Bill Text: AZ HB2675 | 2024 | Fifty-sixth Legislature 2nd Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: School report cards; letter grades
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-03-12 - Senate minority caucus: Do pass [HB2675 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2024-HB2675-Engrossed.html
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House Engrossed
school report cards; letter grades |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session 2024
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HOUSE BILL 2675 |
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An Act
amending sections 15-211, 15-215, 15-241, 15-241.01, 15-241.02, 15-393.01, 15-459, 15-537, 15-741.02, 15-746, 15-2401 and 41-5841, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school accountability.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-211, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-211. K-3 reading program; dyslexia specialist; dyslexia training; receipt and use of monies; additional funding; annual report
A. The department of education shall administer a K-3 reading program to improve the reading proficiency of pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three in the public schools of this state.
B. The department of education shall designate a dyslexia specialist for the department to provide school districts and charter schools with support and resources that are necessary to assist students with dyslexia.
C. On or before July 1, 2022, Each school district and charter school shall ensure that at least one kindergarten through third grade teacher, literacy coach or literacy specialist in each school has received training related to dyslexia that complies with the requirements prescribed in section 15-219.
D. Each school district and charter school shall submit to the department of education a plan for improving the reading proficiency of the school district's or the charter school's pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three. The plan shall include baseline data on the reading proficiency of the school district's or the charter school's pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three and a budget for spending monies from both the K-3 support level weight and the K-3 reading support level weight established in section 15-943. Each school district and charter school shall annually submit to the department of education on or before October 1 an updated K-3 reading program plan that includes data on program expenditures and results.
E. School districts and charter schools shall use monies generated by the K-3 reading support level weight established in section 15-943 only on instructional purposes based on the plan submitted pursuant to subsection D of this section intended to improve reading proficiency for pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three with particular emphasis on pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one and two.
F. Each school district and charter school that is assigned a letter grade of C, D or F performance classification indicating that the school district or charter school does not exceed the expected standards pursuant to section 15-241 or that has more than ten percent of its pupils in grade three who do not demonstrate sufficient reading skills as established by the state board of education according to the reading portion of the statewide assessment shall receive monies generated by the K-3 reading support level weight established in section 15-943 only after the K-3 reading program plan of the school district or charter school has been submitted, reviewed and recommended for approval by the department of education and approved by the state board. The state board must give approval to a school district or charter school before any portion of the monies generated by the K-3 reading support level weight may be distributed to the school district or charter school pursuant to this subsection.
G. Pupils in a charter school that is in its first year of operation and that is sponsored by the state board of education, the state board for charter schools, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, a community college district or a group of community college districts are eligible for the K-3 reading support level weight.
H. The department of education shall solicit gifts, grants and donations from any lawful public or private source in order to provide additional funding for the K-3 reading program.
I. The state board of education may establish rules and policies for the K-3 reading program, including:
1. The proper use of monies in accordance with subsection E of this section.
2. The distribution of monies by the department of education in accordance with subsection D of this section.
3. The compliance of reading proficiency plans submitted pursuant to subsection D of this section with section 15-704.
J. Pursuant to subsection I of this section, the department of education shall develop program implementation guidance for school districts and charter schools to assist schools in administering an effective K-3 evidence-based reading program plan. This guidance shall include identifying and recommending appropriate program expenditures, providing technical oversight and assistance for annually updating reading program plans, selecting and adopting evidence-based reading curricula and providing and promoting teacher professional development that is based on evidence-based reading research. The department shall prioritize supports and interventions, including enrollment in reading trainings and professional development, for school districts and charter schools that have the highest percentage of pupils who do not demonstrate sufficient reading skills as established by the state board of education. The department shall deposit any monies received for offering reading trainings or professional development, including coaching, in the department of education professional development revolving fund established by section 15-237.01.
K. On or before December 15, the department of education shall submit an annual report on the K-3 reading program to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and shall provide a copy of this annual report to the secretary of state, the state board of education and the chairpersons of the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives. The report shall contain all of the following:
1. Information on the improvement of K-3 reading in this state, including achievement data statewide and achievement data at the school district and charter school level. The information pursuant to this paragraph shall include data and information on continued proficiency on the statewide assessment in subsequent grades.
2. A description of the activities of the department to support school districts and charter schools in improving K-3 reading.
3. Specific findings on methods by which the department may continue to improve support and assistance for school districts and charter schools in the administration of K-3 reading program plans.
4. Information and data on K-3 reading program plans throughout this state and the expenditure of K-3 reading monies by school districts and charter schools.
5. Data reported pursuant to section 15-701, subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision (d).
Sec. 2. Section 15-215, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-215. Petition process for regulatory exemptions; annual report
A. Notwithstanding any other law, if a school district or charter school has been assigned a letter grade of A the highest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 during at least two out of the last three consecutive years and has not been assigned a letter grade of C, D or F performance classifications indicating that the SCHOOL district or charter school exceeded the expected standards during the same three years and the school district or charter school does not have any schools under its control that have been assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 during the same three years, the school district or charter school may receive exemptions from statutes and rules as prescribed in this section.
B. If a school district or charter school qualifies for an exemption pursuant to subsection A of this section, the school district or charter school on approval of the charter school sponsor may identify and submit exemptions to statutes and rules relating to schools, charter schools, school district governing boards, charter school governing bodies and school districts to the state board of education for approval. The state board of education shall review and may approve the exemptions submitted by the school district or charter school, except for those statutes and rules that the state board of education determines directly apply to the following, as applicable:
1. Certification.
2. Health and safety.
3. State academic standards and assessments.
4. Requirements for the graduation of pupils from high school.
5. Special education.
6. Financial compliance and procurement requirements.
7. The school and school district accountability provisions of section 15-241.
C. The state board of education may make adjustments to the list of exemptions submitted by school districts and charter schools to comply with voter-approved mandates and federal law in the least restrictive manner allowed by law.
D. Exemptions previously issued by the state board of education pursuant to this section shall be immediately discontinued if a school district or charter school falls below the criteria prescribed in subsection A of this section.
E. The state board of education shall submit to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before December 1 of each year a report that includes a list of the exemptions submitted by school districts and charter schools and a list of the exemptions that were denied by the state board. The state board shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state.
Sec. 3. Section 15-241, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-241. School, charter school and school district accountability; annual achievement profiles; performance classifications; profiles; appeals process; failing schools tutoring fund; definition
A. On or before November 1 of each year, the department of education shall compile for each public school and local education agency, and shall recommend to the state board of education, an annual achievement profile that consists of an educational dashboard that reflects the achievement for each public school and local education agency on the academic and educational performance indicators prescribed in subsection D of this section, except that a career technical education district may not be assigned a letter grade performance classification pursuant to this section. The department shall provide any technical assistance needed by the state board to make final adoption of the annual achievement profile.
B. Each school, charter holder and school district shall submit to the department of education any data that is required and requested and that is necessary to compile the achievement profile. A school or local education agency that fails to submit the information that is necessary is not eligible to receive monies from the classroom site fund established by section 15-977.
C. The annual achievement profile compiled by the department of education and recommended to the state board of education shall be used to determine a standard measurement of acceptable academic progress for each school and local education agency and a school and local education agency classification pursuant to subsection G of this section. Any disclosure of educational records compiled by the department pursuant to this section shall comply with the family educational rights and privacy act of 1974 (20 United States Code section 1232g).
