revision conveys state board's interpretation that districts may not pick and choose among students in the same situation once they elect to transport some students. Section 1.737: Updated to complement new requirements for endorsements in safety and driver education that will take effect in 2012. Pages 324-388 of 432: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/register/register_volume33_issue45.pdf Title: 23 IAC 1.20, .30, .100, .240, .420, .465, .480, .510, .737 Source: www.cyberdriveillinois.com IL Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Increases statewide charter school cap and charter school cap for Chicago. Above and beyond caps, permits five Chicago charters (and specified numbers of campuses and enrollment seats within those five charters) to be devoted to serving returning high school dropouts. Requires charter schools to submit to the state board of education a copy of their audit and Form 990. Increases time frame for state board to approve a charter school proposal. Adds procedures for a charter school to respond to a proposed revocation of its charter. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, requires at least 75% of instructional staff in established charter schools to hold teacher certification; for charter schools established after these provisions are enacted, requires 75% of instructional staff to be certified by the beginning of the 4th school year in which students are enrolled in the school. Provides charter schools statewide are exempt from caps on the number of employees who may be enrolled in alternative certification programs. Requires state board to report findings of charter school evaluation every two years rather than annually. Establishes an Independent Charter School Authorizer Task Force to study the need for an independent charter school authorizer in the state. Directs the task force to report its findings and recommendations to the governor and legislature by January 2010. Defines "contract school" as a Chicago attendance center run by a for- or not-for-profit private entity on contract to provide instructional and other services to a majority of the students enrolled in the attendance center. Defines "contract turnaround school" as an experimental Chicago contract school created to implement alternative governance in an attendance center subject to restructuring or similar intervention under NCLB that has not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for 5 consecutive years. Provides that a Chicago school placed on probation that fails to make adequate progress in correcting deficiencies after one year may be converted to a contract turnaround school. Specifies the Chicago school board may operate no more than 30 contract schools, plus up to 5 contract turnaround schools. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/SB/PDF/09600SB0612lv.pdf Title: S.B. 612 Source: www.ilga.gov IL Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Creates, in accordance with the goals outlined in the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Innovation, Intervention, and Restructuring Task Force to develop recommendations for the innovation, intervention, and restructuring of schools, including those that need comprehensive or focused intervention as defined by the state's proposal for participation in the No Child Left Behind differentiated accountability pilot project. Directs the task force to compile data, study and report on the following: (1) Ways in which the state can identify schools requiring more intensive intervention (2) Strategies for strengthening leadership at struggling schools and otherwise strengthening school district capacity to effectively implement reforms and ensure continuous improvement (3) Strategies that have been involved in successful turnaround efforts and a template for evaluating turnaround efforts (4) The autonomies, resources, and support that need to be available to achieve and maintain over time a successful turnaround (5) Mechanisms for model innovations to be captured and shared across the state (6) The amount of funding necessary to accomplish any and all strategies included in the task force's recommendation (7) The identification of any statutory or regulatory changes that would be necessary or helpful to promote successful innovation, intervention and restructuring. Requires the task force to compile relevant data in developing its recommendations, and to seek input from various specified stakeholders. Directs the task force to submit a comprehensive report to the governor, the general assembly and the state superintendent of education by December 31, 2009. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/SB/PDF/09600SB2119lv.pdf Title: S.B. 2119 Source: www.ilga.gov/legislation OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 Provides that a separate accountability compliance commission must be established for each school district for which the state superintendent opts to establish a commission due to noncompliance with financial budgeting or reporting requirements per section 3306.33. Establishes protocols for accountability compliance commissions. Provides the commission may do any of the following: (1) Prepare and submit the school district's spending plan required under section 3306.30 and, if applicable, section 3306.31 (2) Appoint school building administrators and reassign administrative personnel (3) Terminate the contracts of administrators or administrative personnel (4) Contract with a private entity to perform school or district management functions (5) Establish a district budget and approve district appropriations and expenditures, unless a financial planning and supervision commission has been established for the district (6) Exercise the powers, duties and functions with respect to the district as are granted to a financial planning and supervision commission, unless a financial planning and supervision commission has been established for the district. Directs each commission to seek local board input on means to improve district operations and compliance with state requirements, but clarifies that any decision of the commission related to any authority granted the commission by statute is final. Provides that if any board of a district for which an accountability compliance commission has been established renews any collective bargaining agreement, the board cannot enter into any agreement that would render any decision of the commission unenforceable. Provides that an accountability compliance commission will cease to exist at the beginning of the first year that none of the circumstances described in division (A) of section 3306.33 apply to the district. Pages 1111-1113 of 3120: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText128/128_HB_1_EN_N.pdf Title: H.B. 1 - Section 3306.34 Source: www.legislature.state.oh.us OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 By December 31, 2010, directs the department of education, in consultation with the educator standards board, to develop a model peer assistance and review program, and to develop recommendations to expand the use of peer assistance and review programs throughout the state. Requires the department, in developing the model program, to review existing peer assistance and review programs in the state and consult with districts about the operation of those programs. Requires the model program to include: (1) Releasing experienced classroom teachers from instructional duties for up to 3 years to focus full-time on mentoring and evaluating new and underperforming veteran teachers through classroom observations and follow-up meetings (2) Professional development for new and underperforming teachers targeted at areas of instructional weakness (3) A committee comprised of representatives of teachers and the employer to review teacher evaluations and make recommendations regarding teachers' continued employment. Requires recommendations to include: (1) Identification of barriers to expansion of peer assistance and review programs, including financial constraints, labor-management relationships, and barriers unique to small districts (2) Legislative changes that would eliminate barriers to expansion of programs (3) Incentives to increase participation in the programs. Requires the department to provide copies of its model program and recommendations to the governor and specified legislative leaders. Also requires the department to make the model program and recommendations available to districts and to post them to the department Web site. Pages 2840-2841 of 3120: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText128/128_HB_1_EN_N.pdf Title: H.B. 1 - Section 265.70.50 Source: www.legislature.state.oh.us NC Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Amends the law relating to school improvement plans; requires that such plans be data-driven; requires school improvement teams to analyze student data to identify root causes for problems and to determine actions to address them; decreases the period of time for which a school improvement plan is required to remain in effect; requires that the State Board of Education review and approve school improvement plans. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2009/Bills/House/PDF/H1446v5.pdf Title: H.B. 1446 Source: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Clarifies requirement for mandatory participation in the School Leadership Pilot Program for Principals. Specifies that only a principal who was employed as a principal at a campus rated academically unacceptable the previous school year must participate in the program. http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB04435F.pdf Title: H.B. 4435 Source: www.legis.state.tx.us TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Clarifies language in Section 11.203 regarding participation in the school leadership pilot program for principals. Specifies that an individual serving as principal of a school rated academically unacceptable the previous school year must participate in the program. Eliminates requirement that the person hired to replace such a principal participate in the school leadership pilot program the year following a school's rating as academically unacceptable. Page 11 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf Title: H.B. 3 - Section 9 Source: www.legis.state.tx.us TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Modifies content of improvement plans regional education service centers must annually develop to describe services to be provided schools in need. Former legislation required services to be geared to campuses identified as academically unacceptable. New legislation requires services to be targeted at campuses assigned an unacceptable performance rating under new Section 39.054. New Section 39.054: Pages 77-82 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf Section 4: Pages 5-6 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf Title: H.B. 3 - Section 4 Source: www.legis.state.tx.us TX Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Amends language regarding actions the commissioner may take as regards a district that does not satisfy accreditation criteria, academic performance standards or any financial accountability standard. Provides that the commissioner may order the preparation of a student achievement improvement plan that addresses each student achievement indicator under Section 39.053(c) for which district performance is insufficient. Provides that if a district fails to satisfy any standard under Section 39.054(e), the commissioner may appoint a board of managers to exercise the powers and duties of the board of trustees. Provides that if for two consecutive years a district has failed to satisfy any standard under Section 39.054(e), the commissioner may revoke the district's accreditation and order the district's annexation to an adjoining district or, in the case of a home-rule district or charter school, order closure of all programs operated under the district's or school's charter. Specifies several potential sanctions for a district that fails to satisfy any standard under Section 39.054(e) due to the district's dropout rates. Amends language regarding actions the commissioner may take as regards a campus whose performance is below any standard under Section 39.054(e). Repeals provision allowing the commissioner to permit the campus to participate in an innovative redesign of the campus to improve campus performance. Repeals language establishing certain sanctions for low-performing campuses (e.g., ordering a hearing by the local board of trustees at the campus, ordering the preparation of a report on campus's parental involvement program, ordering a report on the effectiveness of the district- and campus-level planning and decision-making committees, ordering the preparation, state approval and implmementation of a student improvement plan). Adds that if a campus performance is below any standard under Section 39.054(e), the commissioner may establish a school community partnership team that includes members of the campus-level planning and decision-making committee and additional community representatives. Provides that if the commissioner determines that a campus subject to interventions or sanctions has implemented substantially similar intervention measures under federal accountability requirements, the commissioner may accept the substantially similar intervention measures as measures in compliance with state-level sanctions/interventions policy. Amends provisions relating to a campus whose performance satisfies performance standards under Section 39.054(e) for the current school year but that would not satisfy performance standards under Section 39.054(e) if the standards to be used for the following school year were applied to the current school year. Provides that on the commissioner's request, the campus-level committee must revise and submit to the commissioner the portions of the campus improvement plan that are relevant to those areas for which the campus would not satisfy performance standards. Provides that if the campus is a charter school, the campus must establish a campus-level planning and decision-making committee and develop a campus improvement plan. On the commissioner's request, directs the charter school to submit to the commissioner the portions of the campus improvement plan that are relevant to those areas for which the campus would not satisfy performance standards. Amends provisions related to campus intervention teams. Requires the commisioner to assign any campus whose performance is below any standard under Section 39.054(e) a campus intervention team. Requires the team, with the involvement of the school community partnership team, if applicable, to conduct a targeted on-site needs assessment relevant to an area of insufficient performance or, if the commissioner determines necessary, a comprehensive on-site needs assessment (former language called for a comprehensive on-site needs assessments for low-performing schools). Directs a campus intervention team to develop a *targeted* improvement plan (former language called for creation of "school improvement plan for student achievement"). Additionally directs the campus intervention team to assist the campus in submitting the targeted improvement plan to the board of trustees for approval and presenting the plan in a public hearing. Clarifies that teams must use *all* of enumerated guidelines and procedures relevant to each area of insufficient performance in conducting a targeted on-site needs assessment, and must use each of the enumerated guidelines and procedures in conducting a comprehensive on-site needs assessment. Adds that all targeted (as appropriate) and comprehensive on-site needs assessments must include (1) an assessment of the percentage of teachers who are fully certified, (2) an assessment of the extent and quality of the mentoring program for teachers with less than two years teaching experience in the subject or grade level to which they are assigned, and (3) a comparison of findings of specified elements against other campuses serving the same grade levels in the district or to other campuses within the campus's comparison group if there are no other campuses within the district serving the same grade levels as the campus. Provides that if the campus has a school community partnership team, the campus intervention team must seek the involvement and advice of the partnership team in recommending actions relating to any area of insufficient performance. Adds teacher recruitment and retention strategies as an area upon which the campus intervention team and school community partnership team may make recommendations following completion of the on-site needs assessment. Provides that in executing a targeted improvement plan, the campus intervention team must, if appropriate, require the district to develop a teacher recruitment and retention plan to address the qualifications and retention of the teachers at the campus. Directs the campus intervention team to help the campus submit the targeted improvement plan to the commissioner for approval. Provides the commissioner may authorize a school community partnership team to supersede the authority of and satisfy the requirements of establishing and maintaining a campus-level planning and decision-making committee. Provides the commissioner may authorize a targeted improvement plan or updated plan to supersede the provisions of and satisfy the requirements of developing, reviewing and revising a campus improvement plan. Updates language to provide that a campus intervention team must work with a campus with an unacceptable performance rating until the campus satisfies all performance standards under Section 39.054(e) for a two-year period (or a one-year period under certain circumstances). Provides that the campus intervention team must additionally assist the low-performing campus in updating the targeted improvement plan to identify and analyze areas of growth and areas that require improvement, and submit each such updated plan to the district board of trustees. Directs the board of trustees to conduct a public hearing to inform the public and solicit public comment after a targeted improvement plan or updated plan is submitted, and to submit the targeted improvement plan or any updated plan to the commissioner for approval. Pages 96-109 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf Title: H.B. 3 - Section 59 - Part IV Source: www.legis.state.tx.us NV Signed into law 06/2009 P-12 Relates to public schools that are designated as demonstrating need for improvement; eliminates the requirement for the Department of Education to establish a support team for a school; requires a school district or charter school to conduct a comprehensive audit for a school designated as demonstrating need for improvement for 3 consecutive years, including an audit of the curriculum implemented at the school; requires the implementation of a restructuring plan under certain circumstances. Chapter 422 http://leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/Bills/SB/SB389_EN.pdf Title: S.B. 389 Source: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/ NV Adopted 06/2009 P-12 Revises the criteria for designation of a public school as demonstrating exemplary, high or adequate achievement or need for improvement and for recognition of a public school as demonstrating significant improvement. www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/CHAPTERS.HTMl Title: NAC 385 Source: www.leg.state.nv.us FL Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Designates the "Florida's Equal Opportunity in Education Act"; revises provisions relating to powers & duties of district school boards to implement state system of school improvement & education accountability; requires that State Board of Education comply with federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); for the purpose of determining whether a public school requires action to achieve a sufficient level of school improvement, the Department of Education shall annually categorize a public school in one of six categories based on the school's grade, and the level and rate of change in student performance in the areas of reading and mathematics, disaggregated into student subgroups as described in the ESEA. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h0991er.xml&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=0991&Session=2009 Title: H.B. 991 Source: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov OK Signed into law 05/2009 P-12 Authorizes the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation to establish the Inner City Schools Rescue program; states purpose of the program; defines an inner city school; directs the Commission to take certain steps to fulfill the objectives of the program; provides for selection of teachers for the program; directs the Commission to promulgate rules. http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2009-10bills/HB/HB1837_ENR.RTF Title: H.B. 1837 Source: http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us AR Signed into law 04/2009 P-12 Improves student achievement and closes achievement gaps among student subgroups by providing public access to comprehensive school improvement plans; improves parental involvement and communication with parents; increases transparency and accountability of public schools and public school districts to the public; makes public school and public school district data more accessible to researchers and policymakers. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Acts/Act1373.pdf Title: S.B. 943 Source: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us NY Signed into law 04/2009 P-12 Provides that a district that submitted a contract for excellence for the 2008-09 school year must submit a contract for excellence for the 2009-10 school year unless all schools in the district are identified as in good standing. Provides that a district that submitted a contract for excellence for 2007-08 and 2008-09 and that is required to submit a contract for excellence in 2009-10 but did not fully expend all of its 2007-08 foundation aid during the 2007-08 school year may reallocate and expend such unexpended funds in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years for allowable contract for excellence programs and activities. Requires New York City school district to prepare a report to the commissioner by November 17, 2009 on the status of implemenetation of its plan to reduce average class sizes as required in the contract for excellence legislation. Specifies the information the report must provide about all schools that received class size reduction funds. http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A00157&sh=t Title: A.B. 157 - Part A, Sections 1-5 Source: assembly.state.ny.us MS Signed into law 04/2009 P-12 Continues the task force to study and report on the status of failing schools and school districts, effectiveness measures for improvement of those schools and school districts, and enhancement of accountability and sanctions; creates the teen pregnancy task force to study and make recommendation to the legislature on the coordination of services to reduce teen pregnancy and provide prenatal and postnatal training to expectant teen parents; establishes the sesquicentennial of the civil war commission. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2009/pdf/SB/2200-2299/SB2288SG.pdf Title: S.B. 2288 Source: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us WA Signed into law 04/2009 P-12 Section 501-507 relates to shared accountability for school and district improvement. Legislature recognizes that comprehensive education finance reform and increased investment of public resources necessary to implement that reform must be accompanied by a new mechanism for clearly defining the relationships and expectations for the state, school districts and schools. This will be accomplished through the development of a proactive, collaborative accountability system that focuses on a school improvement system that engages and serves the local school board, parents, students, staff in the school and districts and the community. Improvement system is to be based on progressive levels of support, with a goal of continuous improvement in student achievement and alignment with the federal system of accountability. It is the state's responsibility to provide schools and districts with the tools and resources necessary to improve student achievement. These tools include the necessary accounting and data reporting systems, assessment systems to monitor student achievement, and a system of general support, targeted assistance, recognition and, if necessary state intervention. Legislature has already charged the state board of education with developing criteria to identify schools and districts that are successful, in need of assistance and those where students persistently fail, as well as to identify a range of intervention strategies and a performance incentive system. State board is to develop an accountability index to identify schools and districts for recognition and for additional state support. Index is to be based on criteria that are fair, consistent and transparent. Performance is to be measured using multiple outcomes and indicators including, but not limited to, graduation rates and results from statewide assessments. Proposed system is to outline a process for addressing performance challenges that will include the following features: 1) an academic performance audit using peer review teams of educators that considers school and community factors in addition to other factors in developing recommended specific correction actions that should be undertaken to improve student learning; 2) a requirement for the local school board plan to develop and be responsible for implementation of corrective action plan taking into account the audit findings; and 3) monitoring of local district progress by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. Once the accountability index and state system of support is finalized, the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education will seek approval from the U.S. Department of Education for use of the system in place of the federal accountability system under the No Child Left Behind Act. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/House%20Passed%20Legislature/2261-S.PL.pdf Title: H.B. 2261--Section 501-507, Accountability Source: http://apps.leg.wa.gov OH Adopted 03/2009 P-12 Authorizes the governing board of any educational service center, or the administrative authority of any chartered nonpublic school to submit an application to the state board for an exemption from specific statutes and/or rules in order to implement a proposed innovative education pilot program (previous rule allowed only school districts to submit a waiver application). Adds provision that an application requesting exemptions in order to provide professional development for educators may be granted for research-based high quality professional development activities as defined by state-board adopted professional development standards, which are available on the department's website, www.ode.state.oh.us. Requires the department to approve or disapprove each application within 45 days of receipt. Provides a district identified as deficient or implementing a corrective action plan is eligible for a waiver. Provides an application to continue a program permitted by an exemption is not complete until an annual evaluation report is completed and submitted to the department. http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/pdfs/3301/0/46/3301-46-01_PH_FF_A_RU_20090313_1156.pdf Title: OAC 3301-46-01 Source: www.lexis.com FL Adopted 11/2008 P-12 Ensures consistency among all schools designated School Performance Grade of D by requiring that they utilize the Bureau of School Improvement educational improvement plans database. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=6430147&type=1&File=6A-1.09981.doc Title: FAC 6A-1.09981 Source: https://www.flrules.org CA Vetoed 09/2008 P-12 Requires the determination regarding growth targets for the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (IIUSP) be averaged for funding. Requires a school that fails to meet or exceed certain growth targets but shows significant growth in a certain number of reporting cycles of the Academic Performance Index to no longer be deemed a state-monitored school and to exit the program. Amends provisions regarding the High Priority Schools Grant Program and powers of the school district. http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm Title: A.B. 2438 Source: http://www.assembly.ca.gov AK Adopted 08/2008 P-12 Adds sections that clarify and expand the department's role in the school and district improvement process. New code requires a district to submit a district improvement plan to the department for approval not later than 90 days after designation as needing improvement under 4 AAC 06.835(b). In developing the district improvement plan, a district shall: 1) cover a two-year period; 2) consult with parents, school staff and other interested persons; 3) incorporate scientifically based research strategies that strengthen the core academic program in the schools served by the district; 4) identify actions that have the greatest likelihood of improving the achievement of students in meeting the academic performance requirements in 4 AAC.06.810; 5) address professional development needs of the instructional staff; 6) include specific measurable achievement goals and targets for all students collectively and each subgroup of students; 7) address the fundamental teaching and learning needs in the schools of the district, and the specific academic problems of low-achieving students, including a determination of why any of the district's prior plans failed to bring about increased student academic performance; 8) incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during an extension of the school year; 9) specify the responsibilities of the department under the plan, including specifying the technical assistance to be provided by the department; and 10) include strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school. Title: 4 AAC 06.850, .872 Source: http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/AAC/Title04.htm LA Signed into law 07/2008 P-12 Requires the state Department of Education to develop a program that provides for early identification of low performing chools that are at risk of being labeled "academically unacceptable" and provides targeted interventions that are designed to address identified areas of weakness and prevent the low-performing school from failing. http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=504275 Title: S.B. 582 Source: http://www.legis.state.la.us/ SC Signed into law 06/2008 P-12 For schools or districts designated as "at risk" (changed from "unsatisfactory), teacher specialists may be assigned to work across grade levels and subject areas. Such teachers will receive their salary and a supplement equal to 50% of the current southeastern average teacher salary. Specialists are limited to three years in one school unless exceptions are made. To recruit principal specialists, who will receive their salary and a supplement equal to 1.25 times the supplement amount calculated for teachers. They may be employed as a component of the technical assistance strategy for two years and may continue for a third year if requested by the local board, the external review team or the state board. Modifies other provisions related to technical assistance -- including allowing schools to use technical assistance funds to provide homework centers. http://www.scstatehouse.net/html-pages/house2.html or http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/prever/4662_20080529.doc Title: H.B. 4662 -- Amends Multiple Provisions Source: http://www.scstatehouse.net MO Signed into law 05/2008 P-12 Allows school districts to participate in the A+ schools program irrespective of their accreditation status; provides that vocational schools may participate in the program if they are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; provides that private school reimbursements must not exceed the community college tuition rate for courses that are similar and offered in a community college in the service area; provides for transfers from workers compensation premiums to the Kids Chance Scholarship Fund. http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills081/bills/hb2191.htm Title: H.B. 2191 Source: http://www.house.mo.gov ME Issued 05/2008 P-12 The Pre-K through Adult Advisory Council is charged as follows: a. Furthers the goal of increasing the percentage of Maine's adults with four-year college degrees to 30% of adults; b. Furthers the goal of raising Maine's high school-to-college rate from 55% to 70%; c. Leverages Pre-K through Adult resources and technologies; and d. Finds further efficiencies in education administration at all levels. The Advisory Council shall submit a report to the Governor by January 1, 2009. The report shall include recommendations concerning the duties set forth in this executive order, a schedule for future reports, and any legislation necessary to implement recommendations. http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov_Executive_Orders&id=55134&v=Article Title: Exec. Order 12 FY 08/09 Source: http://www.maine.gov/governor/baldacci/index.shtml CA Vetoed 09/2007 P-12 Relates to the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 which establishes the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program to provide funding to schools that perform below the 50th percentile on certain achievement tests. Establishes guidelines for determining a schools performance and continuing eligibility in the program based on growth targets assessed over a specified time frame. Establishes actions to be taken when a school fails to meet growth targets established by the program. http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm Title: A.B. 438 Source: http://www.assembly.ca.gov OR Signed into law 07/2007 P-12 Requires state superintendent to assign school ratings. Requires schools rated as in need of improvement to file school improvement plan. Such plans must include: (a) A rigorous curriculum aligned with state standards; (b) High-quality instructional programs; (c) Short-term and long-term professional development plans; (d) Programs and policies to achieve a safe educational environment; (e) A plan for family and community engagement; (f) Staff leadership development; (g) High-quality data systems; (h) Improvement planning that is data-driven; (i) Education service plans for students who have or have not exceeded all of the academic content standards; (j) A review of demographics, student performance, staff characteristics and student access to, and use of, educational opportunities; and (k) District efforts to achieve local efficiencies and efforts to make better use of resources. http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb2200.dir/hb2263.c.pdf Title: H.B. 2263C -- Improvement Plan Components Source: http://www.leg.state.or.us SC Veto overridden: legislature has overridden governor's veto 06/2007 P-12 Adds a new section (59-18-1600) to provide that a school that has received an unsatisfactory absolute academic performance rating on its most recent report card to offer an orientation class for parents to focus on certain issues (the value of education, discipline, for example), to provide for written notification to parents about the date and time of the class, and to provide that a parent or guardian of each student registered to attend the school attend the orientation class. http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/bills/3254.htm Title: H.B. 3254 Source: http://www.scstatehouse.net TN Signed into law 06/2007 P-12 During the first year a system or school is on probation, the commissioner of education shall: (A) Have the authority to approve a school system's allocation of financial resources to a system or school on probation; (B) Have the authority to appoint a local community review committee to approve and monitor the school improvement plan; and (C) Implement at least one (1) or more of the following corrective actions: (i) Replace or reassign staff; (ii) Mandate a new, research based curriculum; (iii) Significantly decrease management authority at the school; (iv) Appoint instructional consultants; and (v) Reorganize the internal management structure. Effective with school year 2007-2008, each school and LEA shall include in their annual school improvement plans specific goals for improvement, including, but not limited to, school performance on value added assessment and other benchmarks for student proficiency, graduation rates and ACT scores where applicable, and student attendance. School improvement plans shall also identify areas of strengths and weakness as well as strategies to improve areas of weakness, how additional funds provided through the BEP as the result of changes made in the BEP formula for school year 2007-2008 will be used to address these areas and how the LEA will measure the improvements supported by these funds. Such strategies may include, but are not limited to: (1) Developing school or content-based professional development; (2) Developing teacher induction programs; (3) Increasing the number of reading and math specialists; (4) Increasing classroom equipment and supplies; (5) Reducing class size; (6) Using targeted tutoring and remediation; (7) Increasing numbers of school counselors and social workers; (8) Providing principal professional development; (9) Using enhanced technology for remediation and re-testing; (10) Employing school attendance officers; (11) reorganizing the school day instructional time; and (12) Implementing a standards based curriculum and associated instructional strategies. Requires the office of education accountability to review a sample of system and school improvement plans, determine what actions were taken in response to the annual plans, and report the results of its review to the select oversight committee on education and the house and senate education committees. (1) Makes it discretionary, rather than mandatory, that principals' performance contracts provide for bonuses beyond base salary if performance standards are exceeded; (2) Removes the requirement that when a principal exercises the authority to make staff decisions regarding administrative personnel for the principal must do so "pursuant to local school board policy"; (3) Removes authorization for a principal's designee to provide assessments to teachers. The principals will be required to provide the written assessments and meet with teachers to discuss the assessments; and (4) Removes the requirement that the contract entered into between a school board and a director of schools specify duties other than those prescribed by statute and that it contain performance standards including, but not limited to, school system performance on value added assessment and other benchmarks for student proficiency, graduation rates and ACT scores where applicable, and student attendance. Also removes the requirement that the contract provide for consequences when such standards are unmet and provide for bonuses if performance standards are exceeded. Requires the state board to develop the guidelines for differentiated pay plans by December 31, 2007, and requires each LEA to implement a differentiated pay plan before the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. Requires the report card or assessments of the effectiveness of teacher training programs to be issued by November 1 of each year. Requires the first report cards or assessments to be issued no later than November 1, 2008. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/Chapter/PC0376.pdf Title: H.B. 472 Source: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us TX Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 A portion of this large bill establishes grants of up to $2.5 million per year to provide technical assistance and professional development activities for teachers and administrators. In addition, the bill requires the commissioner, from appropriated funds, to establish a mathematics instructional coaches' pilot program for middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is required to establish and fund mathematics, science, and technology teacher preparation academies at institutions of higher education. http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/pdf/HB02237F.pdf Title: H.B. 2237 (Technical Assistance, Professional Development Provisions) Source: http://www.legis.state.tx.us MD Became law without governor's signature 04/2007 P-12 Requires county boards of education to submit comprehensive master plans to the State Department of Education on or before October 1, 2008, and every 5 years thereafter; clarifies that comprehensive master plans extend for a 5-year period. http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/bills/sb/sb0907e.pdf Title: S.B. 907 Source: Maryland Legislature NY Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Adds new sections 211 (see separate record), 211-a, 211-b and 211-c to the education code. Section 211-a: Directs the regents, by the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, to establish an interim, modified accountability system for schools and districts that is based on a growth model, using existing state assessments. Directs the regents to proceed with the development of an enhanced accountability system, with new or revised state assessments, based on an enhanced growth model that includes a value-added assessment model that employs a scale-score approach to measure growth of students at all levels. Directs the regents, by July 1, 2008, to establish targets for school and district improvement, based on performance on state assessments, graduation rates, and other indicators, such as student retention rates and college attendance and completion rates. Section 211-b: Directs the regents to expand the scope and improve the effectiveness of the schools under registration review (SURR) process in the 2007-2008 school year and thereafter, to ensure that all schools that meet the criteria for identification as SURR are identified as such. Provides that the goal of such expansion is to identify as SURR up to 5% of the schools in the state within four years, and to reorganize or restructure such schools as appropriate. Also directs the regents to develop a plan for increased support and possible intervention in schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring status or in SURR status. Directs the regents to establish a two-step process as follows: (1) The appointment by the commissioner of a school quality review team to assist any school in school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring status or in SURR status in developing and implementing a plan for the school. Provides that such team may also conduct resource and program and planning audits and examine the quality of curriculum, instructional plans, and teaching in the schools, the learning opportunities and support services available to students, and the organization and operations of the school. Requires the team, after such review, to provide diagnostic recommendations for school improvement, which may include administrative and operational improvements. (2) The appointment by the commissioner of a joint school intervention team, for schools in restructuring or SURR status that have failed to demonstrate progress as specified in their corrective action plan or comprehensive education plan. Provides that the team must include administrators and educators from the district or charter school, as well as any distinguished educator appointed to the district (see section 211-c). Provides the team must assist the district in developing, reviewing and recommending plans for reorganizing/reconfiguring such schools. Provides that in both steps of the process, the reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the team's duties is to be a charge of the district or charter school that operates the school. Provides that a district that has been identified as requiring academic progress as defined in regulation, or includes one or more schools under registration review, in need of improvement, in corrective action or restructuring status must submit a district improvement plan to the commissioner for approval. Requires that, in formulating the district improvement plan, the district must consider redirecting resources in the identified schools to programs and activities included in the menu of options in section 211-d, subdivision 3. Requires that, if such options are not adopted in the district improvement plan, the district must provide the commissioner with an explanation of such decision, which the commissioner must consider in determining whether to approve the plan. Directs the commissioner to develop a plan for intervention in schools under restructuring or SURR status that fail to demonstrate progress on established performance measures and may be targeted for closure. Requires such plan to specify criteria for school closure and include processes to be followed, research-based options, and alternatives and strategies to reorganizing, restructuring or reconfiguring schools. Requires such plan to be developed with input from administrators, teachers and individuals identified as distinguished educators. Directs the regents to ensure that all districts include in any contract of employment with a superintendent, community superintendent or deputy, assistant, associate or other superintendent a provision that the superintendent is required to fully cooperate with any distinguished educator appointed by the commissioner. In the case of a charter school, the contract of employment with the principal or other chief school officer of the charter school must include this provision. Section 211-c: Directs the regents to establish a distinguished educator program that recognizes educational leaders who have agreed to assist in improving the performance of low-performing school districts. Provides that principals, superintendents and teachers, including retirees, under whose leadership schools have demonstrated consistent growth in academic performance and other individuals who have demonstrated educational expertise, including superior performance in the classroom, are eligible for designation as distinguished educators. Provides that employees of for-profit entities are not eligible for such recognition. Directs the commissioner to appoint, from the pool of distinguished educators established by the regents, distinguished educators who have expressed their willingness to assist low-performing districts in improving their academic performance. Directs the commissioner to appoint, to the extent practicable, distinguished educators to assist districts with comparable demographics to the schools or districts under the educator's leadership. Authorizes the commissioner to appoint a distinguished educator to a district when the district or a school has failed to make adequate yearly progress for four or more years and/or as a member of a joint school intervention team (as defined above). Requires the district to which a distinguished educator is appointed to cooperate fully with an appointed distinguished educator. Provides that an appointed distinguished educator must assess the learning environment of schools in the district, review or provide assistance in the development and implementation of any district improvement plan an/or any corrective action, restructuring or comprehensive plan of any school in the district to which the distinguished educator is assigned. Provides that the distinguished educator must either endorse without change or make recommendations for modifications to any such plan to the board of education, trustees or chancellor in New York City and the commissioner. Provides that, upon receipt of any recommendations for modification, the board, trustees or chancellor must either modify the plans accordingly or provide a written explanation to the commissioner of its reasons for not adopting such recommendations. Provides the commissioner must direct the district to modify the plans as recommended by the distinguished educator unless the commissioner finds the district's written explanation has compelling merit. Provides that appointed distinguished educators are to be ex-officio, nonvoting members of the board of education or trustees. Provides that in New York City, an appointed distinguished educator is to be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the community district education council or the city board, as applicable. Provides that reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by an appointed distinguished educator must be paid by the district. Provides that if an appointed distinguished educator is employed by a district or charter school, the board of education or trustees of the school district, New York City chancellor, or the charter school's board of trustees must grant reasonable leave requests and otherwise accommodate the distinguished educator's efforts, to the extent such efforts do not substantially interfere with the educator's performance of his/her regular duties. http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S02107&sh=t Title: S.B. 2107 - Part A, Section 1 Source: assembly.state.ny.us NY Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Requires every district with at least one school currently identified as requiring academic progress or in need of improvement or in corrective action or restructuring status to prepare a contract for excellence if the district receives an increase in total foundation aid compared to the base year in an amount that equals or exceeds either $15 million or 10% of the amount received in the base year, whichever is less, or receives a supplemental educational improvement plan grant. Provides that in the 2007-2008 school year, the increase must be the amount of the difference between total foundation aid received for the current year and the total foundation aid base. Provides that in New York City, a contract for excellence must be prepared for the city school district and for each community district that meets the above criteria. Requires each contract for excellence to describe how the sum of amounts apportioned to the district in the current year, in total foundation aid and supplemental educational improvement plan grants, in excess of 103% of the district's foundation base, will be used to support new programs/activities or expand the use of programs/activities demonstrated to improve student achievement. Requires each contract for excellence to state, for all funding sources (federal/state/local), the instructional expenditures per pupil, the special education expenditures per pupil, and the total expenditures per pupil, projected for the current year and actually incurred in the base year. Provides each contract for excellence is subject to approval by the commissioner and his/her certification that the expenditure of additional aid or grant amounts is in accordance with these provisions. Provides the school district audit report certified to the commissioner by an independent certified public accountant, an independent accountant or the comptroller of the city of New York must include a certification by such accountant or comptroller and that the increases in total foundation aid and supplemental educational improvement plan grants have been used to supplement and not supplant funds allocated by the district in the base year for such purposes. Requires the contract to specify the new or expanded programs for which additional foundation aid or grants will be used, and to affirm that such programs will predominately benefit students with the greatest educational needs, including limited English proficient students, students in poverty and students with disabilities. Requires the contract in New York City to also include a plan to reduce average class sizes within five years. Provides the plan must also include class size reduction for low-performing and overcrowded schools and include the methods to be used to achieve such class sizes, such as the creation or construction of more classrooms and buildings, the placement of more than one teacher in a classroom, or other means. Directs the commissioner to adopt regulations establishing allowable programs and activities to improve student achievement; directs that these are limited to class size reduction, programs that increase student time on task, teacher and principal quality initiatives, middle and high school restructuring, and full-day kindergarten or prekindergarten. Authorizes districts to use up to 15% of the additional funding they receive for experimental programs to demonstrate the efficacy of other strategies to improve student achievement. Provides that in the 2007-2008 school year, up to$30 million or 25% of such additional funding, whichever is less, may be used to maintain investments in commissioner-approved and other programs and activities to improve student achievement. Directs the commissioner to assist districts that include in their contract for excellence the implementation of incentives, developed in collaboration with teachers in the collective bargaining process, for highly qualified and experienced teachers to work in low-performing schools, to ensure that such incentives are effective. Requires a district contract for excellence developed in the 2008-2009 school year and thereafter to be developed through a public process, in consultation with parents, teachers, administrators, and any appointed distinguished educator. Requires this process to include at least one public hearing; requires this process in New York City to be held within each county of the city. Requires each community district contract for excellence in New York City to be consistent with the citywide contract for excellence, and to be submitted by the community superintendent to the community district education council for review and comment at a public meeting. Requires the trustees or board of education, or New York City comptroller, of each district with a contract for excellence to assure that procedures are in place for parents to bring complaints concerning implementation of the district's contract for excellence. Directs districts subject to contract for excellence provisions to publicly report the expenditure of total foundation aid in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, which must ensure full disclosure of such funds. Directs the department to develop a methodology for all districts subject to contract for excellence provisions to report school-based expenditures. http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S02107&sh=t Title: S.B. 2107 - Part A, Section 12 Source: assembly.state.ny.us AR Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Relates to an act to expand monitoring by the Department of Education of school district implementation of school improvement plans as required by 2006 Act 57 studying the state's system of public education. New provisions detail that the comprehensive school improvement plan shall: 1) be based on student performance data and a plan of action to address the deficiencies in student performance and academic achievement gap evidenced in the comprehensive state program; 2) include school use of categorical funding for alternative environments, progressional development, ESL programs and Title I students. Requires schools to file revised comprehensive school improvement plans and assess effectiveness of an intervention or other action included in the school improvement plan. The assessment of the intervention is to be included in the following year's school improvement plan. State Department is to monitor the use of school improvement funds for the following: 1) instructional facilitators; alternative learning environments, professional development, and at-risk programs. Provisions stipulate that the information obtained through the monitoring are to be incorporated into the school improvement plans and may amend those rules in such manner as established by the state board. Section added to state the importance of detailed school improvement plans and early planning by the school districts for the determination of educational strategies and the use of public funds. (Act No. 807) http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2007/public/HB1504.pdf Title: H.B. 1517 Source: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us WV Adopted 04/2007 P-12 Amends rules regarding the establishment and operation of regional education service agencies. Clarifies the role of the State Superintendent ofSchools, establishes additional requirements for personnel and fiscal policies,replaces the Plan of Services with a Strategic Plan, and implements on-site reviews of each regional education service agency by the Office of EducationalPerformance Audits. Title: Title 126, Series 72 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet TX Adopted 02/2007 P-12 House Bill 1, 79th Texas Legislature, Third Called Session, 2006, amended the TEC, Chapter 39, by adding §39.1322 requiring the commissioner of education to select and assign a technical assistance team (TAT) to a campus rated Academically Acceptable in the state accountability rating system if that campus would be rated Academically Unacceptable using the accountability standards for the subsequent year. The new rule will provide for the early identification of campuses at risk of not meeting higher state accountability standards required in the subsequent school year. Adopted new 19 TAC §97.1002 establishes provisions for identifying TAT campuses, including waiving the requirement to assign a TAT based on specific criteria. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/commissioner/adopted/0207/97-1002-two.pdf Title: 19 TAC Chapter 97 (97-1002) Source: http://www.tea.state.tx.us IL Adopted 09/2006 P-12 Establishes rules regarding the K-3 class size reduction grant program, and a class size reduction pilot project. Specifies that eligible districts are only those in which one or more schools serving students in grades K-3 are in Academic Early Warning or Academic Watch status. Pages 265-272 of 405: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/register/register_volume30_issue41.pdf Title: 23 IAC 565.10, .20, .30, .40, .50, .60, .110, .120, .130, .140, .150,.160 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet CA Adopted 08/2006 P-12 Amends rules relating to high priority schools grant program. Provides clarification regarding the use of valid APIs in the determination of significant growth, outlines the process of determining positive API growth for schools without a valid API in one or two years, and defines criteria to demonstrate academic growth equivalent to significant growth for schools without a valid API. Title 5; Division 1; Ch. 2; Subchapter 4; Article 1.6 CALIFORNIA 17211 http://government.westlaw.com/linkedslice/default.asp?Action=TOC&RS=GVT1.0&VR=2.0&SP=CCR-1000 Title: Title 5 CCR Sections 1030.7, 1030.8 Source: California Rules LA Adopted 06/2006 P-12 Full text of language on pages 8-20 of 62: http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/osr/reg/0606/0606RUL.pdf Changes define/outline/clarify the following: --school performance score goals (page 8-10 of 62); --calculating the SPS (School Performance Scores) component (pp 11-12 of 62); --incentive points for a school in which a repeating 4th or 8th grade student scores at a higher achievement level on a LEAP test of math, English language arts, science or social studies than the previous spring (p of 62); --calculating a K-8 assessment index (pp 12-13 of 62); --calculating a 9-12 assessment index (p 13 of 62); --the state assessments in which students in grades 3-11 will participate in annually (p 13 of 62); --inclusion of schools (pp 13-14 of 62); --pairing/sharing of schools with insufficient test data (p 14 of 62); --growth targets (pp 14-15 of 62); --defining, determining a cohort for, documenting and calculating a graduation index (pp 15-16 of 62); --calculating a graduation rate (p 17 of 62); --subgroup component indicators and failing the subgroup component (pp 16-17 of 62); --safe harbor (pp 16-17 of 62); --levels of academic assistance (p 17 of 62); --levels of school improvement, entry into and exit from school improvement, school improvement requirements and state support at each level (pp 17-18 of 62); --recovery school district (p 19 of 62); --inclusion of alternative education students and option considerations (p 19 of 62); --valid data considerations and NRT/CRT data (pp 19-20 of 62); --attendance and dropout/exit data (p 20 of 62); --and subgroup component adequate yearly progress (p 20 of 62). Chapter 45, Disaster Consideration for School and District Accountability, is a proposed amendment designed to address the impacts of Hurricane Katrina and Rita and other disasters that may occur. Title: LAC 28:LXXXIII.Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 17, 21, 24, 35, 41,43, and 45 Source: www.doa.louisiana.gov IL Signed into law 06/2006 P-12 Deletes existing provisions related to the approval of a district improvement plan for a district on academic early warning status or watch status. Replaces with language clarifying that such plans must be approved by the school board. Requires all districts required to revise a School Improvement Plan to establish a peer review process for the evaluation of School Improvement Plans. Requires parents and outside experts to be included in the development of all revised school and district improvement plans. Pages 6-12 of 49: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/94/SB/PDF/09400SB2829lv.pdf Title: S.B. 2829 - School/District Improvement Plans Source: www.ilga.gov GA Adopted 05/2006 P-12 Provides for the employment of an academic coach at a public school based on the teaching and learning needs identified in the school improvement plan for the 2006-07 school year. Title: GAC 160-1-4-.271 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet FL Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 School boards must annually approve improvement plans for all schools that address student achievement goals and strategies based on state and school district proficiency standards. The plans must include an accurate, data-based analysis of student achievement and other school performance data. Beginning with plans approved for implementation in the 2007-2008 school year, each secondary school plan must include a redesign component based on the principles established in the High School Redesign Act. For each school in the district that earns a school grade of "C" or below, or is required to have a school improvement plan under No Child Left Behind, the school improvement plan shall, at a minimum, also include: 1. Professional development that supports enhanced and differentiated instructional strategies to improve teaching and learning. 2. Continuous use of disaggregated student achievement data to determine effectiveness of instructional strategies. 3. Ongoing informal and formal assessments to monitor individual student progress, including progress toward mastery of the Sunshine State Standards, and to redesign instruction if needed. 4. Alternative instructional delivery methods to support remediation, acceleration, and enrichment strategies. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h7087er.doc&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=7087&Session=2006 Title: H.B. 7087 (Section 11) Source: Florida Legislature FL Signed into law 05/2006 P-12 School in which low-performing students are enrolled must develop, in consultation with the student's parent, and must implement a progress monitoring plan. A progress monitoring plan is intended to provide the school district and the school flexibility in meeting the academic needs of the student and to reduce paperwork. A student who is not meeting the school district or state requirements for proficiency in reading and math must be covered by one of the following plans to target instruction and identify ways to improve his or her academic achievement: 1. A federally required student plan such as an individual education plan; 2. A schoolwide system of progress monitoring for all students; or 3. An individualized progress monitoring plan. If the student has been identified as having a deficiency in reading, the K-12 comprehensive reading plan required by s.1011.62(8) must include instructional and support services to be provided to meet the desired levels of performance. District school boards may require low-performing students to attend remediation programs held before or after regular school hours or during the summer if transportation is provided. http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h7087er.doc&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=7087&Session=2006 Title: H.B. 7087 (Section 42) Source: Florida Legislature AZ Signed into law 04/2006 P-12 Relates the district profiles and accountability for schools failing to meet academic standards. Describes information, procedures and other requirements related to school achievement profiles and action plans. http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/47leg/2r/bills/hb2359h.pdf Title: H.B. 2359 Source: Arizona Legislature KY Signed into law 04/2006 P-12 Directs the Interim Joint Committee on Education to complete a study on how to effectively provide assistance to schools not meeting established goals for student achievement. Requires the study to be completed by October 15, 2006, with a written report, including findings and policy options, presented to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2006. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/06RS/HC214/bill.doc Title: H.C.R. 214 Source: www.lrc.ky.gov CA Signed into law 04/2006 P-12 Provides that 36 months after the receipt of funding to implement a school action plan, all schools that are not subject to state monitoring are eligible for a 4th year of funding; requires a school for which the most recent base API places the school in decile 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 to exit the program. Provides specified funding to a school district that is required to enter into a contract with a school assistance and intervention team to implement the team's recommendations. Provides certain funding. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1751-1800/ab_1758_bill_20060403_enrolled.pdf Title: A.B. 1758 Source: California Assembly CO Signed into law 03/2006 P-12 Concerns measures to improve the academic performance of unsatisfactory public schools; allows a school that receives an overall academic performance rating of unsatisfactory to operate under a school improvement plan for 2 full school years; provides for review of the operations of the unsatisfactory school. The state board will review the operations of the school and determine whether it will continue with the school improvement plan, the district or the institue will modify the plan or whether the school will be converted into a charter school. Session Law Chaptered. Chapter No. 116 http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics2006a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/E8DEBD6DD2EAD79287257068005412FF?Open&file=1240_enr.pdf Title: H.B. 1240 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet KY Adopted 11/2005 P-12 Establishes a local school district accountability program. Establishes eligibility for district rewards, and procedures for determining assistance and other consequences for local school districts. AGENCY CONTACT: Kevin Noland, Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel, Bureau of Operations and Support Services, Department of Education, 500 Mero St, 1 st, Capitol Plaza Tower, Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-564-4474, fax 502-564-9321 http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/kar/703/005/130.htm Title: 703 KAR 5:130 Source: www.lrc.state.ky.us, Lexis-Nexis/StateNet CA Signed into law 10/2005 P-12 This bill would require the Superintendent to provide a list of approved school assistance and intervention teams with which a school district may contract if it receives funding under the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program.. The bill would require that the list be based on criteria recommended by the Superintendent and adopted by the State Board of Education. The bill would require the Superintendent to remove the management team, trustee, or school assistance and intervention team from providing services at a school if all responsibilities pursuant to the terms of the contract. http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset2text.htm Title: H.B. 953 Source: StateNet OK Emergency Rule Adoption 08/2005 P-12 Establishes the submission date for the Plan to the Board of Education for school districts with one or more school sites which are identified for school improvement. No later than three months after being identified as a school in need of school improvement districts shall submit to the State Board of Education the following plans. (1)    Comprehensive Local Education Plan required by 70 O.S. § 3-104.2. (2)    School Improvement Plan required by 70 O.S. § 5-117.4. (3)    Professional Development Plan required by 70 O.S. § 6-194. (4)    Capital Improvement Plan as required in 70 O.S. § 18-153. (5)    Reading Sufficiency Plan required by 70 O.S. § 1210.508C. Title: OAC 210:15-8-1, -2 Source: Oklahoma Secretary of State IL Signed into law 08/2005 P-12 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 participation through certain activities, including parent-teacher conferences, open houses, family nights, volunteer opportunities, and family outreach materials. Requires the pilot project to be for a period of at least 4 school years. Allows a school district to apply to the State Board for the establishment of a parental participation pilot project for the entire district or for a particular school or group of schools in the district. Requires the state board to select 4 school districts in specified geographic areas to participate in the pilot project. Requires the board, when selecting participants, to consider the following criteria: (1) whether the district or school has any of the following problems and whether those problems can be mitigated or addressed through enhanced parental participation: (A) low rates of satisfactory performance on state assessments; (B) high rates of low-income students, limited English proficient students, dropouts, chronically truant students, and student mobility; or (C) low student attendance rates; and (2) the methods the district or school will use to measure the progress of the pilot project in the district or school. Requires each participating district or school to establish a parental participation committee to assist in developing and implementing the parental participation pilot project. Requires the committee to develop an academic improvement plan that details how the pilot project should be implemented in the participating district or school, and to make recommendations to the local board on specified matters. Requires local boards to submit annual progress reports to the state board detailing the effect of the pilot project on the district or school. Provides for a review and final evaluation of the project. