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 |
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 TX | Signed into law 06/2011 | P-12 | Creates the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium to inform the governor, legislature and commissioner on methods for transforming public schools by improving student learning through the development of innovative, next-generation learning standards and assessment and accountability systems. Permits the commissioner to select up to 20 participants (districts, campuses and open-enrollment charter schools), representing a range of district types, sizes, and diverse student populations. Specifies that charter schools must have been awarded an exemplary distinction designation in the preceding school year, and total student enrollment of all participants may not exceed 5% of all students in public schools in the state. Requires applicant districts and charter schools to submit a detailed plan designed to both support improved instruction of and learning by students and provide evidence of the accurate assessment of the quality of learning on campuses. Provides a school district's plan may designate the entire district or one or more campuses as proposed consortium participants. Specifies components plan must include. Directs the commissioner to adopt rules applicable to the consortium in accordance with specified principles, including (1) engagement of students in digital learning, (2) emphasis on learning standards that focus on high-priority standards identified in coordination with participating districts and charter schools, (3) use of multiple assessments of learning that may inform diverse stakeholders on an ongoing basis on whether learning is occurring and actions participants are taking to improve learning, and (4) reliance on local control. Directs the commissioner to convene consortium leaders periodically to discuss methods to transform learning opportunities for all students, build cross-district and cross-school support systems and training, and share best practices tools and processes. Permits the commissioner to charge a fee to a participating district or charter school to cover administrative costs. Directs the commissioner, with the assistance of participating districts and charter schools, to submit reports on the performance and progress of the consortium to the governor and the legislature by December 1, 2012, and by December 1, 2014.
Requires the first report to include any recommendation by the commissioner on legislative authorization for the commissioner to waive a prohibition, requirement, or restriction applicable to a consortium participant. Requires that report to also include a plan for an accountability system for consortium participants that balances academic excellence and local values to inspire learning and, at the state level, may incorporate use of a stratified random sampling of students or other objective methodology to hold consortium participants accountable while attempting to reduce the number of state assessment instruments required to be administered to students. Requires commissioner to seek a federal waiver if needed to to prepare for implementation of the plan if enacted by the legislature. Provides that provisions on reports due by December 1, 2012, and by December 1, 2014 expire January 2018.
Directs commissioner to adopt rules by January 2012. Requires the commissioner to make application forms available to districts and charter schools by March 2012, and for districts and charter schools to submit applications by June 2012. Requires the commissioner to select participants by July 2012, and for the consortium to begin operating by the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/SB01557F.pdf#navpanes=0
Title: S.B. 1557
Source: www.legis.state.tx.us
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| WA | Signed into law 05/2011 | P-12 | Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to develop a process for school districts to apply to have one or more schools within the district designated as an innovation school. Authorizes the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education to grant waivers of state statutes and administrative rules for designated innovation schools and innovation zones. Authorizes the superintendent of public instruction, at the request of a school district, to petition the United States Department of Education or other federal agencies to
waive federal regulations necessary to implement an innovation school or innovation zone. Effective 07/22/2011
Expires June 30, 2019
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Digests/House/1546-S2.DIG.pdf.
Title: H.B. 1546
Source: http://apps.leg.wa.gov
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| TX | Signed into law 06/2009 | P-12 | Amends responsibilities of state education agency's best practices clearinghouse. Eliminates directive for clearinghouse to provide best practices regarding instruction, dropout prevention, public school finance, resource allocation and business practices. Directs the agency to determine the appropriate topic categories for which a campus, district or charter school may submit best practices. Provides that the clearinghouse should also provide best practices of charter schools. Provides that in addition to reporting on best practices of high-performing campuses and districts, clearinghouse must report on best practices of high-performing charter schools and on practices of "academically acceptable" districts and schools that have demonstrated significant improvement in student achievement. Pages 1-2 of 180: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB00003F.pdf
Title: H.B. 3 - Section 1
Source: www.legis.state.tx.us
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| MN | Signed into law 05/2009 | P-12 | Establishes a nine-member advisory council to advise and make recommendations to the commissioner on site-governed schools, innovation in schools, improving information about fostering innovation, and learning from non-education innovators.
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0002.5.html&session=ls86
Title: H.F. 2
Source: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us
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| MN | Signed into law 05/2009 | P-12 | Establishes a nine-member advisory council to advise and make recommendations to the commissioner on site-governed schools, innovation in schools, improving information about fostering innovation, and learning from non-education innovators.
