Bill Text: NC S597 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Dropout Prevention and Recovery Pilot
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-03 - Ref To Com On Education/Higher Education [S597 Detail]
Download: North_Carolina-2013-S597-Amended.html
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2013
S 1
SENATE BILL 597
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Short Title: Dropout Prevention and Recovery Pilot. |
(Public) |
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Sponsors: |
Senators Tarte, Ford (Primary Sponsors); Bryant, Cook, and Parmon. |
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Referred to: |
Education/Higher Education. |
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April 4, 2013
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide for a Dropout Prevention and recovery pilot program for local boards of education and charter schools.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. S.L. 2011‑259 reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 1. The State Board of Education shall
implement a three‑year Dropout Prevention and Recovery
Pilot Program in New Hanover County SchoolsSchools, Charlotte‑Mecklenburg
Schools, and threetwo other local school administrative units
selected by the State Board of Education. The State Board shall also select
four charter schools approved by the State Board under G.S. 115C‑238.29D,
at least one of which shall be located in Mecklenburg County, to establish a
Dropout Prevention and Recovery Pilot Program. The purpose of the pilot
program is to reengage students and increase the graduation rates in North
Carolina through an educational program that provides flexible scheduling and a
blended learning environment with individualized and self‑paced learning
options.
"SECTION 2. Under the pilot program, the
educational services and programming shall be provided by an education partner
that is a nonprofit or for‑profit entity approved by the State Board of
Education. The local school administrative unitunits and charter
schools shall be responsible for reporting enrollment to the Department of
Public Instruction, working with the education partner to align graduation
requirements, and issuing diplomas to those students in the program who
complete the necessary graduation requirements. The participating schools
shall be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as an
indicator of quality instructional programming.
"SECTION 3. The pilot program shall provide at least the following:
(1) Facilities that are easily accessible to the students being served.
(2) Flexible scheduling, including at least two different program schedules.
(3) Differentiated instruction that shall include individualized, group, and online instructional components.
(4) The capacity for assessing, recording, and responding to the students' academic progress on a daily basis using assessments that are aligned with State and local standards and requirements.
(5) A focus on serving a defined population of at‑risk students who have dropped out or are likely to drop out of school in the foreseeable future without some type of intervention.
(6) Support services, including social workers and crisis intervention professionals who are trained to assist students in removing barriers to attending school and graduating.
(7) Instructional models that are self‑paced and mastery‑based.
(8) Individualized graduation plans to guide students to graduation with a standard high school diploma.
"SECTION 4. Before the State Board of Education approves an applicant as an education partner, the applicant must demonstrate the following:
(1) A history providing dropout recovery services to high school students in charter or noncharter public schools.
(2) At least two years of relevant experience operating and providing services to brick‑and‑mortar public schools.
(3) At least two years of relevant experience providing comprehensive online learning programs.
(4) Relevant experience serving diverse student populations, including socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
(5) An explanation of the steps taken by the applicant to ensure that its proposed instructional content is aligned with State standards.
(6) A plan for the recruitment and hiring of State‑certified teachers, including hiring criteria.
(7) A plan for the recruitment and hiring of qualified administrators, including hiring criteria.
(8) A detailed description of the applicant's plan to
work with the participating local school administrative unitsunits,
charter schools, and the State Board of Education to identify students who
need to be served, to reengage those students, and to provide alternative
education options for students at risk of dropping out. Students at risk of
dropping out from their current schools may be transferred into the pilot
program.
(9) An operational plan that includes the following:
a. The number and physical location of proposed sites and a list of the equipment required.
b. A proposed program calendar and daily schedule and an explanation of how the calendar and schedule meet the needs of prospective students. The schedule must include at least four hours per school day of on‑site learning at a physical location.
c. The student‑to‑teacher ratio.
d. A description of each of the instructional methods to be used and number of hours per day for each method.
e. A plan for differentiated instruction that must include individualized, group, and online instructional components.
f. Capacity for assessing, recording, and responding to students' academic progress on a daily basis using standards‑aligned assessments.
g. A detailed one‑year budget.
h. A system of competency‑based credit.
i. A plan for aggregation and reporting of student performance data and reporting of financial activity.
"SECTION 5. Data and student
performance results shall be collected and compiled from the pilot program and
the participating local school administrative units. By implementing a uniform
statewide pilot program, the success of the pilot program as a whole can be
measured by the State Board of Education. In an effort to provide services to
students for the 2011‑2012 school year, if a request for proposals is
necessary, the process shall be completed within 60 days of the effective date
of the legislation.
"SECTION 5A.(a) The State Board of Education shall develop and implement an alternative student performance accountability method to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of pilot program schools that solely provide dropout prevention services and dropout recovery programs to at‑risk students who have dropped out of or are likely to drop out of their base high school. Data and student results collected and compiled from the pilot program schools shall inform the State Board in developing an alternative accountability method to apply statewide and in evaluating the success of the pilot program as a whole. The alternative accountability method developed by the State Board shall include at least the following requirements regarding application of the method to eligible schools:
(1) For local administrative units, the local board of education shall report to the State Board that the school is designated as solely serving the at‑risk student population.
(2) For charter schools, the board of directors shall include in its application to establish or renew a charter that it is designated as solely serving at‑risk students. The charter school shall also include in its application that it qualifies for evaluation under the alternative accountability method.
(3) The alternative accountability method shall only measure academic growth of students who have been continuously enrolled for a period of 120 days. Students shall be assessed by pre-testing and post-testing at the beginning and end of the 120‑day enrollment period to measure student growth.
(4) A determination of a school's performance scores and school grade as required by G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1. or G.S. 115C‑238.29F(l) shall only reflect assessment of students enrolled for a 120‑day continuous enrollment period.
"SECTION 5A.(b) The alternative method of accountability required to be developed and implemented by the State Board to assess pilot program schools under subsection (a) of this section shall apply beginning with the 2014‑2015 school year.
"SECTION 6. A student attending the pilot program shall be enrolled as a student of the resident local school administrative unit. The student shall be included in the ADM of that unit. The resident local school administrative unit shall retain five percent (5%) of the total per pupil funding for the student to cover administrative costs and shall remit payment to the education partner of the remaining ninety‑five percent (95%) within 15 days of receiving payment from the Department of Public Instruction.
The State Board may provide, if available, an additional per pupil funding allotment to local school administrative units to transfer to schools participating in the pilot program that demonstrate that the average daily membership is at least thirty percent (30%) higher than the average daily membership of the first month of the school year. Any additional allotments shall be made prior to the end of the first semester of the school year and shall be based on December average daily membership.
"SECTION 7. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Board of Education shall authorize participating local school administrative units to implement flexible attendance requirements for students participating in the pilot program due to the flexible scheduling and online portions of the pilot program.
"SECTION 8. The pilot program shall be operated
through the State Board of EducationEducation, a charter school
authorized by the State Board, or as a program of the contracting local school
administrative unit. The pilot program may be an alternative school.school
within the local school administrative unit.
"SECTION 9. This act becomes effective July
1, 2011.July 1, 2013."
SECTION 2. The State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the implementation of the pilot program and the alternative student performance accountability method required by Section 5A(a) of S.L. 2011‑259, as amended by this act, on or before March 15, 2014.
SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to schools selected by the State Board of Education on or after July 1, 2013.