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Parental Participation Pilot Project Fund as a special fund in the state treasury. Repeals these provisions on December 31, 2010. Effective immediately. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=094-0507 Title: S.B. 10 Source: www.ilga.gov CO Vetoed 06/2005 P-12 Repeals and reenacts the corrective action provisions for underperforming public schools. Requires the state board to annually notify each district and the state charter school institute as to which, if any, of its schools received a "low" or "unsatisfactory" rating in the state accountability system. Requires the department to adopt a school performance review process for schools rated "unsatisfactory." Requires the school performance review process to include creation of one or more school support teams to review each school rated "unsatisfactory" and make recommendations for an improvement plan with corrective actions. Permits the department, provided funds are available, to provide reviews and training for school support teams for schools rated "low." Allows each district and the institute to establish its own school performance review process, subject to department approval and to request comprehensive training for school support teams thereby established, which training the department must provide. Requires the department to provide comprehensive training to school support teams that must ensure each team member has a thorough knowledge of the department's standards and indicators for continuous school improvement and understands how to apply the standards and indicators in evaluating a school's performance. Beginning with the academic performance ratings for the 2004-2005 school year, requires a school receiving an "unsatisfactory" rating to undergo a review by a school support team and for the team to develop recommendations for an improvement plan with corrective actions. Mandates that the school begin implementing the improvement plan by the fall semester of the academic year following that in which the school received notice of inadequate performance. Establishes circumstances under which a school with an "unsatisfactory" rating is subject to restructuring or may cease to be subject to the school improvement action cycle. Beginning with the academic performance ratings for the 2004-2005 school year, requires a district or the state charter school institute containing a school receiving a "low" rating that meets other additional criteria to review the school's operations and develop an improvement plan with corrective actions for the school. Mandates that the school begin implementing the improvement plan by the fall semester of the academic year following that in which the school received notice of inadequate performance. Establishes circumstances under which a school with a school improvement plan thus created may cease to be subject to the school improvement plan. Establishes procedures for a school support team to conduct a performance review of a school and requires the team to prepare a comprehensive performance review report for the school. Requires a school that has received a performance review report to develop an improvement plan with corrective actions based on the findings and recommendations in the report. Requires the improvement plan to identify one or more from a list of specified corrective actions. Requires a school support team member to provide an implementation review for a school that has implemented an improvement plan for one full school year, and to prepare an implementation review report. Specifies content of report. Requires a school subject to restructuring to alter its governance structure. Sets forth procedures and options for such. Allows a district or the state charter school institute to voluntarily restructure a public school at any point in the school improvement action cycle at least 60 days before the determination that a school is required to restructure. Such a restructuring plan is not subject to the aforementioned altered governance structure provisions. States that if the state board determines that the school's restructuring plan is a major restructuring of the school's governance, the school will cease to be subject to the school improvement action cycle until such time as the school may again be subject to the school improvement action cycle by receiving an "unsatisfactory" or qualified "low" rating. Sets forth procedures for a local board to convert a school subject to restructuring to a charter school. Specifies that low-performing alternative education campuses are subject to the improvement plan and corrective action subsequent to a performance review report in the same manner as regular public schools. Modifies closing the achievement gap program; deletes language that the program is to provide extensive assistance to an eligible school at risk of being converted into a charter school. Replaces with language that the program must provide extensive assistance to an eligible school at risk of governance restructuring as set forth in statute 22-7-909 (above). Creates new paragraph allowing a charter to be revoked subsequent if it is determined that a charter school failed to show adequate improvement in its overall academic performance rating and is therefore subject to governance restructuring. http://www.leg.state.co.us/Clics2005a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/7FFA7A4A0AF5D39087256F4E0000C637?Open&file=1216_enr.pdf Title: H.B. 1216 Source: www.leg.state.co.us OK Signed into law 05/2005 P-12 Amends Section 3-118.1 to allow for performance reviews by the Office of Accountability. If the Office requests such a review, the Office of Accountability is to pay the full amount. If a districts requests a review, the Office bears 75% of the responsibility for the cost. Districts are to be selected for review by the Education Oversight Board contingent upon the availability of funding. Requires the Office of Accountability to engage in follow-up, outreach and technical assistance to help school districts and others understand, interpret, and apply the recommendations and best practices resulting from performance reviews. http://www2.lsb.state.ok.us/2005-06SB/sb982_enr.rtf Title: S.B. 982, Section 14 Source: http://www2.lsb.state.ok.us AR Signed into law 04/2005 P-12 Creates the Arkansas Online Professional Development Initiative. Requires the director of the department of education to prioritize identified teacher professional development needs and develop a statewide online professional development program. Requires online professional development courses to be aligned with (1) the required focus areas identified in the state board rules governing professional development and the Arkansas Comprehensive, Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program, (2) clear, specific and challenging academic content areas; (3) the state curriculum frameworks. Additionally requires the courses to be (1) researched-based and available from sources with expertise in technology-delivered professional development courses; (2) consistent with the Southern Regional Education Board Multi-State Online Professional Development Standards in existence on January 1, 2005; (3) focused on improving student academic achievement by improving a teacher's academic and teaching knowledge and skills. Requires courses to include an assessment at the end of the program to measure each certified person's level of understanding and ability to implement or apply the information presented in the program. Requires any provider of technology-delivered professional development under the Arkansas Online Professional Development Initiative to demonstrate an ability to successfully deliver technology-delivered products and services. Requires the initiative to include a method for the department of education, the Arkansas Educational Television Network, school districts, schools and certified personnel to annually evaluate the effectiveness of the Arkansas Online Professional Development Initiative and its on-line professional development course and programs. Authorizes the department, beginning with the 2006-2007 school year, to include as part of a school improvement plan guidelines for the professional development programs to be delivered to the certified personnel employed by a school in school improvement status or a school district in school improvement status or academic distress. Authorizes the department to require the participation and completion of professional development courses or programs by certified personnel in the school or district as part of the school improvement plan. States that certified personnel employed by any school in school improvement or school district in school improvement or academic distress must participate in, complete, and pass the assessment for the professional development requirements included in the school's or district's school improvement plan. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2005/public/hb2489.pdf Title: H.B. 2489 Source: www.arkleg.state.ar.us AR Signed into law 03/2005 P-12 Creates the Arkansas Leadership Academy School Support Program to train principals and teachers in schools and districts designated as being in school improvement. Specifies that any school district in school improvement may be invited, strongly encouraged, or required to participate in the program as provided in the rules of the state board of education. Requires participating schools to remain in the program for at least three consecutive school years. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2005/public/HB2434.pdf Title: H.B. 2434 Source: www.arkleg.state.ar.us KY Signed into law 03/2005 P-12 Postsec. Requires colleges and universities to: (a) Utilize institution-wide resources to work with elementary and secondary educators and other entities to align curriculum content to ensure that students who achieve proficiency on standards established at the prekindergarten through secondary levels will require no remediation to successfully enter a postsecondary education program; (b) Provide quality undergraduate teacher preparation programs to ensure that those preparing to teach reading or mathematics at all grade levels have the necessary content knowledge, assessment and diagnostic skills, and teaching methodologies; (c) Deliver appropriate continuing education for teachers in reading and mathematics through institutes, graduate level courses, and other professional development activities that support a statewide agenda for improving student achievement in reading and mathematics; (d) Conduct or assist with research on best practices in assessment, intervention strategies, teaching methodologies, costs and effectiveness of instructional models, and other factors as appropriate to reading and mathematics; (e) Provide staff to consult and provide technical assistance to teachers, staff, and administrators at elementary, middle, and secondary school sites; (f) Assume active roles in the statewide initiatives referenced in Sections 2 and 5 of this Act; and (g) Develop written procedures for measuring the effectiveness of activities outlined in paragraphs (a) to (e) of this subsection. Declares an emergency. http://lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/05RS/HB93.htm Fiscal note: http://lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/05RS/HB93/FN.doc Title: H.B. 93 (Section 1, paragraph 7) Source: lrc.ky.gov KY Signed into law 03/2005 P-12 Mandates that the Kentucky Department of Education provide assistance to schools and teachers, including publicizing professional development opportunities, methods of measuring effective professional development, the availability of high quality instructional materials, and developmentally appropriate screening and diagnostic assessments of student competency in mathematics and reading. Also requires the department to provide access to samples of units of study, annotated student work, diagnostic instruments, and research findings, and give guidance on parental engagement. Also requires that the department conduct an annual review of the state grant programs it manages and make recommendations, when needed, to the Interim Joint Committee on Education for changes to statutory requirements that are necessary to gain a greater return on investment. Requires the department to provide administrative support and oversight to programs to train classroom coaches and mentors to help teachers with reading and mathematics instruction. Declares an emergency. http://lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/05RS/HB93.htm Fiscal note: http://lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/05RS/HB93/FN.doc Title: H.B. 93 (Section 1, paragraph 4) Source: lrc.ky.gov WV Signed into law 12/2004 P-12 Relates to the procedures governing the process for improving performance education and removing impediments to improving performance and progress. Title: H.B. 308 Source: StateNet CA Vetoed 09/2004 P-12 Establishes the Pupil Achievement Grant Program to consolidate funding and provide flexibility at the schoolsite in the use of funds from specified categorical education programs in schools identified as underperforming in at least one of the three preceding fiscal years. Requires a school district to ensure that it expends an amount for direct services to pupils in eligible schools in accordance with specified minimum percentages for any purpose authorized by special categorical education programs. Requires a school district receiving program funds to ensure that the school district and each school has or continues to maintain advisory committees and schoolsite councils. Requires a district to have a single school plan that incorporates specified requirements and to use funds allocated to serve and assist pupils eligible for free or reduced price meals and pupils identified as limited English proficient. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_2151-2200/ab_2152_bill_20040827_enrolled.pdf Veto message: http://www.governor.ca.gov/govsite/pdf/vetoes/AB_2152_veto.pdf Title: A.B. 2152 Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 SEC. 1: Existing law requires the county superintendent of schools to report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction on the financial condition of a school district if the county superintendent determines a school district may be unable to meet its financial obligations for the current or 2 subsequent fiscal years or if a school district has a qualified or negative certification. Existing law requires the county superintendent to take at least one of certain actions and all actions that are necessary to ensure that the district meets its financial obligations. This bill requires those possible actions to include assigning the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team to review district teacher hiring practices, teacher retention rate, percentage of provision of highly qualified teachers, and the extent of teacher misassignment and also to provide the district with recommendations to streamline and improve the teacher hiring process, teacher retention rate, extent of teacher misassignment, and provision of highly qualified teachers. The bill requires a school district that is assigned this review to follow the recommendations made unless it shows good cause for failure to do so. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_3001-3050/ab_3001_bill_20040929_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 3001 (multiple provisions) Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Existing law requires the State Department of Education to establish a statewide system of school support that provides intensive and sustained support and technical assistance for school districts, county offices of education, and schools in need of improvement. Existing law requires the system to provide assistance by reviewing and analyzing all facets of a school's operation and by assisting the school in developing recommendations for improving pupil performance and school operations. This bill requires the review and analysis to include the recruitment, hiring, and retention of principals, teachers, and other staff, including vacancy issues and the roles and responsibilities of district and school management personnel. The bill would authorize the system to access the assistance of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team to review district or school recruitment, hiring, and retention practices. The bill would require the system also to assist schools and districts in efforts to eliminate misassignments of certificated personnel. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_3001-3050/ab_3001_bill_20040929_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 3001 (multiple provisions) Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 SEC. 11: Declares that the Legislature encourages school districts to provide all the schools it maintains that are ranked in deciles 1 to 3, inclusive, of the Academic Performance Index first priority to review resumes and job applications received by the district from credentialed teachers. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_3001-3050/ab_3001_bill_20040929_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 3001 (multiple provisions) Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Requires that, commencing with the 2004–05 fiscal year, for a district with a school initially applying to participate in the High Priority Schools Grant Program on or after July 2004, the report include whether at least 80% of the teachers assigned to the school are credentialed and the number of classes in which 20% or more pupils are English learners and assigned to teachers who do not possess a certificate authorizing the holder to teach English language development to English learners or have completed training that would authorize them to teach English language development to English learners or are otherwise authorized by law to do so. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_3001-3050/ab_3001_bill_20040929_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 3001 (multiple provisions) Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Requires schools initially applying to participate in the High Priority Schools Grant Program on or after the 2004–05 fiscal year to include highly qualified teachers and appropriately credentialed teachers for English learners in the component on quality of staff in the school action plan. Specifies that the mandatory school action plan components on facilities, curriculum, instructional materials, and support services for those schools be on facilities in good repair, curriculum, sufficient instructional materials, and support services. Requires schools initially applying to participate in the High Priority Schools Grant Program on or after the 2004–05 fiscal year to measure the availability of instructional materials against a specified definition of ''sufficient instructional materials.'' http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_0501-0550/sb_550_bill_20040929_chaptered.pdf Title: S.B. 550 (multiple provisions) Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Provides that a school participating in the High Priority Schools Grant Program that received a planning grant in the 2001-02 fiscal year is eligible to receive program funding in only the 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 fiscal years. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1951-2000/ab_1987_bill_20040924_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 1987 Source: StateNet CA Vetoed 09/2004 P-12 Provides that if a high school participating in either the High Priority Schools Grant Program or the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program is reorganized into more than one high school, each of those high schools shall continue to receive a specified share of the funds that the former school would have received provided certain eligibility criteria are met, including compliance with specified program requirements. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1801-1850/ab_1841_bill_20040824_enrolled.html Veto message: http://www.governor.ca.gov/govsite/pdf/vetoes/AB_1841_veto.pdf Title: A.B. 1841 Source: California Legislative Web site CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Requires the state department of education to identify and notify local educational agencies that are in danger of being identified within three to four years as program improvement local educational agencies under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 200. Requires the department to provide those local educational agencies with research-based criteria to conduct a voluntary self-assessment using department-provided materials and criteria based on current research. Requires the department to invite any local education agency at risk of being identified for program improvement within two years to participate in the Prevention of Local Education Agency Intervention Program, hereby created, which includes a self-assessment as well as follow-up procedures. Requires a local education agency identified for program improvement under NCLB to (1) conduct a self-assessment using the department-provided materials and criteria, (2) contract with a county office of education or another external entity for specified assistance, (3) expeditiously implement the LEA plan based on the self-assessment findings, and (4) contract with an external provider for technical assistance. Specifies possible sanctions against a local education agency identified for corrective action under NCLB and that did not accept a supplemental grant, as well as sanctions against a local education agency identified for corrective action under NCLB and that did accept a supplemental grant. Authorizes state superintendent to require a local education agency to contract with a district assistance and intervention team to aid a local educational agency. Provides additional funding to local educational agencies for schools identified as program improvement schools or potential program improvement schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, with certain requirements. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_2051-2100/ab_2066_bill_20040918_chaptered.pdf Title: A.B. 2066 Source: www.leginfo.ca.gov CA Signed into law 09/2004 P-12 Authorizes specified school districts to operate one or more schools in their districts on a 4-day school week, so long as the school district complies with specified requirements. Revokes the authority of a school added by the bill to operate a 4-day school week if a school fails to meet its growth target on the Academic Performance Index. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_1101-1150/sb_1138_bill_20040910_chaptered.html Title: S.B. 1138 Source: California Legislative Web site IL Signed into law 08/2004 P-12 Requires the State Board of Education to implement and administer a student achievement improvement grant program to provide 2- year grants to school districts on the academic watch list and other school districts that have the lowest achieving students. Requires a school district to establish an accountability program in order to receive a grant. Requires a grant to be automatically renewed when achievement goals are met. http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=093-0890 Title: S.B. 2360 Source: Illinois Legislative Web site RI Became law without GOVERNOR'S signature. 07/2004 P-12 Requires district strategic plans to extend the range at which the improvement of reading is addressed to include students in grade four (4) and grade five (5). Title: H.B. 7986 Source: Rhode Island Legislative Web Site LA Signed into law 06/2004 P-12 Defines "academically in crisis" district and "academically unacceptable" school. Requires state superintendent to notify the state board, the president of the local board and the local superintendent when a district is found to be academically in crisis. Limits authority of notified local board. Gives notified local superintendent sole and exclusive authority for all other policy, operation and other matters. Limits notified local superintendent's contract to five years. Requires local superintendent, within 180 days of notification, to submit a report to the local board, state board and legislative auditor on the benefits of outsourcing all or some of the district's financial operations. Within 120 days of notification, local superintendent must develop a structured system improvement plan with specified content and submit the plan to the state board for approval. Upon approval of plan, the superintendent must report quarterly to the state and local boards on the progress of implementing the plan. Bars board of "academically in crisis" district from contracting or employing a superintendent or terminating the contract or employment of the incumbent superintendent unless by at least two-thirds vote of the board, and specifies that notified superintendent may receive no salary decrease while district is academically in crisis. Specifies method by which superintendent must be replaced in event of termination of notified superintendent. Requires notified local board to contract with an independent licensed certified public accountant to conduct an audit of the district finances and financial practices. The audit report must be submitted to the local board, the local superintendent and the legislative auditor. Specifies action to be taken following submission of audit report. Requires state superintendent to provide to academically in crisis district a team of distinguished educators to provide a team of distinguished educators to provide expertise, direction and support to the district. A district identified as academically in crisis must continue to be identified as such until student academic performance improves sufficiently to release the district from identification, and all audit findings are corrected. http://www.legis.state.la.us/leg_docs/04RS/CVT7/OUT/0000LRSN.PDF Title: H.B. 1659 Source: www.legis.state.la.us FL To governor 05/2004 P-12 Creates the "Middle School Reform Act;" provides definitions; prescribes program criteria and content; provides a timeline for implementation; requires an academic performance study of middle grade students and schools with recommendations for increase in performance; requires school improvement plan to include rigorous reading requirement; provides for individual student plans; provides for additions to academic improvement plans; adds criteria to the assessment process for instructional personnel; requires DOE to conduct study on physical education in public schools; requires school districts to implement mandatory physical education under certain circumstances. http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=sb0354er.html&Directory=session/2004/Senate/bills/billtext/html/ Title: S.B. 354 Source: Florida Legislative Web site VA Signed into law 04/2004 P-12 Authorizes