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0002.5.html&session=ls86
Title: H.F. 2
Source: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us
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| CO | Signed into law 03/2009 | P-12
Postsec. | Creates the Education Innovation Institute within the University of Northern Colorado to collaborate with institutions to leverage research, funding, expertise, and other resources, discover and study innovations in teaching and learning, create, pilot, and advocate for innovations in educational delivery methods, and work to align the public education system from preschool through postsecondary and workforce readiness with an objective of universal proficiency for all students; creates a funding mechanism.
http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2009a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/FCCE1B03FF61A0AA87257537001A2B3C?open&file=032_enr.pdf
Title: S.B. 32
Source: http://www.leg.state.co.us
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| FL | Signed into law 05/2006 | P-12 | Defines secondary schools as those serving grades 6-12. Specifies that the following guiding principles must be used in the annual preparation of each secondary school's improvement plan:
(a) Struggling students, especially those in failing schools, need the highest quality teachers and dramatically different, innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
(b) Every teacher must contribute to every student's reading improvement.
(c) Quality professional development provides teachers and principals with the tools they need to better serve students.
(d) Small learning communities allow teachers to personalize instruction to better address student learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
(e) Intensive intervention in reading and math must occur early and through innovative delivery systems.
(f) Parents need access to tools they can use to monitor their child's progress in school, communicate with teachers, and act early on behalf of their child.
(g) Applied and integrated courses help students see the relationships between subjects and relevance to their futures.
(h) School is more relevant when students choose courses based on their goals, interests, and talents.
(i) Master schedules should not determine instruction and must be designed based on student needs, not adult or institutional needs.
(j) Academic and career planning engages students in developing a personally meaningful course of study so they can achieve goals they have set for themselves.
Requires local boards to adopt policies to address:
(a) Procedures for placing and promoting grade 6-12 students entering from out of state or from a foreign country, including a review of the student's prior academic performance.
(b) Alternative methods for students to demonstrate competency in required courses and credits, with special support for students who have been retained.
(c) Applied, integrated, and combined courses that provide flexibility for students to enroll in courses that are creative and meet individual learning styles and student needs.
(d) Credit recovery courses and intensive reading and math intervention courses based on student performance on the FCAT. These courses should be competency based and offered through innovative delivery systems, including computer-assisted instruction. Districts should use learning gains as well as other appropriate data and provide incentives to identify and reward high-performing teachers who teach credit recovery and intensive intervention courses.
(e) Grade forgiveness policies that replace a grade of "D" or "F" with a grade of "C" or higher earned subsequently in the same or a comparable course.
(f) Summer academies for students to receive intensive reading and mathematics intervention courses or competency-based credit recovery courses. A student's participation in an instructional or remediation program prior to or immediately following entering grade 9 for the first time shall not affect that student's classification as a first-time 9th grader for reporting purposes.
(g) Strategies to support teachers' pursuit of the reading endorsement and emphasize reading instruction professional development for content area teachers.
(h) Creative and flexible scheduling designed to meet student needs.
(i) Procedures for high school students who have not prepared an electronic personal education plan to prepare such plan.
(j) Tools for parents to regularly monitor student progress and communicate with teachers.
(k) Additional course requirements for promotion and graduation which may be determined by each school district in the student progression plan and may include additional academic, fine and performing arts, physical education, or career and technical education courses in order to provide a complete education program.
Requires the department to:
(a) By February 1, 2007, increase the number of approved applied, integrated, and combined courses available to districts.
(b) By the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, make available a professional development package designed to provide the information that content area teachers need to become proficient in applying scientifically based reading strategies through their content areas.
(c) Share best practices for providing a complete education program to students enrolled in course recovery, credit recovery, intensive reading intervention, or intensive math intervention.
(d) Expedite assistance and decisions and coordinate policies throughout all divisions within the department to provide districts with support to implement the Florida Secondary School Redesign Act.
(e) Use data to provide the Legislature with an annual longitudinal analysis of the success of this reform effort, including the progress of 6th grade students and 9th grade students scoring at Level 1 on FCAT Reading or FCAT Math.
Directs the commissioner of education to create and implement the Secondary School Improvement Award Program to reward public secondary schools that demonstrate continuous student academic improvement and show the greatest gains in student academic achievement in reading and math.
Pages 35-39 of 160: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h7087er.doc&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=7087&Session=2006
Title: H.B. 7087 - Section 19
Source: www.myfloridahouse.gov
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| TX | Signed into law 05/2006 | P-12 | In coordination with the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas Education Agency must establish an online clearinghouse of information relating to best practices of campuses and school districts regarding instruction, public school finance, resource allocation, and business practices. To the extent practicable, the agency must ensure that information provided through the online clearinghouse is specific, actionable information relating to the best practices of high-performing and highly efficient campuses and school district. The information must be accessible by campuses, school districts, and interested members of the public.
The agency shall contract for the services of one or more third-party contractors to develop, implement, and maintain a system of collecting and evaluating the best practices of campuses and school districts.
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/data/docmodel/793/billtext/pdf/HB00001F.PDF
Title: H.B. 1C (Section 7.009)
Source: Texas Legislature
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| NJ | Signed into law 11/2000 | P-12 | Relates to State aid for school districts with concentrations of low-income pupils; establishes minimum period of school district eligibility for early childhood and demonstrably effective program aids; provides budget cap exclusion for demonstrably effective program aid.
Title: S.B. 838
Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet
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