ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 2	By:	Ford of the Senate

			and

		Coody, Nelson and Tibbs of the House

An Act relating to schools; requiring the State Board of Education to adopt and implement four-year and extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rates; requiring the Board to utilize and report the adjusted cohort graduation rates in a certain manner; specifying the use of the adjusted cohort graduation rate for certain purposes; providing for calculation of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; requiring certain documentation; providing for inclusion of certain students in the calculation; providing for calculation of the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; requiring separate reporting; directing the Board to adopt alternate year growth targets based on graduation rates; setting minimum percentage growth targets; establishing a baseline year; specifying rewards and sanctions based on meeting or failing to meet expected growth targets; requiring failing schools to take certain actions; and providing for codification.

SUBJECT:  School graduation rates

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3-151.1 of Title 70, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

A.  For purposes of establishing a uniform and accurate definition of high school graduation rate for school districts and secondary schools in the state, the State Board of Education shall adopt and implement a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and an extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.  The Board shall utilize and report the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate at the secondary school site, the school district and the state level, and the graduation rates shall be reported in the aggregate as well as disaggregated by subgroups as required in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (ESEA), P.L. No. 107-110, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.  

B.  The Board shall use the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate for purposes of determining the high school graduation rate indicator for the Academic Performance Index as established in Section 3-150 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes beginning with state and district report cards providing results of assessments administered in the 2011-2012 school year.  The Board shall use the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate for establishing the high school graduation rate for measuring alternate year percentage growth targets as set forth in Section 2 of this act beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.  

C.  The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate shall be defined as the number of students who graduate in four (4) years with a standard high school diploma divided by the number of students who entered high school four (4) years earlier, adjusted for transfers in and out of the school, émigrés and deceased students.  Students who graduate in four (4) years shall include students who earn a standard high school diploma at the end of their fourth year, before the end of their fourth year, and during a summer session immediately following their fourth year.  To remove a student from a cohort, a school district shall confirm in writing or by electronic means that a student has transferred out of the school site or school district, has emigrated to another country or is deceased.  For a student who transfers out of a school site or school district, the written or electronic confirmation shall be official and document that the student has enrolled in another school site or school district or in an educational program that culminates in a standard high school diploma.  Students who graduate with a credential other than a standard high school diploma or a higher diploma, including but not limited to a General Educational Development (GED) credential, certificate of attendance, or any alternative award, shall not be included in the graduation rate calculation as set forth in this subsection as a student who graduated in four (4) years with a standard high school diploma but shall be included in the number of students who entered high school four (4) years earlier.

D.  The extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate shall be defined as the number of students who graduate in four (4) years or five (5) years with a standard high school diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the four-year graduation rate as calculated as provided for in subsection C of this section, provided that the adjustments add to the cohort all students who transfer into the cohort by the end of the year of graduation being considered and subtract students who transfer out, emigrate to another country or are deceased by the end of that year.  The extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate shall be reported separately from the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.  

SECTION 2.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3-151.2 of Title 70, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

A.  The State Board of Education shall adopt expected alternate year percentage growth targets, for all public secondary schools and school districts, based on high school graduation rates, using the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate calculated as provided for in Section 1 of this act.  The minimum percentage growth targets shall be twenty percent (20%) of the difference between the graduation rate of the baseline year and the goal of one hundred percent (100%).  The baseline year shall be established in the 2012-2013 school year.  In alternating years new growth targets shall be established until all secondary schools and school districts have met the goal of one hundred percent (100%).

B.  Public secondary schools and school districts meeting or exceeding expected growth targets at the end of the initial two (2) years or in the alternate years as provided for in subsection A of this section shall be recognized by the state as notable schools and school districts.  Recognition may include, but not be limited to, citations of congratulations from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as the designee of the State Board of Education, the Governor or designee, the Representative and Senator representing the school and or school district, and banners for each school or school district achieving notable status.

C.  Public secondary schools and school districts failing to meet the expected growth targets at the end of the initial two (2) years or in the alternate years as provided for in subsection A of this section shall:

1.  Submit a high school graduation improvement plan to their district board of education at a regularly scheduled meeting prior to December 31st of the same year; and

2.  Contingent upon the availability of funding, participate in technical assistance and training provided by the State Department of Education for the purpose of reducing drop-out rates and improving high school graduation rates.  The technical assistance and training shall include identifying and implementing best practices, identifying actions the school district and schools should take to meet target high school graduation goals, and providing ongoing monitoring to assess school district and school progress in implementing recommended actions.

Passed the Senate the 10th day of May, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer 	of the Senate

Passed the House of Representatives the 25th day of April, 2011.

	
Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives