Bill Text: MS SB2791 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Mississippi UPSTART school readiness project; create.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2012-03-06 - Died In Committee [SB2791 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2012-SB2791-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Education; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) Burton
Senate Bill 2791
AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI UPSTART PROJECT TO SERVE AS A HOME-BASED EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM TO DEVELOP SCHOOL READINESS SKILLS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CONTRACT WITH A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOR PURPOSES OF PROVIDING DELIVERY OF THE PROGRAM FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN; TO PRESCRIBE THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE PROVIDER FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THAT THE CONTRACT PROVIDE FOR ONE YEAR OF FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM WITH AN OPTION TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT FOR ADDITIONAL YEARS OR EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO A GREATER NUMBER OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN; TO AUTHORIZE A LOCAL SCHOOL TO PARTICIPATE IN MISSISSIPPI UPSTART IF THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD AGREES TO WORK IN COOPERATION WITH THE CONTRACTOR; TO AUTHORIZE FAMILY PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM AND TO PRESCRIBE THE MANNER OF SOLICITING FAMILY PARTICIPATION; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR PARTICIPATING LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PURCHASE CERTAIN EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES TO BE USED IN THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE AN ANNUAL AUDIT OF THE USE OF FUNDS USED FOR MISSISSIPPI UPSTART; TO REQUIRE THAT THE AUDIT REQUIREMENT BE INCLUDED IN THE CONTRACT; TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MAKE AN ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE REPORT BY NOVEMBER 30 EACH YEAR; TO PROVIDE THAT NO STATE GENERAL FUNDS MAY BE USED TO CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1.
For purposes of this act, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed
in the section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) "Contractor" means a not-for-profit, source provider
of educational technology services selected by the State Board of Education as
determined by the Legislature under Section 2.
(b) "Low income" means an income below two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty guideline.
(c) "Preschool children" means children who are between age four (4) and five (5) years of age, who have not entered kindergarten.
(d) "Mississippi UPSTART" means the project established by Section 2 of this act which uses a home-based educational technology program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children.
SECTION 2. (1) Mississippi UPSTART, which uses a home-based educational technology program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children, is created to:
(a) Evaluate the effectiveness of providing preschool children with at-home access to interactive individualized instruction delivered by computers and the Internet to prepare them academically for success in school; and
(b) Test the
feasibility of scaling a home-based curriculum in reading, math, and science
delivered by computers and the Internet to all preschool children in the State
of Mississippi.
(2) The State Board of Education, acting on behalf of the Mississippi
Virtual Public School Program, may contract with a not-for-profit organization
for the delivery of a home-based educational technology program for preschool
children that meets the requirements of subsection (3) of this section.
(3) A home-based educational technology program for preschool children shall meet the following standards:
(a) The contractor shall provide computer-assisted instruction for preschool children on a home computer connected by the Internet to a centralized file storage facility;
(b) The contractor shall:
(i) Provide technical support to families for the installation and operation of the instructional software; and
(ii) Provide for the installation of computer and Internet access in homes of low-income families that cannot afford the equipment and service;
(c) The contractor shall have the capability of performing the following functions through the Internet:
(i) Communicating with parents;
(ii) Updating the instructional software;
(iii) Validating user access;
(iv) Collecting usage data;
(v) Storing research data; and
(vi) Producing reports for parents, schools and the Legislature;
(d) The program shall include the following components:
(i) Computer-assisted, individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and science;
(ii) A multisensory reading tutoring program; and
(iii) A validated computer adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who cannot read;
(e) The contractor shall have the capability to quickly and efficiently modify, improve and support the product;
(f) The contractor shall work in cooperation with school district personnel who will provide administrative and technical support of the program as provided in Section 3 of this act;
(g) The contractor must solicit families to participate in the program as provided in Section 4 of this act; and
(h) In implementing the home-based educational technology program, the contractor shall seek the advice and expertise of early childhood education professionals within Mississippi's institutions of higher learning on issues such as:
(i) Soliciting families to participate in the program;
(ii) Providing training to families; and
(iii) Motivating families to regularly use the instructional software.
(4) The contractor shall provide funding for a home-based educational technology program for preschool children for one (1) year with an option to extend the contract for additional years or to expand the program to a greater number of preschool children, subject to availability of funding from any public or private sources.
(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or prohibiting the State Board of Education or local school boards from entering into agreements with any not-for-profit provider to provide home-based educational technology; provided, however, that any provider of such services must meet the standards established in Section 2(3) of this act.
SECTION 3. (1) A school district may participate in Mississippi UPSTART or any program similar in design as Mississippi UPSTART, if the local school board agrees to work in cooperation with the contractor to provide administrative and technical support for the project.
(2) Family participants in Mississippi UPSTART shall be solicited from school districts that participate in Mississippi UPSTART.
(3) A school district that participates in Mississippi UPSTART or programs similar in design shall:
(a) Receive funding for paraprofessional and technical support staff, travel, materials and meeting costs of the program;
(b) Participate in program training by the contractor; and
(c) Agree to adopt standardized policies and procedures in implementing the project.
SECTION 4. (1) The contractor must solicit families to participate in Mississippi UPSTART through a public information campaign and referrals from participating school districts.
(2) (a) Preschool children who participate in Mississippi UPSTART must:
(i) Be selected from families with diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds; and
(ii) Reside in different regions of the state, in both urban and rural areas.
(b) A minimum of at least thirty percent (30%) of the preschool children selected to participate in Mississippi UPSTART must be from low-income families.
(3) A low-income family that cannot afford a computer and Internet service to operate the instructional software designed for the project may obtain a computer and peripheral equipment on loan from the Mississippi Virtual Public School Program or local school district, if a participant, and receive free Internet service for the duration of the family's participation in the project.
(4) The contractor shall make the home-based educational technology program available to families at an agreed-upon cost, which shall be stipulated in the contract agreement with the State Board of Education or participating local school district before the program is implemented, if the number of families desiring to participate in Mississippi UPSTART exceeds the number of participants funded by any public or private funding source; provided, however, that no state funds will be appropriated by the Legislature.
SECTION 5. The Mississippi Virtual Public School Program or a participating local school district may purchase computers, peripheral equipment and Internet service for low income families who cannot afford them through cooperative purchasing contracts administered by the State Department of Finance and Administration Office of Purchasing, Travel and Fleet Management under the authority of Chapter 7, Title 31, Mississippi Code of 1972.
SECTION 6. (1) The State Auditor shall conduct an annual audit of the contractor's use of funds for Mississippi UPSTART, or contract with an independent certified public accountant to conduct an annual audit.
(2) The State Board of Education shall require by contract that the contractor must open its books and records relating to its expenditure of funds under the contract to the State Auditor or the State Auditor's designee. The contract shall also require the contractor to reimburse the State Auditor for the actual and necessary costs of the audit.
(3) No state general funds shall be used to establish or implement any provision of the Mississippi UPSTART program established under this act.
SECTION 7. (1) Beginning with the year 2012, the State Board of Education shall make a report on Mississippi UPSTART to the House of Representatives and State Senate Education Committees by November 30 each year.
(2) The report shall address the extent to which Mississippi UPSTART is accomplishing the purposes for which it was established as specified in Section 1 of this act, and include the following:
(a) Information on the number of families:
(i) Volunteering to participate in the program;
(ii)
Selected to participate in the program;
(iii) Requesting computers; and
(iv) Furnished with computers;
(b) Information on the frequency of use of the instructional software;
(c) Information on the obstacles encountered with software usage, hardware, or providing technical assistance to families;
(d) Information on student performance on pre-kindergarten and post-kindergarten assessments conducted by school districts for students who participated in the home-based educational technology program and those who did not participate in the program; and
(e) Information, as made available, on the evaluation of the program conducted under Section 2 of this act.
SECTION 8. No State General Funds may be expended to carry out the provisions of this act.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2012.
