CSSB 266(EDC): "An Act relating to standards-based assessments; relating to correspondence study programs; relating to allotments for correspondence study programs; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 266(EDC) 01 "An Act relating to standards-based assessments; relating to correspondence study 02 programs; relating to allotments for correspondence study programs; and providing for 03 an effective date." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 14.03.016(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) A local school board shall, in consultation with parents, teachers, and 07 school administrators, adopt policies to promote the involvement of parents in the 08 school district's education program. The policies must include procedures 09 (1) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to 10 [OBJECT TO AND] withdraw the child from a standards-based assessment or test 11 required by the state and select as an alternative to the standards-based assessment 12 or test either 13 (A) an alternative assessment selected and approved by the 14 department; or
01 (B) a student portfolio based on criteria established by the 02 department; 03 (2) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to 04 object to and withdraw the child from an activity, class, or program; 05 (3) providing for parent notification not less than two weeks before 06 any activity, class, or program that includes content involving human reproduction or 07 sexual matters is provided to a child; 08 (4) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to 09 withdraw the child from an activity, class, program, or standards-based assessment or 10 test required by the state for a religious holiday, as defined by the parent; 11 (5) providing a parent with an opportunity to review the content of an 12 activity, class, performance standard, or program; 13 (6) ensuring that, when a child is absent from an activity, class, 14 program, or standards-based assessment or test required by the state under this section, 15 the absence is not considered an unlawful absence under AS 14.30.020 if the child's 16 parent withdrew the child from the activity, class, program, or standards-based 17 assessment or test or gave permission for the child's absence. 18 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.300 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 19 (c) The department or a district that provides a correspondence study program 20 shall create an annual report on the program's performance and the performance of the 21 program's students. The report must include 22 (1) information on accreditation; 23 (2) results of norm-referenced achievement tests; 24 (3) results of state standards-based assessments in language arts and 25 mathematics; 26 (4) a description, including quantitative and qualitative measures, of 27 student, parent, community, and business involvement in student learning; 28 (5) a description of the program's attendance, retention, dropout, and 29 graduation rates as specified by the state board; 30 (6) the annual percentage of enrollment change, regardless of reason, 31 and the annual percentage of enrollment change because of student transfers into and
01 out of the program; 02 (7) if Native language education is provided, a summary and 03 evaluation of the curriculum described in AS 14.30.420; 04 (8) the performance designation assigned the district providing the 05 program under AS 14.03.123 and the methodology used to assign the performance 06 designation, including the measures used and the relative weights of the measures 07 used; 08 (9) other information concerning the performance of the program and 09 the performance of the program's students as required by the state board in regulation; 10 and 11 (10) information on the number, attendance, and performance of 12 students enrolled in the program whose parents or guardians are on active duty in the 13 armed forces of the United States, the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval 14 Militia, or the Alaska State Defense Force. 15 (d) A district that provides a correspondence study program shall annually 16 submit the report created under (c) of this section to the department. 17 * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.310 is repealed and reenacted to read: 18 Sec. 14.03.310. Student allotments. (a) The department or a district that 19 provides a correspondence study program may provide an allotment to a parent or 20 guardian of a student enrolled in the program for the purpose of providing student 21 textbooks, materials, and services determined necessary under the student's individual 22 learning plan created under AS 14.03.300. 23 (b) An allotment may not be used by the district or the parent or guardian of a 24 student enrolled in the correspondence study program to supplant district funds or 25 obligations for individualized education program services. 26 (c) The board shall adopt regulations requiring that an expenditure made from 27 an allotment must be approved by the department or the district that provides the 28 allotment. The approval process may include preauthorization for items identified in 29 regulations. The regulations must require that textbooks, services, and other 30 curriculum materials 31 (1) be approved by the department or school district that provides the
01 correspondence study program; 02 (2) be appropriate for the student; 03 (3) comply with state standards; 04 (4) comply with AS 14.03.090 and AS 14.18.060. 05 (d) The department or a district that provides allotments shall 06 (1) annually return at least 90 percent of the unexpended balance of 07 each allotment to the budget of the department or district; 08 (2) immediately return to the budget of the department or district the 09 unexpended balance of each allotment provided to a student when the student is no 10 longer enrolled in the correspondence study program; 11 (3) maintain a record of approved expenditures from the allotments; 12 and 13 (4) implement a routine monitoring of expenditures. 14 (e) An allotment may not be used to pay for 15 (1) services provided to a student by the student's spouse, guardian, 16 parent, stepparent, sibling, stepsibling, grandparent, stepgrandparent, child, uncle, or 17 aunt; 18 (2) out-of-state travel unless the travel is approved by the governing 19 body or superintendent of a district; or 20 (3) religious, partisan, sectarian, or denominational courses, classes, 21 textbooks, or other curriculum materials. 22 (f) The department or a district that provides a correspondence study program 23 may approve the use of up to 15 percent of an allotment to allow the program or a 24 parent or guardian of a student enrolled in the program to contract with a private 25 individual to provide tutoring in fine arts, music, or physical education if the tutoring 26 is part of the student's individual learning plan created under AS 14.03.300. A 27 certificated teacher who is employed by the correspondence study program and who is 28 qualified to teach the subject or grade level has the primary responsibility to plan the 29 course of study on the subject, provide instruction, and evaluate the student's learning 30 of the subject. Tutoring paid for under this subsection may not be provided by a 31 private or religious educational institution.
01 * Sec. 4. AS 14.07.168 is amended to read: 02 Sec. 14.07.168. Report to the legislature. Not later than the 30th legislative 03 day of each regular session of the legislature, the board shall prepare and present in 04 person to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education an annual 05 report that describes the efforts of the board to develop, maintain, and continuously 06 improve a comprehensive quality public education system, as provided for under the 07 bylaws of the board. The report must include 08 (1) a summary of the resolves and rationales provided in support of 09 policy decisions made under AS 14.03.015; 10 (2) program and curriculum changes made, discussed, or 11 recommended in meetings held under AS 14.07.125; 12 (3) additional information relevant to efforts made to improve and 13 maintain the public education system; 14 (4) a summary of implementation and utilization of the consortium 15 established under AS 14.30.800, including a review of consortium effectiveness and 16 the participation rates of districts, teachers, and students; 17 (5) the information included in the report created under 18 AS 14.03.300(c); 19 (6) the information reported to the department under 20 AS 14.03.300(d). 21 * Sec. 5. AS 14.07.168, as amended by sec. 23, ch. 40, SLA 2022, is amended to read: 22 Sec. 14.07.168. Report to the legislature. Not later than the 30th legislative 23 day of each regular session of the legislature, the board shall prepare and present in 24 person to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education an annual 25 report that describes the efforts of the board to develop, maintain, and continuously 26 improve a comprehensive quality public education system, as provided for under the 27 bylaws of the board. The report must include 28 (1) a summary of the resolves and rationales provided in support of 29 policy decisions made under AS 14.03.015; 30 (2) program and curriculum changes made, discussed, or 31 recommended in meetings held under AS 14.07.125;
01 (3) additional information relevant to efforts made to improve and 02 maintain the public education system; 03 (4) the information included in the report created under 04 AS 14.03.300(c); 05 (5) the information reported to the department under 06 AS 14.03.300(d). 07 * Sec. 6. AS 14.03.300(b) is repealed. 08 * Sec. 7. Section 5 of this Act takes effect on the effective date of sec. 23, ch. 40, SLA 09 2022. 10 * Sec. 8. Except as provided in sec. 7 of this Act, this Act takes effect immediately under 11 AS 01.10.070(c).