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REFERENCE TITLE: continuing high
school program |
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State of
Arizona House of
Representatives Fifty-fourth
Legislature Second Regular
Session 2020 |
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HB 2387 |
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Introduced by Representatives Udall: Campbell, Carroll, Dunn, Finchem,
Lieberman, Osborne, Payne, Weninger |
AN ACT
AMENDING title 15, chapter 2, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-217; relating to the state board
of education.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 2, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-217, to read:
15-217. Continuing high school program; requirements; reporting; enrollment limits; rules; program termination
A. The state board of education shall
establish a continuing high school program that provides adult learners with
alternative study services and that leads to the issuance of a high school
diploma and industry‑recognized credentials. The state board of education shall authorize
service providers participating in the continuing high school program to
operate schools through partnerships with the approved service provider and
school districts, nonprofit charter schools or career technical education
districts.
B. To be eligible to participate in
the continuing high school program, a service provider must be qualified
pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue
code and demonstrate at least a ten‑year history of providing services in
this state to persons who are at least eighteen years of age and whose
educational and training opportunities have been limited by educational
disadvantages, disabilities and challenges.
C. A high school diploma may be
issued pursuant to this section only to an adult learner who meets all the
graduation requirements of section 15-701.01 and the State Board of Education.
D. A school that participates in the
continuing high school program shall meet all applicable legal requirements
prescribed in this title for a public school, including requirements for
student assessments and special education services and prohibitions against
admission limits based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level,
disabling condition, English language proficiency or athletic ability.
E. The continuing high school program
is not eligible for either:
1. Transportation funding pursuant to
section 15-945.
2. Arizona online instruction funding
pursuant to section 15-808.
F. Notwithstanding the age
restrictions otherwise prescribed in this title, a school participating in the
continuing high school program is eligible to receive base support level
funding pursuant to section 15‑943 and additional assistance in the same
manner as a school district or charter school.
G. The department of education shall
develop application procedures for service providers that wish to participate
in the continuing high school program.
An application submitted pursuant to this section must include all of
the following:
1. A description of the service
provider's administrative structure, program activities, program staff, budget
and specific curriculum that is aligned with the state academic standards.
2. The service provider's school
calendar and a schedule describing the service provider's location, length of
school day, program sequence, multidisciplinary courses, pace and instructional
activities, or any combination of these items.
3. A description of Specific
academic, behavioral and emotional support services the service provider offers
to adult learners who enroll in the school.
4. A description of the service
provider's Career technical education courses that lead to industry-recognized
credentials or dual enrollment courses from a university or community
college. A service provider may partner
with a community college district to provide career technical education courses
that lead to industry-recognized credentials.
5. A description of Specific program
outcomes, goals and metrics the service provider will use to determine student
success.
6. The projected number of adult
learners the service provider will enroll.
H. The state board of education shall
evaluate applications submitted by service providers and approve service
providers that demonstrate, through evidence or other documentation, the
ability to provide students with the instruction and support that leads to a
high school diploma and one or more industry‑recognized
credentials. the following apply to approval of a service provider's
participation in the continuing high school program:
1. Initial approval shall be for a
period of not more than two school years.
2. Renewal of approval shall be for a
period of not more than four school years and is contingent on specific
performance expectations, including student progression, graduation rates and
earning of industry‑recognized credentials.
3. If an approved service provider
fails to meet any requirements of this section or any rules adopted by the
state Board, the state board shall immediately initiate a process to revoke the
service provider's approval.
I. On or before July 1, 2022, the
state board of education shall adopt performance expectations to evaluate
service providers. The performance expectations shall include
measurements of student progress toward earning a high school diploma, the
graduation rates of students earning at least one academic credit and the number
of industry-recognized credentials earned.
J. An approved service provider of
the continuing high school program shall annually report the following
information to the department of education:
1. The number of adult learners the
service provider enrolls in the school.
2. The graduation rate of adult
learners the service provider enrolls in the school.
3. The average progress of adult
learners toward meeting graduation requirements.
4. The number and type of
industry-recognized credentials earned by adult learners the service provider
enrolls in the school.
5. A descriptive summary of the
academic, behavioral and emotional support services the service provider offers
to adult learners in the school.
K. On or before December 15, 2023 and
on or before December 15 of each year thereafter, the department of education
shall submit an annual report evaluating the effectiveness of the continuing
high school program to the governor, the president of the senate and the
speaker of the house of representatives.
The department shall provide a copy of the report to the secretary of
state.
L. Except as provided in subsection M
of this section, the state board of education may approve program service
providers with a total projected average daily membership of:
1. In fiscal year 2021-2022, not more
than three hundred fifty total average daily membership.
2. In fiscal year 2022-2023, not more
than seven hundred total average daily membership.
3. In fiscal year 2023-2024 and each
fiscal year thereafter, not more than one thousand four hundred total average
daily membership.
M. The state board of education may
not include students who are twenty-one years of age or younger in the total
projected average daily membership under this section.
N. To maximize the availability of
the continuing high school program, the state board of education may adjust the
average daily membership allocated to individual program service providers
based on the previous year's enrollment, demand for new enrollment or changes
in the facilities where the program is operated, except that the total average
daily membership may not exceed the total projected average daily membership
authorized by subsection L of this section.
O. The state board of education may
adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this section.
P. the program established pursuant
to this section ends on July 1, 2030 pursuant to section 41‑3102.