D. The annual achievement profile for schools and local education agencies shall include, at a minimum, the following academic and educational performance indicators:
1. Multiple measures of academic performance or other academically relevant indicators of school quality that are appropriate to assess the educational impact of a school during the academic year as determined by the state board of education.
2. Academic progress on assessments adopted pursuant to sections 15-741 and 15-741.02 in English language arts and mathematics.
3. Academic progress on the English language learner assessments administered pursuant to section 15-756, subsection B and section 15-756.05.
4. Progress toward college and career readiness for all schools and local education agencies that offer instruction in any of grades nine through twelve.
5. Academic progress on assessments administered pursuant to section 15-741.02.
6. Multiple measures of educational performance or other relevant indicators of school quality that assess a school's educational impact, such as graduation rates and attendance rates.
E. If neither the school nor the school district meets the minimum student count as recommended by the department of education and approved by the state board of education for any of the performance indicators prescribed in subsection D of this section, the performance indicator shall not be factored into the letter grade assigned performance classification pursuant to this section.
F. Subject to final adoption by the state board of education, the department of education shall determine the criteria for each school and local education agency classification on each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile prescribed in subsection D of this section using a researched-based research-based methodology and shall recommend to the state board for final adoption the criteria for each school and local education agency classification. The department shall develop the methodology in collaboration with a coalition of qualified technical and policy stakeholders appointed by the state board. The department shall provide technical assistance and, on request, student or statewide performance indicator data needed to determine and calculate the methodology and final letter grades performance classifications. At a minimum, the methodology shall include the performance of pupils at all achievement levels, account for pupil mobility, account for the distribution of pupil achievement at each school and local education agency and include longitudinal indicators of academic performance. For the purposes of this subsection, "researched-based research-based methodology" means the systematic and objective application of statistical and quantitative research principles to calculate the indicators used to determine A through F letter grades the performance classifications.
G. The annual achievement profile shall use performance classifications based on an A through F letter grade a system adopted by the state board of education in which a letter grade of A reflects an excellent level of performance and a letter grade of F reflects a failing level of performance. The A through F letter grade system performance classifications shall be applied to each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile prescribed in subsection D of this section, and the state board shall assign an overall letter grade performance classification for the public school or local education agency. The A through F letter grade system performance classifications shall indicate expected standards of performance for all schools on each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile prescribed in subsection D of this section and the manner in which schools may rise above or fall below those expected standards of performance. The state board may also assign the lowest performance classification to a school a letter grade of F on for each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile prescribed in subsection D of this section if the state board determines that the school is among the persistently lowest-achieving schools in the state on the majority of the performance indicators of the annual achievement profile under the federal school accountability requirements pursuant to section 1003(g) of the elementary and secondary education act (20 United States Code section 6303).
H. The classification on each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile for each school and the criteria used to determine the performance classification assigned pursuant to subsections F and G of this section shall be included on the school report card prescribed in section 15-746. The school report card shall also explain whether the performance classification assigned pursuant to subsections F and G of this section indicates that the school meets the expected standards, fails to meet the expected standards or exceeds the expected standards.
I. Subject to final adoption by the state board of education, the department of education shall use achievement profiles appropriately to assess the educational impact of accommodation schools, alternative schools and extremely small schools, may develop profiles for schools that participate in the board examination system prescribed in chapter 7, article 6 of this title and schools that participate in Arizona online instruction pursuant to section 15-808 and may develop other exceptions as prescribed by the state board for the purposes of this section.
J. The department of education shall establish a process, including a deadline for when requests must be submitted, for a school or local education agency to correct student data used to determine the school's or local education agency's annual achievement profile. If a correction to student data is required, the department shall notify the school or local education agency of the data correction process and shall annually process student data correction requests. The state board of education shall establish an appeals process to allow a school or local education agency to appeal the school's or local education agency's final letter grade performance classification, or a letter grade performance classification applied to a performance indicator prescribed in subsection D of this section, based on mitigating factors, including achievement profile designations based on incorrect data, identified by the department.
K. The failing schools tutoring fund is established consisting of monies collected pursuant to section 42-5029, subsection E and section 42-5029.02, subsection A, paragraph 8 as designated for this purpose. The department of education shall administer the fund. The department may use monies from the fund to purchase materials designed to assist students to meet the Arizona academic standards and to achieve a passing score on assessments adopted by the state board of education.
L. For the purposes of this section, "academic progress" means measures of both proficiency and academic gain.
Sec. 4. Section 15-241.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-241.01. School accountability; public hearing; alternative operation plans; confidentiality
A. If a school district has six or more schools and at least one-half of the schools in the district are assigned a letter grade of D or F performance classification pursuant to this section that indicates the schools failed to meet the expected standards and at least one school is assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification, the department of education may submit to the state board of education a recommendation for a public hearing to determine if whether the school district should be subject to an alternative operation plan and the reasons for that recommendation. When considering whether to recommend a public hearing pursuant to this subsection, the department shall consider at least the following:
1. The likelihood that continued school-based interventions will be successful.
2. The extent to which the school district administrators and the school district governing board impacted the assignment of the letter grades of D and F failing performance classifications to the district's schools.
3. Whether those schools assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification have demonstrated reasonable academic growth as determined by the measure of academic progress established pursuant to this section.
B. If the department of education recommends a public hearing pursuant to subsection A of this section, the state board of education shall meet and may provide by a majority vote of the entire board for the development and implementation of an alternative operation plan as allowed by this section. When determining whether to place a school district under an alternative operation plan, the state board shall consider at least the following:
1. The likelihood that continued school-based interventions will be successful.
2. The extent to which the school district administrators and the school district governing board impacted the assignment of the letter grades D and F failing performance classifications to the district's schools.
3. Whether those schools assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification have demonstrated reasonable academic growth as determined by the measure of academic progress established pursuant to this section.
C. Before a public hearing is held pursuant to subsection B of this section, the department of education shall recommend to the state board of education at least three governmental, nonprofit or private organizations or persons to manage the school district's affairs. If the state board approves the implementation of an alternative operation plan, it shall make an appointment appoint an organization or person from the list provided by the department of education. On making this appointment the state board shall immediately determine which powers enumerated in subsection D of this section shall will be temporarily granted to the appointed organization or person. The authority granted pursuant to this subsection shall be is effective until the state board reviews the alternative operation plan as described in subsection E of this section.
D. An organization or person appointed pursuant to subsection C of this section shall begin a full review and investigation of the school district's educational affairs and shall submit to the state board of education a detailed report listing the findings of that investigation. This report shall include an alternative operation plan that details how the school district will raise the level of academic achievement so that all of the schools in the school district are assigned grade letters of A, B or C performance classifications indicating that the schools meet or exceed the expected standards pursuant to this section. The plan shall include a proposed timeline for improving academic achievement. The alternative operation plan shall also include a timeline and details concerning how the organization or person will transition the administration of the school district back to the locally elected governing board. The organization or person shall submit the report within one hundred twenty days from after the date the organization or person was appointed by the state board. If approved by the state board, the alternative operation plan may authorize the appointed organization or person to do any of the following:
1. Override any decisions of the school district governing board or the school district superintendent, or both, concerning the management and operation of the school district, and initiate and make decisions concerning the management and operation of the school district, including reopening the school as a charter school.
2. Hire personnel, terminate personnel and cancel existing employment contracts, including the district superintendent, to the extent permitted by law. The appointed organization or person may refuse to reemploy any certificated teacher who has not been employed by the school district for more than the major portion of three consecutive school years as provided in section 15-536.