local school boards to employ turnaround specialists to address conditions at a public school that may impede educational progress and effectiveness and academic success. The bill also authorizes local school boards to offer increased retirement benefits and compensation to turnaround specialists and licensed instructional personnel teaching in a subject matter in grades six, seven, or eight under a middle school critical shortage program adopted by the state board. Local school boards may offer such turnaround specialists or other administrative personnel incentives such as increased compensation, improved retirement benefits in accordance with Chapter 6.2 (§ 51.1-617 et seq.) of Title 51.1, increased deferred compensation in accordance with § 51.1-603, relocation expenses, bonuses, and other incentives as may be determined by the board. http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?041+ful+CHAP0436 Title: H.B. 576 Source: http://leg1.state.va.us WV Signed into law 03/2004 P-12 On-site review processes are to be conducted only at the specific direction of the state board upon its determination that the performance and progress of the school or school system are persistently below standard or other circumstances exist that warrant an on-site review (and have been below standard for three consecutive years). Includes early detection and intervention programs. Amends duties of the office of education performance audits. Provides that prior to declaring the position of principal vacant, the state board must make a determination that all other resources needed to correct the impairment are present at the school. http://129.71.164.29/Bill_Text_HTML/2004_SESSIONS/RS/House/H_BILLS/hb4001%20enr.htm Title: H.B. 4001 Source: West Virginia Legislative Web Site WV Signed into law 03/2004 P-12 Requires the department to make available through its web site or the West Virginia education information system an electronic unified school improvement plan boilerplate designed for use by all schools to develop a unified school improvement plan which incorporates all required aspects and satisfies all improvement plan requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Each respective plan is to be a five-year plan that includes the mission and goals of the school or school system to improve student, school or school system performance and progress, as applicable. Plan must be revised when required to include each annual performance measure upon which the school or school system fails to meet the standard for performance and progress, the action to be taken to meet each measure, a separate time line and a date certain for meeting each measure, a cost estimate and, when applicable, the assistance to be provided by the department and other education agencies to improve student, school or school system performance and progress to meet the annual performance measure. Requires standards to include annual measures of student, school and school system performance and progress. Requires annual measures to be used for determining school accreditation and school system approval:1) The acquisition of student proficiencies as indicated by student performance and progress in grades 3-8, inclusive, and grade 11 measured by a uniform statewide assessment program. (2) school attendance rate of no less than 90% in attendance excluding student absences excused in accordance with the state board rule, and 3) high school graduation rate of no less than 85% determined from information on the West Virginia education information system on the fifteenth day of August. Title: H.B. 4001- Mult. Sections - School Improvement Source: WV Legislative Web Site AR Signed into law 02/2004 P-12 Creates the office of education renewal zones; provides for renewal zones to improve student achievement in smaller schools and districts; provides for collaboration with higher education partners, including community and technical colleges; enables small, rural and low-wealth schools to use the latest distance learning technology to enhance curricula and professional development; requires school improvement plans with certain components. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2003s2/public/HB1056.pdf Title: H.B. 1056 Source: Arkansas Legislative Web site AR Signed into law 01/2004 P-12 Adds Ark. Code § 6-15-1808, 6-15-2001. Requires the state department of education to development and provide technical assistance to school districts that are designated as Level 1 or Level 2. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2003s2/public/SB33.pdf Title: S.B. 33 §§ 5, 8 Source: Arkansas Legislative Web site CO Emergency Rule Adoption 12/2003 P-12 Establishes rules regarding the administration of the School Improvement Plan. COLORADO REG 7620 (SN) http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeboard/download/bdregs_301-52%20feb04va.pdf Title: 1 CCR 301-52 Source: Colorado State Web site AR Rule Adoption 11/2003 P-12 Establishes rules governing the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program and the Academic Distress Program (ACTAAP). http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/ade%20162%20actaap.pdf Title: ADE 162 Source: Arkansas State Web site IL Amendatory veto by Governor - Bill Dead 11/2003 P-12 Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to implement and administer a student achievement improvement grant program to provide 2- year grants to school districts on the academic watch list and other school districts that have the lowest achieving students. Requires a school district to establish an accountability program in order to receive a grant. Requires a grant to be automatically renewed when achievement goals are met. http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=3&GA=93&DocTypeId=SB&DocNum=207 Title: S.B. 207 Source: Illinois Legislative Web site CA Signed into law 09/2003 P-12 Amends the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (IIUSP) to specify timelines for entering into a contract with a school assistance and intervention team and for adopting the team's recommendations. Specifies per pupil allocation of funds and support for teams from NCLB funds or from state funds appropriated for IIUSP program. Amends High Priority School Grant Program for Low Performing Schools to specify participation and funds requirements. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_1251-1300/ab_1266_bill_20030929_chaptered.html Title: A.B. 1266 § 9 - 13 Source: California Legislative Web site IL Signed into law 08/2003 P-12 Makes changes concerning school recognition standards for student performance and school improvement, recognition levels, rewards and acknowledgements for schools and school districts, academic warning and watch statuses for schools and districts, school and district improvement panels, state interventions, mandate waivers, technical assistance from the state board of education, and an appeals process. http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=878&GAID=3&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=3731&SessionID=3 Title: S.B. 878 Source: Legislative Web site OH Signed into law 08/2003 P-12 Directs the department to establish a system of "intensive, ongoing support" for the improveoment of school districts and buildings. Eliminates the requirement that the department provide the Ohio SchoolNet Commission with an annotated bibliography of successful intervention practices. Title: H.B. 3 - School Support Source: Digest of Enactments 2003 CA Signed into law 07/2003 P-12 Encourages the governing board of a school district to discuss Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test scores and to analyze the results of those assessments. Authorizes the governing board of a school district with a school not meeting a certain specified standard to conduct an assessment and adopt an improved performance plan. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_36_bill_20030714_chaptered.html Title: A.B. 36 Source: California Legislative Web site AR Rule Adoption 06/2003 P-12 Requires the development of a single Arkansas comprehensive testing, assessment and accountability program (ACTAAP); ensures all public school students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate grade-level academic proficiency; improves student learning and classroom instruction, and supports high academic standards for all students; requires intervention for students not performing at grade-level; establishes a program for schools districts in academic distress. http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/ade%20188%20actaap.pdf Title: ADE 188 Source: Arkansas State Web site DE Rule Adoption 06/2003 P-12 Amended regulation to conform to state and federal statutes that address school, district and state accountability for student performance; added five levels of performance for students in grades 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9 in reading, writing and mathematics beginning in 2006; defined Adequate Yearly Process (AYP) as it affects student achievement and discusses how AYP is determined and calculated; addressed other academic indicators, assessment criteria and the school and district review process. http://www.state.de.us/research/AdminCode/Education/Education%20Administrative%20Code%20-%20100%20Accountability.htm#P4_57 Title: 14 DAC 101, 103 Source: Delware State Web site CO Signed into law 06/2003 P-12 Concerns closing achievement gap; creates a program to assist schools that have received an unsatisfactory rating or have a significant achievement gap; establishes a commission to propose actions to close the achievement gap. http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/inetcbill.nsf/fsbillcont/F2377ACD76563BFA87256C7500641173?Open&file=254_enr.pdf Title: S.B. 254 Source: Colorado Legislative Web site AZ Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Modifies school achievement profile designations and extends for an additional year the time before a school is classified as a school failing to meet academic standards; provides that a parent of a pupil may apply for reimbursement from the failing schools tutoring fund; provides grants for schools. http://www.azleg.state.az.us/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=HB2277 Title: H.B. 2277 Source: Arizona Legislative Web site AR Signed into law 04/2003 P-12 Amends §§ 6-15-420 - 6-15-429. Requires the state board to establish a clear concise system of reporting the academic performance of each school on the state mandated criterion reference exam which conforms with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Requires the state board to develop policy requiring the Department of Education to implement a program for identifying, evaluation, assisting and addressing school district failing to meet established levels of achievement mandated states as required in the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program (§§ 6-15-402 - 6-15-406). http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2003/public/HB2697.pdf Title: H.B. 2697 (Omnibus Bill) Source: Arkansas Legislative Web site AR Signed into law 04/2003 P-12 Amends §§ 6-15-402 - 6-15-406. Creates the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and Accountability Program Act; including requiring the State Board of Education to establish standards defining what students should know in content areas and a system for reporting schools' performance on state mandated exams to comply with No Child Left Behind; requires the State Board to develop a mandatory school readiness screening system for kindergarten students; requires a school improvement system. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ftproot/bills/2003/public/HB2697.pdf Title: H.B. 2697 (Omnibus Bill) Source: Arkansas Legislative Web site CO Signed into law 03/2003 P-12 Concerns modifications for notifying schools districts of unsatisfactory schools. Concerns deadlines for charter school proposals. http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/pubhome.nsf Title: S.B. 137 Source: State legislative web site OK Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Relates to the Comprehensive Local School Plan; deletes certain review and submission requirements; modifies the adoption cycle for school improvement plans; relates to review of the adopted curriculum; modifies the review cycle of curriculum; requires a review cycle to coordinate with textbook adoption cycle. Title: H.B. 2341 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet MD Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Establishes the Principal Training Pilot Program; requires that the State Board of Education award incentive funding under the program to provide school principals with instruction and training in specified and optional areas; establishes eligibility requirements for applicants. Limits participation to 100 principals; requires every county superintendent to choose three principals to participate; requires state superintendent to select remaining 28 principals, giving highest priority to principals in local reconstitution schools. Requires state board to report on specified aspects of program to various legislative committees on or before June 30, 2004. Pilot program to end June 30, 2005. http://mlis.state.md.us/2002rs/bills/hb/hb0007e.rtf Title: H.B. 7 Source: mlis.state.md.us MD Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Alters the authorized uses of Schools for Success challenge grant funds and extends the termination date provisions relative to challenge grants for school improvement. The grants are distributed by the department for use in accountability of low-performing schools for school improvement based upon Schools for Success goals. The grants are to help implement research-based school improvement strategies that lead to sustained improvement in schools and student achievement. In addition, the grants should support systemic changes, including interagency activities, computer labs, salary incentive programs, staffing and total quality management. Title: S.B. 64 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet