ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fifth Legislature

First Regular Session

House: ED DP 10-0-0-0

HB 2402: schools; test results; letter classification

Sponsor: Representative Udall, LD 25

Caucus & COW

Overview

Exempts schools or school districts (schools) from receiving a letter grade in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. Allows the State Board of Education (SBE) to adjust the dates local education agencies (LEAs) are required to receive assessment scores and data.

History

By November 1 annually, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) must compile for each public school and LEA, and recommend to SBE, an annual achievement profile. This annual achievement profile consists of an educational dashboard that reflects the achievement for each public school and LEA and includes multiple academic and educational indicators. Statute requires that the annual achievement profile use classifications based on an A-F letter grade system adopted by SBE. This A-F letter grade system is applied to each performance indicator of the annual achievement profile. SBE must then assign an overall grade for the public school or LEA (A.R.S. § 15-241).

SBE is required to adopt and implement a statewide assessment to measure pupil achievement of SBE-adopted academic standards in reading, writing and mathematics in at least four grades. In its contract for the statewide assessment, SBE must: 1) provide that assessment scores and data from the 3rd grade reading portion of the statewide assessment are received by LEAs by May 15th; and 2) that assessment scores and data for all other portions of the statewide assessment are received by LEAs by May 25th of each academic year. If the contractor fails to provide LEAs with scores by these dates, SBE is instructed to impose penalties on the contractor (A.R.S. § 15-741).

A school district governing board is required to establish an evaluation system for the performance of certificated teachers. The system must include four performance classifications: highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective. Governing board policies must describe performance improvement plans for teachers designated in the lowest performance classification, as well as dismissal or nonrenewal procedures for teachers who continue to be designated in the lowest performance classification (A.R.S. § 15-537).

School districts and charter schools must allocate 40% of monies received from the Classroom Site Fund for teacher compensation increases based on performance and employment related expenses. To receive these monies, a school district governing must adopt a performance based compensation system (A.R.S. § 15-977).

Provisions

1. Prohibits ADE from assigning schools letter grades for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. (Sec. 2)

2. Requires ADE to continue to collect and publish data contained in the annual achievement profiles for schools in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. (Sec. 2)

3. Instructs ADE to develop criteria, subject to adoption by SBE, to identify schools that demonstrate a below average level of performance in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. (Sec. 2)

4. Allows a school district governing board, during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, to adopt alternative policies regarding teacher performance based funding and policies regarding dismissal or nonrenewal procedures for teachers who continue to be designated in the lowest performance classification of the teacher performance evaluation system. (Sec. 2)

5. Authorizes SBE to proportionately adjust the dates by which LEAs are required to receive assessment scores and data if SBE alters the statewide assessment testing window for any reason. (Sec. 1)

6. Stipulates that if SBE adjusts the dates by which LEAs are required to receive assessment scores and data, SBE may not impose penalties on the contractor unless assessment scores and data are received after the adjusted dates. (Sec. 1)

7. Contains a retroactivity clause of July 1, 2020. (Sec. 3)

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11. HB 2402

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