3. Attend any meetings of the school district governing board and administrative staff.
4. Supervise the activities of the school district's staff, including reassigning the duties and responsibilities of personnel in a manner that, as determined by the appointed organization or person, best suits the needs of the school district.
5. To the extent permitted allowed by law, cancel or renegotiate any contract, other than contracts of certificated teachers who have been employed by the school district in the capacity of a certificated teacher for more than one year, to which the governing board or the school district is a party if the cancellation or renegotiation of the contract will produce needed economies in the operation of the district's schools.
E. The state board of education shall periodically review the status of a school district that is operating under an alternative operation plan pursuant to this section to determine whether the operations of the school district should be returned to the school district governing board. Before the state board makes a determination to terminate an alternative operation plan, the state board or its designee shall meet with the school district governing board or its designee to establish an appropriate time frame and address any additional operational considerations that are necessary to ensure a smooth transition of authority from the appointed organization or person back to the school district governing board. When determining whether to terminate an alternative operation plan, the state board shall consider whether the district's schools have made significant academic gains as determined by individual school achievement profiles established pursuant to this section.
F. If at any time the state board determines that the progress of an organization or person who is appointed pursuant to this subsection or subsection C of this section is insufficient, the state board may remove that organization or person and make an alternative appointment. All authority granted pursuant to the approved alternative operation plan shall be transferred to the newly appointed organization or person. The state board may require the newly appointed organization or person to prepare a revised alternative operation plan as described in subsection D of this section.
G. All expenses and costs of an organization or person appointed by the state board pursuant to subsection C or F of this section shall be paid by the school district. The state board of education shall review the expenses and costs at least twice each calendar year to ensure that the fees are reasonable and appropriate.
H. The operation of a school district by an organization or person appointed pursuant to this section shall not interfere with the election of school district governing board members.
I. The school district shall indemnify the organization or person appointed pursuant to subsection C or F of this section if that organization or person is made or threatened to be made a party to any litigation by reason of the organization's or person's status under this section and if the organization or person acted in good faith and in a manner the organization or person believed to be lawful and in the best interest of the school district.
J. All information received and records or reports kept by the state board of education during an investigation resulting from a complaint against an organization or person appointed pursuant to subsection C or F of this section are confidential and are not public records.
Sec. 5. Section 15-241.02, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-241.02. School improvement plans; solutions teams; withholding of state monies; posting and notification requirements
A. If a school within a school district is assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241, within ninety days after receiving notice of the classification, the school district governing board shall develop an improvement plan for the school, submit a copy of the plan to the superintendent of public instruction and the county educational service agency and supervise the implementation of the plan. The governing board shall include in the plan necessary components as identified by the state board of education. Within thirty days after submitting the improvement plan to the superintendent of public instruction and the county educational service agency, the governing board shall hold a public meeting in each school that has been assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification and shall present the respective improvement plans that have been developed for each school. The governing board, within thirty sixty days after receiving notice of the classification, shall provide written notification notify the parents of the students attending the school of the classification to each residence within the attendance area of the school as provided in subsection U of this section. The notice shall explain the improvement plan process and provide information regarding the public meeting required by this subsection.
B. A school that has not submitted an improvement plan pursuant to subsection A of this section is not eligible to receive monies from the classroom site fund established by section 15-977 for every day that a plan has not been received by the superintendent of public instruction within the time specified in subsection A of this section plus an additional ninety days. The state board of education shall require the superintendent of the school district to testify before the state board and explain the reasons that an improvement plan for that school has not been submitted.
C. If a charter school is assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241, within thirty sixty days the school shall notify the parents of the students attending the school of the classification as provided in subsection U of this section. The notice shall explain the improvement plan process and provide information regarding the public meeting required by this subsection. Within ninety days after receiving the classification, the charter holder shall present an improvement plan to the charter sponsor at a public meeting and submit a copy of the plan to the sponsor of the charter school. The charter holder shall include in the improvement plan necessary components as identified by the state board of education. The school is not eligible to receive monies from the classroom site fund established by section 15-977 for every day that an improvement plan has not been received by the sponsor of the charter school within the time specified in this subsection plus an additional ninety days. The charter holder shall appear before the sponsoring board and explain why the improvement plan has not been submitted.
D. If a school is assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 for a third consecutive year, the department of education shall visit the school site to confirm the classification data and to review the implementation of the school's improvement plan. The school shall be assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification unless an alternate letter grade performance classification is assigned after an appeal pursuant to section 15-241, subsection J. A school that is assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification for fewer than three consecutive years may also be assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification if the state board of education determines that there is no reasonable likelihood that the school will achieve an average level of performance within the next two years.
E. The superintendent of public instruction and the county educational service agency shall collaborate to assign a solutions team to a school assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 or a school assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 based on academic need and available resources. County educational service agencies may enter into agreements to provide services to schools from other counties. Any other school, subject to available resources, may be assigned a solutions team pursuant to a mutual agreement between the department of education or the county education service agency, or both, and the school. The solutions team shall be composed of master teachers, fiscal analysts and curriculum assessment experts who are certified by the state board of education as Arizona academic standards technicians. The department of education or the county educational service agency may hire or contract with administrators, principals and teachers who have demonstrated experience in improving academic outcomes and may use these personnel as part of the solutions team. The department of education shall work with staff at the school to assist in curricula alignment and shall instruct teachers on how to increase pupil academic progress, considering the school's annual achievement profile. The solutions team shall consider the existing improvement plan to assess the need for changes to curricula, professional development and resource allocation and shall present a statement of its findings to the school administrator and district superintendent. Within forty-five days after the presentation of the solutions team's statement of findings, the school district governing board, in cooperation with each school within the school district that is assigned a letter grade of D failing performance classification that is not the lowest performance classification and its assigned solutions team representative, shall develop and submit to the department of education and the county educational service agency an action plan that details the manner in which the school district will assist the school as the school incorporates the findings of the solutions team into the improvement plan. The department of education shall review the action plan and shall either accept the action plan or return the action plan to the school district for modification. If the school district does not submit an approved action plan within forty-five days, the state board of education may direct the superintendent of public instruction to withhold up to ten percent of state monies that the school district would otherwise be entitled to receive each month until the plan is submitted to the department of education and the county educational service agency, at which time those monies shall be returned to the school district.
F. The parent or guardian of a pupil may apply to the department of education, in a manner determined by the department of education, for a certificate of supplemental instruction from the failing schools tutoring fund established by section 15-241. Pupils attending a school assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification may select an alternative tutoring program in academic standards from a provider that is certified by the state board of education. To qualify, the provider must state in writing a level of academic improvement for the pupil that includes a timeline for improvement that is agreed to by the parent or guardian of the pupil. The state board of education shall annually review academic performance levels for certified providers and may remove a provider at a public hearing from an approved list of providers if that provider fails to meet its stated level of academic improvement. The state board of education shall determine the application guidelines and the maximum value for each certificate of supplemental instruction. The state board of education shall annually complete a market survey in order to determine the maximum value for each certificate of supplemental instruction. This subsection does not require this state to provide additional monies beyond the monies provided pursuant to section 42-5029, subsection E, paragraph 7 or section 42-5029.02, subsection A, paragraph 7.
G. Within sixty days after receiving notification of that a school within a school district being was assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241, the school district governing board shall evaluate needed changes to the existing school improvement plan, consider recommendations from the solutions team, submit a copy of the plan to the superintendent of public instruction and the county educational service agency and supervise the implementation of the plan. Within thirty days after submitting the improvement plan to the superintendent of public instruction and the county educational service agency, the governing board shall hold a public meeting in each school that has been assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification and shall present the respective improvement plans that have been developed for each school. The governing board, within thirty sixty days after receiving notice of the classification, shall provide written notification notify the parents of the students attending the school of the classification to each residence in the attendance area of the school as provided in subsection U of this section. The notice shall explain the improvement plan process and provide information regarding the public meeting required by this subsection.
H. A school that has not submitted an improvement plan pursuant to subsection G of this section is not eligible to receive monies from the classroom site fund established by section 15-977 for every day that a plan has not been received by the superintendent of public instruction within the time specified in subsection G of this section plus an additional ninety days. The state board of education shall require the superintendent of the school district to testify before the state board and explain the reasons that an improvement plan for that school has not been submitted.
I. If a charter school is assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241, the department of education shall immediately notify the charter school's sponsor. The charter school's sponsor shall either take action to restore the charter school to acceptable performance or revoke the charter school's charter. Within thirty sixty days, the charter school shall notify the parents of the students attending the school of the classification and of any pending public meetings to review the issue as provided in subsection U of this section.
J. The department of education shall evaluate a school that has been assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 to determine whether the school, charter holder or school district failed to properly implement its school improvement plan, align the curricula with academic standards, provide teacher training, prioritize the budget or implement other proven strategies to improve academic performance. After visiting the school site pursuant to subsection D of this section, the department of education shall submit to the state board of education a recommendation either to proceed pursuant to subsections E, F and G of this section or that the school be subject to a public hearing to determine whether the school failed to properly implement its improvement plan and the reasons for the department's recommendation. If the school is a charter school, the department shall submit a report to the sponsor of the charter school. The sponsor shall make a determination pursuant to subsection N of this section.
K. If the department of education recommends a public hearing, the state board of education shall meet and may provide by a majority vote at the public hearing for the continued operation of the school as allowed by this subsection. The state board of education shall determine whether governmental, nonprofit and private organizations may submit applications to the state board to fully or partially manage the school. The state board's determination shall include:
1. Whether and to what extent the local governing board may participate in the operation of the school, including personnel matters.
2. Whether and to what extent the state board will participate in the operation of the school.
3. Resource allocation pursuant to subsection M of this section.
4. Provisions for the development and submittal of a school improvement plan to be presented in a public meeting at the school.
5. A suggested time frame for the alternative operation of the school.
L. The state board of education shall periodically review the status of a school that is operated by an organization other than the school district governing board to determine whether the operation of the school should be returned to the school district governing board. Before the state board makes a determination, the state board or its designee shall meet with the school district governing board or its designee to determine the time frame, operational considerations and appropriate continuation of existing improvements that are necessary to ensure a smooth transition of authority from the other organization back to the school district governing board.
M. If an alternative operation plan is provided pursuant to subsection K of this section, the state board of education shall pay for the operation of the school and shall adjust the school district's district additional assistance pursuant to section 15-961, base support level pursuant to section 15-943, monies distributed from the classroom site fund established by section 15-977 and transportation support level pursuant to section 15-945 to accurately reflect any reduction in district services that are no longer provided to that school by the district. The state board may modify the school district's revenue control limit, the district support level and the general budget limit calculated pursuant to section 15-947 by an amount that corresponds to this reduction in services. The state board shall retain the portion of state aid that would otherwise be due the school district for the school and shall distribute that portion of state aid directly to the organization that contracts with the state board to operate the school.
N. If the sponsor of a charter school determines that a charter holder failed to properly implement its improvement plan, the sponsor of the charter school shall revoke the charter school's charter.
O. If there are more than two schools in a district and more than one-half, or in any case more than five, of the schools in the district are assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 for more than two consecutive years, in the next election of governing board members the election ballot shall contain the following statement immediately above the listing of governing board candidates:
Within the last five years, (number of schools) schools in the ________ school district have been assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification.
P. At least twice each year The department of education shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation in each county of this state post in a conspicuous location on its website and on all official communication channels, including any social media platform for which the department has an account, a list of schools that are assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241.
Q. The state board of education shall adopt guidelines to include supplementary training in reading instruction for teachers who provide instruction to pupils in a kindergarten program or grade one, two or three in an improvement plan pursuant to subsection A of this section.
R. In addition to any other corrective procedures prescribed in this section and sections 15-241 and 15-241.01, a school that has been assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification for two consecutive years shall implement a science, technology, engineering and mathematics intervention strategy under the supervision of the state board of education.
S. In addition to any other corrective procedures prescribed in this section, a school district that has been assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification pursuant to section 15-241 for two consecutive years shall implement a parent involvement strategy. The parent involvement strategy shall be included in the school improvement plan for each applicable school within the district, as prescribed in subsection A or G of this section, as applicable.
T. The department of education shall publish criteria for a school's or school district's exit status from a previous assignment of a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification in accordance with this section. The criteria shall prescribe the actions and results necessary to be deemed to have complied with this section regarding school improvement, including the proper implementation of a school improvement plan pursuant to subsection J of this section. These criteria shall be provided to a school or school district if it is assigned a letter grade of F the lowest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241.
U. Within sixty days after receiving notification that a charter school or a school within a school district has been assigned a failing performance classification pursuant to section 15-241, the charter school governing body or school district governing board shall provide to the parents of each student attending the school:
1. Notification that the school has been assigned a failing performance classification.
2. The school's report card completed pursuant to section 15-746. A school may satisfy the requirement under this paragraph by providing a web address for or hyperlink to the school's report card.
V. The notifications described in subsection U of this section may be delivered electronically if the school district or charter school electronically communicates with the parents of students in the ordinary course of business. Any electronic communications sent pursuant to this subsection must contain hyperlinks to websites that provide further information.
Sec. 6. Section 15-393.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-393.01. Career technical education districts; annual report; performance and accountability
A. The department of education shall include each career technical education district in the department's annual achievement profiles required by section 15-241, except that a career technical education district may not be assigned a letter grade performance classification pursuant to section 15-241. Subject to approval by the state board of education, the department shall develop specific criteria applicable to career technical education districts that may not be based solely on the criteria prescribed in the Carl D. Perkins vocational education act, as amended by the Carl D. Perkins vocational and applied technology education act amendments of 1990, as amended by the Carl D. Perkins vocational and technical education act of 1998. The department shall include all of the following performance indicators in the annual achievement profiles and provide a copy of the information to each career technical education district governing board:
1. The graduation rate of all students enrolled in a career and technical education program or course.
2. The completion rate for each program offered by the career technical education district.
3. Performance on assessments required pursuant to section 15-391, paragraph 4, subdivision (b).
4. Postgraduation employment rates, postsecondary enrollment rates and military service rates for students who complete a career and technical education program.
B. A career technical education district is subject to the performance audits pursuant to section 41-1279.03, subsection A, paragraph 9. The auditor general shall consider the differences and applicable laws for a career technical education district when conducting a performance audit for a career technical education district.
C. On or before December 31 of each year, the career and technical education division of the department of education shall submit a career technical education district annual report to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and shall submit a copy of this report to the secretary of state. The career and technical education division of the department of education shall submit a copy of this report to the joint legislative budget committee for review. The annual report shall include the following:
1. The average daily membership of each career technical education district, including the average daily membership of each centralized campus, satellite campus and leased centralized campus as defined in section 15-393.
2. The actual student count of each career technical education district, including the student count of each centralized campus, satellite campus and leased centralized campus as defined in section 15-393.
3. The programs and corresponding courses offered by each career technical education district, including the location of each program and course.
4. For each career technical education district based on program or course location:
(a) The student enrollment of each program and corresponding course.
(b) The percentage of students who enrolled in the second year of each program and corresponding course relative to the number of students in the same cohort who enrolled in the first year of each program and corresponding course.
(c) The percentage of students who completed each program relative to the number of students in the same cohort who began the program.
5. The costs associated with each program offered by the career technical education district.
6. A listing of any programs or courses that were discontinued by review of the career and technical education division pursuant to section 15-393, subsection W.
7. A listing of any programs or courses that were continued by review of the career and technical education division pursuant to section 15-393, subsection W.
8. A listing of any programs or courses that were added by the career and technical education division.
9. For applicable school districts, the required maintenance of effort and how monies were used to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses, including expenditures related to personnel, equipment and facilities.
10. For students who meet the requirements to receive funding pursuant to section 15-393, subsection X, students enrolled in an internship course and students enrolled in the year immediately following graduation, a separate listing of the following information for each district:
(a) Average daily membership.
(b) The actual student count.
(c) Enrollment by course or program and persistence at each grade level toward completion of the program.
(d) The percentage of students who completed each program.
(e) The number of certifications and licenses earned by students delineated by those who attended a satellite program and those who attended a centralized campus.
11. Any other data or information deemed necessary by the department of education.
D. The office of the auditor general, in consultation with the department of education, shall develop and establish uniform cost reporting guidelines, policies and procedures for career technical education district programs. Any guideline, policy or procedure shall allow for the effective comparison of cost between career technical education district programs.
Sec. 7. Section 15-459, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-459. Consolidation of districts; petition; election; notice; report; ballots; canvass of votes; governing board
A. On the request of the governing boards of two or more school districts in the same county or in adjacent counties or on receipt of petitions bearing the signatures of ten percent or more of the number of qualified electors who voted in whichever of the last two general elections resulted in the higher number of ballots cast and who reside in each of two or more school districts in the same county or in adjacent counties to consolidate the school districts or parts of the districts, the county school superintendent of each of the counties affected, within ten days, shall call an election to determine the question on consolidation.
B. Consolidations allowed pursuant to subsection A of this section include consolidations:
1. To change the boundaries of a school district to include any part of an adjacent school district.
2. If In which all the common school districts within the boundaries of an existing union high school district desire to consolidate into one common school district.
3. If In which two or more adjacent school districts of the same type, both or all being common, union high or unified school districts, desire to consolidate into one common, union high or unified school district.
4. If In which a common school district that is not a part of a union high school district desires to consolidate with an adjacent unified school district.
5. If In which two or more common school districts desire to consolidate into one school district and unify the consolidated district with a union high school district to form one unified school district.
6. To change the boundaries of a school district that has received a letter grade of A or B performance classification indicating that the school district exceeded the expected standards pursuant to section 15-241 to include another school district within twenty miles.
C. If a school district provides only financing for pupils who are instructed by another school district in the same county or in an adjacent county, the school district or any part of the school district may be consolidated with the school district providing the instructional program as follows:
1. The governing board of the financing school district approves the consolidation or ten percent of the qualified electors residing in the school district, or that part of the school district proposed for consolidation, petitions the county school superintendent to call an election to approve the proposed consolidation.
2. At an election called by the county school superintendent of each of the counties affected, a majority of the persons voting in the school district, or that part of the school district providing financing, approve the proposed consolidation and a majority of the persons voting in the district providing instruction approve the proposed consolidation.
D. Elections held as provided in subsection C of this section shall be conducted in the same manner as elections prescribed in subsections F through J of this section and shall be held concurrently as prescribed in section 15-458.
E. Sections 15-457, 15-975 and 15-997 apply to school districts that are consolidated as provided in subsection C of this section.
F. Notice of the election to determine consolidation of school districts shall be posted in at least three public places in each of the school districts proposed to be consolidated at least ninety days before the election.
G. The county school superintendent shall prepare and the governing board shall distribute a report on the proposed boundary changes in a manner similar to that prescribed in section 15-481, subsection B. The report shall contain the following information:
1. The date of the election.
2. The polling places and times they are open.
3. The full cash value, the assessed valuation and the estimated amount of the primary property taxes and the estimated amount of the secondary property taxes under the proposed boundary changes for each of the following:
(a) An owner-occupied residence whose assessed valuation is the average assessed valuation of property classified as class three, as prescribed by section 42-12003 for the current year in the school district.
(b) An owner-occupied residence whose assessed valuation is one-half of the assessed valuation of the residence in subdivision (a) of this paragraph.
(c) An owner-occupied residence whose assessed valuation is twice the assessed valuation of the residence in subdivision (a) of this paragraph.
(d) A business whose assessed valuation is the average of the assessed valuation of property classified as class one, as prescribed by section 42-12001, paragraphs 12 and 13 for the current year in the school district.
4. A consolidation plan to include:
(a) The proposed boundary changes.
(b) The impact of the proposed boundary changes, including where pupils will attend school, changes in pupil transportation services, changes in availability of special education services, changes in pupil-teacher ratio and operational costs.
(c) If subsection P of this section applies to one or more of the existing school districts, a detailed description of desegregation funding and expenses for the resulting school district as set forth in subsection P of this section.
(d) Any other information the county school superintendent deems appropriate to include.
H. Ballots shall be prepared by the county school superintendent, shall be delivered to the inspector at least forty-eight hours before the opening of the polls as prescribed in section 16-509 and shall contain the information prescribed in subsection G, paragraph 3 of this section and the following statement: "Do you support consolidation under the specified provisions of the consolidation plan? Yes ( ) No ( )." If the election is to simultaneously consolidate and unify two or more common school districts, the ballot shall contain: "Do you support the consolidation of the (insert names of common school districts) and the subsequent unification of the consolidated districts with the (insert name of union high school district) to form one unified school district under the consolidation and unification plan? Yes ( ) No ( )."
I. The county school superintendent shall hold the election during the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year consolidation is proposed to be effective on a date prescribed by section 16-204. The election shall be held in the manner and electors shall possess qualifications as prescribed for the election of governing board members. The results of the election shall be reported to the county school superintendent.
J. The county school superintendent and the chairman of the board of supervisors, on the seventh day after the election, shall canvass the vote. If a majority of the votes cast in each district approved the consolidation, the districts are consolidated and become one district from and after June 30 next following the election. If parts of two or more school districts are proposed to be consolidated, a majority of the voters in the part of a school district or districts not included in the proposed consolidation and a majority of the voters in the part of the school district or districts proposed for consolidation must approve the consolidation.
K. If the consolidated district includes territory located in two or more counties, the county of jurisdiction is the county in which the largest number of qualified electors of the consolidated school district resides, except that if all of the existing school buildings are in one county, that county is the county of jurisdiction. The county school superintendent of the jurisdictional county shall perform all duties for and with respect to the consolidated school district as required to be performed by county school superintendents. The board of supervisors of the jurisdictional county shall perform all duties for and with respect to the consolidated school district as required to be performed by boards of supervisors, except that school district taxes to be levied on property in the portion of the consolidated school district lying in another county shall be levied by the board of supervisors of the other county or counties and on receipt shall be transferred to the county of jurisdiction. All school buildings located within the consolidated school district, together with all equipment and furnishings, become the property of the consolidated school district. Any assumed indebtedness is an indebtedness of the consolidated school district for the purpose of determining the debt incurring authority of the consolidated school district.
L. Consolidation pursuant to this section is not allowed if the resulting school district would have a student count for the current year of more than ten percent of the total student count of all school districts in this state.
M. The governing board is constituted, may conduct meetings and shall prepare policies, curricula and budgets for the new school district after the canvass pursuant to subsection J of this section demonstrates that a majority of the votes cast in each school district approved the consolidation. These policies shall require that:
1. The base salary and benefits of each employee for the first year of operation of the new school district shall not be lower than the employee's base salary and benefits for the prior year in the previously existing school district.
2. The employee's years of employment in the previously existing school district shall be included in determining the employee's years of employment in the new school district. An employee who was entitled to continuing employment contract status in the previously existing school district is entitled to continuing employment contract status in the new school district.
3. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection and pursuant to section 15-544, this section does not restrict the ability of the governing board to implement a reduction in force or to scale back salaries of certified teachers, administrators or noncertificated employees for reasons of economy or to improve the efficient conduct of schools within the district following a school district consolidation.
N. If all of the districts to be consolidated have authorization for an override as provided in section 15-481 that would have continued after the consolidation, the override authorization continues for the new district and expires at the time that the earliest override would have expired.
O. If one or more, but not all, of the districts to be consolidated have authorization for an override as provided in section 15-481 that would have continued after the consolidation, the override authorization shall only apply to the schools included under the terms of the prior override authorization. Consolidation of school districts does not consolidate or pool the liability to be taxed for the override, and only property that was located within the boundaries of the district that approved the override before consolidation is to pay taxes to support the override. This subsection also applies if all of the districts to be consolidated have authorization for overrides, but the authorizations are pursuant to different subsections of section 15-481 or the override amounts are not the same percentage of the revenue control limit.
P. Notwithstanding section 15-457, consolidation of school districts does not consolidate or pool the liability of the former school districts into the resulting school district. Outstanding indebtedness incurred by a school district before consolidation shall be repaid without interruption according to existing debt schedules as determined by the county board of supervisors. If a school district consolidates after July 1, 2004, the new school district may pay tuition to the district of attendance when a pupil is precluded by distance or lack of transportation from attending school in the district of a pupil's residence.
Q. If one or more of the previously existing school districts were authorized to budget for expenses of complying with or continuing to implement activities that were required or permitted by court order of desegregation or administrative agreement with the United States department of education office for civil rights directed toward remediating alleged or proven racial discrimination pursuant to section 15-910, this authorization does not expire on the effective date of consolidation but only applies to schools included in the court order or administrative agreement.
R. If the formation of a new consolidated and unified school district is authorized, the terms of the governing board members of the common and union high school districts do not expire on the effective date of the unification. The governing board members of the previously existing school districts shall serve as provided in section 15-430, except that the power of the governing board members of the previously existing school districts acting as the governing board of the unified school district is limited to the maintenance and operation of the previously existing school districts and compliance with the consolidation and unification plan.
Sec. 8. Section 15-537, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-537. Performance of certificated teachers; evaluation system; alternative performance evaluation cycle; confidentiality
A. The governing board shall establish a system to evaluate the performance of certificated teachers in the school district that results in at least one evaluation of each certificated teacher by a qualified evaluator each school year or as provided in subsection B of this section. The governing board shall establish a teacher performance evaluation system that is designed to improve teacher performance and improve student achievement and that includes the use of quantitative data on the academic progress for all students, which shall account for between twenty percent and thirty-three percent of the evaluation outcomes. The evaluation system shall include four performance classifications, designated as highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective. The objectives of the teacher performance evaluation system are to improve instruction and maintain instructional strengths. The governing board shall involve its certificated teachers in the development and periodic evaluation of the teacher performance evaluation system.
B. A school district may use an alternative performance evaluation cycle pursuant to this subsection subject to the following:
1. The governing board shall adopt policies for an expedited performance review during the years in which a teacher is not undergoing a formal performance evaluation pursuant to subsection A of this section. The expedited performance review policies may classify teacher performance in categories that include teamwork and support for lower-performing teachers.
2. The governing board shall allow only teachers who have been evaluated and designated in the highest performance classification for at least three consecutive years by the same school district under the evaluation system established pursuant to subsection A of this section to participate in the alternative performance evaluation cycle.
3. If an expedited performance review under this subsection determines that the teacher is not in the highest performance classification, the teacher shall be removed from the alternative performance evaluation cycle and be reviewed under the evaluation system established pursuant to subsection A of this section.
C. The governing board shall adopt teacher evaluation policies in a public meeting. Before adopting teacher evaluation policies, the governing board shall provide opportunities for public discussion on the proposed policies. The policies shall describe:
1. Incentives for teachers in the highest performance classification, which may include multiyear contracts not to exceed three years. The policies shall specify that the offer and acceptance of a multiyear contract does not exclude that teacher from the application of section 15-538.01, 15-540, 15-541 or 15-549 and that the teacher may accept a multiyear contract offer or decline and accept a one-year contract.
2. Incentives for teachers in the two highest performance classifications to work at schools that are assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification pursuant to section 15-241.
3. Protections for teachers who are transferred to schools that are assigned a letter grade of D or F failing performance classification pursuant to section 15-241.
4. Protections for teachers if the principal of the school is designated in the lowest performance classification.
D. The policies prescribed in subsection C of this section shall describe:
1. Performance improvement plans for teachers designated in the lowest performance classification.
2. Dismissal or nonrenewal procedures pursuant to section 15-536 or 15-539 for teachers who continue to be designated in the lowest performance classification. The procedures shall require that the school district issue the preliminary notice of inadequacy of classroom performance no not later than the second consecutive year that the teacher is designated in one of the two lowest performance classifications unless the teacher is in the first or second year of employment with the school district or has been reassigned to teach a new subject or grade level for the preceding or current school year.
E. A teacher who has been employed by the school district for the major portion of three or more consecutive school years and who is currently designated in the lowest performance classification for two consecutive school years shall not be transferred as a teacher to another school in that school district unless the school district has issued a preliminary notice of inadequacy of classroom performance and approved a performance improvement plan for the teacher pursuant to section 15-539 and the governing board has approved the new placement as in the best interests of the pupils in the school. A teacher who continues to be designated in one of the two lowest performance classifications shall not be permitted allowed to transfer to another school. A teacher shall not be transferred more than once pursuant to this subsection.
F. The governing board shall prescribe specific procedures for the teacher performance evaluation system, which shall include at least the following elements:
1. At least two actual classroom observations of the certificated teacher demonstrating teaching skills in a complete and uninterrupted lesson by the qualified evaluator. There shall be at least sixty calendar days between the first and last observations. The last observation may follow the issuance of a preliminary notice of inadequacy of classroom performance and be used to determine whether the teacher has corrected inadequacies and has demonstrated adequate classroom performance. An observation shall not be conducted within two instructional days of any scheduled period in which school is not in session for one week or more. Within ten business days after each observation, the qualified evaluator shall provide written feedback to the teacher.
2. Specific and reasonable plans for the improvement of teacher performance as provided in subsection I of this section.
3. Appeal procedures for teachers who disagree with the evaluation of their performance, if the evaluation is for use as criteria for establishing compensation.
4. Training requirements for qualified evaluators.
5. A plan for the appropriate use of quantitative data of student academic progress in evaluations of all certificated teachers. The plan may make distinctions between certificated teachers who provide direct instruction to students and certificated teachers who do not provide direct instruction to students. The plan may include data for multiple school years and may limit the use of data for certificated teachers who have taught for less than two complete school years.
G. The governing board may waive the requirement of a second classroom observation for a continuing teacher whose teaching performance based on the first classroom observation places the teacher in one of the two highest performance classifications for the current school year, unless the teacher requests a second observation.
H. The results of an annual evaluation conducted as provided in this section shall be in writing or provided in an electronic format to the certificated teacher, and a copy shall be transmitted or provided in an electronic format to the certificated teacher within five days after completion of the evaluation. The certificated teacher may initiate a written reaction or response to the evaluation.
I. Each evaluation shall include recommendations as to areas of improvement in the performance of the certificated teacher if the performance of the teacher warrants improvement. After transmittal of an evaluation, the qualified evaluator or another board designee shall confer with the teacher to make specific recommendations as to areas of improvement in the teacher's performance. The qualified evaluator or other board designee shall provide professional development opportunities for the certificated teacher to improve performance and follow up with the teacher after a reasonable period of time for the purpose of ascertaining that the teacher is demonstrating adequate performance.
J. Copies of the evaluation report and performance classification of a certificated teacher retained by the governing board and the department of education are confidential, do not constitute a public record and shall not be released or shown to any person except:
1. To the certificated teacher who may make any use of it.
2. To authorized district officers and employees for all personnel matters regarding employment and contracts and for any hearing that relates to personnel matters.
3. To school districts and charter schools that inquire about the performance of the teacher for prospective employment purposes. A school district or charter school that receives information about a certificated teacher from the evaluation report and performance classification shall use this information solely for employment purposes and shall not release this information to or allow access to this information by any other person, entity, school district or charter school.
4. For introduction in evidence or discovery in any court action between the governing board and the certificated teacher in which either:
(a) The competency of the teacher is at issue.
(b) The evaluation and performance classification were an exhibit at a hearing, the result of which is challenged.
K. Any school district policy pertaining to the transfer of teachers from one school to another school in a school district shall take into consideration the current distribution of teachers across all of the performance classifications and the needs of the pupils in the school district.
Sec. 9. Section 15-741.02, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-741.02. Menu of achievement assessments; requirements; rules; definition
A. The state board of education shall adopt a menu of achievement assessments to measure pupil achievement of the state academic standards. Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, Each local education agency that offers instruction in grades nine through twelve may select from that menu an achievement assessment to administer to the pupils in that local education agency in grades designated by the state board instead of the statewide assessment to measure pupil achievement adopted by the state board pursuant to section 15-741. No later than the 2023-2024 school year, Each local education agency that offers instruction in grades three through eight may select from that menu an achievement assessment to administer to the pupils in that local education agency instead of the statewide assessment to measure pupil achievement adopted by the state board pursuant to section 15-741. The department of education shall provide adequate staff support for the state board to comply with this section.
B. An achievement assessment in use by a local education agency that is not on the menu of assessments by March 1, 2018 may be added to the menu at the request of the local education agency and shall be approved by the state board of education if the assessment is nationally recognized, a qualifying college credit examination pursuant to section 15-249.06 or an assessment adopted pursuant to section 15-792.03 examination administered pursuant to article 6 of this chapter. The state board may approve any other assessment if the assessment meets the requirements of subsection E of this section. The state board shall evaluate assessments that are not on the menu pursuant to this section annually and shall notify local education agencies of the results on or before May 1 of each year.
C. A local education agency that selects an achievement assessment pursuant to this section meets the requirements prescribed in section 15-741. The local education agency shall include the name of the assessment it administers in the school report card required in section 15-746 and administer the assessment for a minimum period of time prescribed by the state board of education.
D. The state board of education shall adopt policies, rules and procedures to carry out this section. Any policy, rule or procedure adopted pursuant to this subsection may not require a local education agency to receive additional approval from the state board or the department of education to select an assessment from the menu of assessments. A local education agency that adopts an achievement assessment pursuant to this section shall provide the necessary reasonable accommodations for a student who is an English language learner and the necessary accommodations and modifications for a student as required by the student's individualized education program team.
E. The state board of education shall require that the provider of an achievement assessment that is proposed for the menu of achievement assessments do all of the following:
1. Provide evidence that the assessment is a high quality assessment.
2. Demonstrate that the assessment meets or exceeds the level of rigor of the state board's adopted academic standards.
3. Demonstrate that the assessment scores can be scaled for state accountability programs including establishing comparable student performance levels for achievement profiles and letter grade performance classifications issued pursuant to section 15-241.
4. Submit an evaluation from a third party approved by the state board that shows the assessment meets the requirements prescribed in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this subsection.
5. Provide a copy of assessment scores to the department of education when scores are provided to the partnering local education agency.
F. For the purposes of this section, "nationally recognized" means accepted by universities for the purposes of awarding college credit or admissions.
Sec. 10. Section 15-746, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-746. School report cards; distribution; annual report; posting
A. Each school shall distribute an annual report card that contains at least the following information:
1. A description of the school's regular, magnet and special instructional programs.
2. A description of the school's current academic goals.
3. A summary of each of the following:
(a) The results achieved by pupils who are enrolled at the school during the prior three school years as measured by the statewide assessment and the nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement test as designated by the state board and as reported in the annual report prescribed by section 15-743.
(b) Pupil progress on an ongoing and annual basis, showing the trends in gain or loss in pupil achievement over time in reading, language arts and mathematics for all years in which pupils are enrolled in the school district for an entire school year and for which this information is available.
(c) Pupil progress for pupils who are not enrolled in a district for an entire school year.
4. The attendance rate of pupils who are enrolled at the school as reflected in the school's average daily membership as defined in section 15-901.
5. The total number of incidents that occurred on the school grounds, at school bus stops, at stops for motor vehicles described in section 15-925, on school buses, on motor vehicles described in section 15-925 and at school-sponsored events and that required the contact of a local, county, tribal, state or federal law enforcement officer pursuant to section 13-3411, subsection F, section 13-3620, section 15-341, subsection A, paragraph 30 or section 15-515. The total number of incidents reported shall only include reports that law enforcement officers report to the school and that are supported by probable cause. For the purposes of this paragraph, a certified peace officer who serves as a school resource officer is a law enforcement officer. A school may provide clarifying information if the school has a school resource officer on campus.
6. The percentage of pupils who have either graduated to the next grade level or graduated from high school.
7. A description of the social services available at the school site.
8. The school calendar, including the length of the school day and hours of operations.
9. The total number of pupils who were enrolled at the school during the previous school year.
10. The transportation services available.
11. A description of the responsibilities of parents of children who are enrolled at the school.
12. A description of the responsibilities of the school to the parents of the children who are enrolled at the school, including dates the report cards are delivered to the home.
13. A description of the composition and duties of the school council as prescribed in section 15-351 if such a school council exists.
14. For the most recent year available, the average current expenditure per pupil for administrative functions compared to the predicted average current expenditure per pupil for administrative functions according to an analysis of administrative cost data by the joint legislative budget committee staff.
15. If the school provides instruction to pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three, the ratio of pupils to teachers in each classroom where instruction is provided in kindergarten programs and grades one through three.
16. The average class size per grade level for all grade levels, kindergarten programs and grades one through eight. For the purposes of this paragraph, "average class size" means the weighted average of each class.
B. The department of education shall develop a standardized report card format that meets the requirements of subsection A of this section. The department shall modify the standardized report card as necessary on an annual basis. The department shall distribute to each school in this state a copy of the standardized report card that includes the required test scores for each school. Additional copies of the standardized report card shall be available on request.
C. After each school has completed the report card distributed to it by the department of education, the school, in addition to distributing the report card as prescribed in subsection A of this section, shall send a copy of the report card to the department. The department shall prepare an annual report that contains the report card from each school in this state and shall publish the annual report on the department's website.
D. The school shall distribute report cards to parents of pupils who are enrolled at the school, not later than the last day of school of each fiscal year, and shall present a summary of the contents of the report cards at an annual public meeting held at the school. The school shall give notice at least two weeks before the public meeting that clearly states the purposes, time and place of the meeting. The distribution and notice requirements prescribed in this subsection may be satisfied by electronic communications if the school district or charter school electronically communicates with the parents of pupils in the ordinary course of business. Any electronic communications sent pursuant to this subsection must contain hyperlinks to websites that provide further information.
E. Beginning in fiscal year 2021-2022, The school report card prescribed by this section shall include a link to access the information required by section 15-747.
F. Each school district and charter school shall prominently post the report cards for each school operated by the school district or charter school on the website of the school district or charter school and, if AVAILABLE, on the individual school's website.
Sec. 11. Section 15-2401, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-2401. Definitions
In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Annual education plan" means an initial individualized evaluation and subsequent annual reviews that are developed for a qualified student who meets the criteria specified in paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii) or (iii) of this section to determine ongoing annual eligibility through the school year in which the qualified student reaches twenty-two years of age and whether the qualified student may be eligible pursuant to section 36-2981 and should be referred for eligibility determination.
2. "Curriculum" means a course of study for content areas or grade levels, including any supplemental materials required or recommended by the curriculum, approved by the department.
3. "Department" means the department of education.
4. "Eligible postsecondary institution" means a community college as defined in section 15-1401, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents or an accredited private postsecondary institution.
5. "Parent" means a resident of this state who is the parent, stepparent or legal guardian of a qualified student.
6. "Qualified school" means a nongovernmental primary or secondary school or a preschool for pupils with disabilities that is located in this state or, for qualified students who reside within the boundaries of an Indian reservation in this state, that is located in an adjacent state and that is within two miles of the border of the state in which the qualified student resides, and that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin.
7. "Qualified student" means a resident of this state who:
(a) Is any of the following:
(i) Identified as having a disability under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 (29 United States Code section 794).
(ii) Identified by a school district or by an independent third party pursuant to section 15-2403, subsection J as a child with a disability as defined in section 15-731 or 15-761.
(iii) A child with a disability who is eligible to receive services from a school district under section 15-763.
(v) A previous recipient of a scholarship issued pursuant to this section, unless the qualified student's parent has been removed from eligibility in the program for failure to comply pursuant to section 15-2403, subsection C.
(vi) A child of a parent who is a member of the armed forces of the United States and who is on active duty or was killed in the line of duty. A child who meets the requirements of this item is not subject to subdivision (b) of this paragraph.
(vii) A child who is a ward of the juvenile court and who is residing with a prospective permanent placement pursuant to section 8-862 and the case plan is adoption or permanent guardianship.
(viii) A child who was a ward of the juvenile court and who achieved permanency through adoption or permanent guardianship.
(ix) A child who is the sibling of a current or previous Arizona empowerment scholarship account recipient or of an eligible qualified student who accepts the terms of and enrolls in an Arizona empowerment scholarship account.
(x) A child who resides within the boundaries of an Indian reservation in this state as determined by the department of education or a tribal government.
(xi) A child of a parent who is legally blind or deaf or hard of hearing as defined in section 36-1941.
(b) And, except as provided in subdivision (a), items (iv) and (vi) of this paragraph, who meets any of the following requirements:
(i) Attended a governmental primary or secondary school as a full-time student as defined in section 15-901 for at least forty-five days of the current or prior fiscal year and who transferred from a governmental primary or secondary school under a contract to participate in an Arizona empowerment scholarship account. Kindergarten students who are enrolled in Arizona online instruction must receive one hundred hours of logged instruction to be eligible pursuant to this item. First, second and third grade students who are enrolled in Arizona online instruction must receive two hundred hours of logged instruction to be eligible pursuant to this item. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students who are enrolled in Arizona online instruction must receive two hundred fifty hours of logged instruction to be eligible pursuant to this item. Seventh and eighth grade students who are enrolled in Arizona online instruction must receive two hundred seventy-five hours of logged instruction to be eligible pursuant to this item. High school students who are enrolled in Arizona online instruction must receive two hundred fifty hours of logged instruction to be eligible pursuant to this item.
(ii) Previously participated in an Arizona empowerment scholarship account.
(iii) Received a scholarship under section 43-1505 and who continues to attend a qualified school if the student attended a governmental primary or secondary school as a full-time student as defined in section 15-901 for at least ninety days of the prior fiscal year or one full semester before attending a qualified school.
(iv) Was eligible for an Arizona scholarship for pupils with disabilities and received monies from a school tuition organization pursuant to section 43-1505 or received an Arizona scholarship for pupils with disabilities but did not receive monies from a school tuition organization pursuant to section 43-1505 and who continues to attend a qualified school if the student attended a governmental primary or secondary school as a full-time student as defined in section 15-901 for at least ninety days of the prior fiscal year or one full semester before attending a qualified school.
(v) Attended a nonpublic school for pupils with disabilities in the prior year if placement at the school was approved by the department of education and contracted for by a public school district.
(vi) Has not previously attended a governmental primary or secondary school but is currently eligible to enroll in a kindergarten program in a school district or charter school in this state or attended a program for preschool children with disabilities. For the purposes of this item, a child is eligible to enroll in a kindergarten program if the child is at least five years of age on January 1 of the current school year, is under seven years of age, has not already completed a kindergarten program and is not enrolled in grade one of a private or governmental school in the current year.
(vii) Has not previously attended a governmental primary or secondary school but is currently eligible to enroll in a program for preschool children with disabilities in this state.
8. "Treasurer" means the office of the state treasurer.
Sec. 12. Section 41-5841, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
41-5841. Achievement district schools; application; criteria
A. The credit enhancement eligibility board established by section 41-5852 shall establish an application process, application forms and selection criteria for a public school or charter school to qualify as an achievement district school for the purposes of article 11 of this chapter.
B. A public school or charter school that meets all of the following criteria is eligible to qualify as an achievement district school:
1. Has been assigned a letter grade of A, or an equivalent successor classification, the highest performance classification pursuant to section 15-241.
2. Has proven instructional strategies and curricula that demonstrate high academic outcomes.
3. Has a verifiable enrollment demand, including the placement of prospective pupils on a waiting list.
4. Has a sound financial plan that contemplates operational costs and future enrollment growth.
5. Has shown a commitment to provide technical assistance, including business services, curriculum development and teacher training, to an underperforming school in the state.
6. Meets any other criteria established by the credit enhancement eligibility board.
C. The credit enhancement eligibility board shall meet regularly to evaluate achievement district school applications and shall either approve or deny each application submitted. The board shall report its decision on each application to the public school or charter school within ten business days after the board's decision.
D. If a school's application is approved pursuant to this section, the school qualifies as an achievement district school and is eligible to apply for participation in the Arizona public school credit enhancement program established by section 41-5855.
