|
|
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESFifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session |
|
|
HB 2887: acceleration and support grant program
Sponsor: Representative Udall, LD 25
Committee on Education
Overview
An emergency measure that establishes the Student-Focused Acceleration and Support Grant Program (Program) and appropriates monies to the State Board of Education (SBE) for the Program.
History
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides financial assistance to local education agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families. Currently, Title I funds are allocated through four federal statutory formulas that are based on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state (U.S. Department of Education). According to Arizona Department of Education (ADE), Arizona LEAs were preliminarily allocated $300,211,288.96 in Title I-A funds in FY 2021.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program that operates in public and private schools and residential child care institutions. NSLP provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to children to families whose income falls between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty line. For the 2019-2020 school year, ADE reported that 595,924 Arizona students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches (FRPL), for a statewide average eligibility of 55%.
Provisions
Program
1.
Directs SBE to administer the Program to support the costs of
high-impact intervention and programming to mitigate the severe learning loss
that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Sec. 1)
2. Requires an LEA to use Program monies to provide in-person one-on-one and in-person small group instruction for the intersession period between the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. (Sec. 1)
3. Allows an LEA to use Program monies to provide remote-only or hybrid instruction for the intersession period upon parental request. (Sec. 1)
4. Requires an LEA to provide at least:
a) 50 hours of additional, targeted intersession instruction for students outside the priority grade bands; and
b) 80 hours of additional, targeted intersession instruction for students in the priority grade bands. (Sec. 1)
5. Allows SBE to vote to alter the additional, targeted intersession instruction requirements if the total estimated school expenditure reductions amount calculated by ADE is either 10% more or less than $389,000,000. (Sec. 1)
6. Instructs an LEA to provide parents with various intersession instruction scheduling options. (Sec. 1)
7. Directs an LEA to keep parents updated on their child's progress and provide parents with learning supports that they may offer at home. (Sec. 1)
8. Enables a school, after fulfilling Program requirements, to use remaining Program monies to extend remediation supports in to the 2020-2021 school year. (Sec. 1)
9. Repeals the Program on January 1, 2023. (Sec. 1)
Teaching and Learning Plan (Plan)
10. Requires an LEA to submit a Plan to SBE on behalf of each school that wishes to participate in the Program. (Sec. 1)
11. Mandates that an LEA consult and frequently engage with the school leaders who will be executing the Plan at the school. (Sec. 1)
12. Specifies that the Plan must include:
a) The schedule and location of the in-person one-on-one and in-person small group intersession instruction;
b) A plan for using master teachers to provide the intersession instruction;
c) A plan to conduct English language arts and mathematics benchmark examinations at the beginning and end of the intersession to capture student growth, progress and data;
d) The number of FRPL and non-FRPL students that the school will serve during the intersession;
e) How the school will prioritize students who are not at grade level in one more core academic subjects and prepare them for the 2021-2022 school year;
f) A description of the curriculum, interventions and structure of instructional support and how this will meet the academic acceleration needs of students;
g) A description of the actions the school will take to engage parents; and
h) The signature of the school leader. (Sec. 1)
13. Allows a school to leverage learning guides and community partnerships with:
a) A national summer school initiative;
b) A boy and girls club;
c) A leading nonprofit organization; and
d) Any other aligned providers. (Sec. 1)
14. Details that the data collected from English language arts and mathematics benchmark examinations must be broken out by:
a) Grade level;
b) English language learner status;
c) Students receiving exceptional student services;
d) Race;
e) Ethnicity;
f) Gender
g) Students experiencing homelessness; and
h) Students in foster care. (Sec. 1)
15. Requires an LEA to demonstrate that its Plan prioritizes outreach and service to low-income students. (Sec. 1)
16. Allows a Plan to prioritize students who are at risk of not staying at grade level. (Sec. 1)
Distributions and Appropriations
17. Outlines Program distributions to LEAs as follows:
a) $500 per FRPL student enrolled during the 2019-2020 school year; and
b) After the $500 distributions, an additional $327 per FRPL student enrolled during the 2019-2020 school year and who is in a priority grade band during the 2020-2021 school year. (Sec. 1)
18. Requires ADE, by April 30, 2021, to calculate the total estimated school expenditure reductions resulting from formula decreases during FY 2021. (Sec. 2)
19. Appropriates $389,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2021 to SBE for the Program, except if:
a) The sum of the total estimated school expenditure reductions during FY 2021 is greater than $389,000,000, the appropriation is increased by the amount in excess of $389,000,000; or
b) The sum of the total estimated school expenditure reductions during FY 2021 is less than $389,000,000, the appropriation is decreased by the amount that is less than $389,000,000. (Sec. 2)
20. Stipulates that if the total estimated school expenditure reductions during FY 2021 are:
a) Greater than $389,000,000, SBE must increase the per-pupil distribution accordingly; or
b) Less than $389,000,000, SBE must:
i. Decrease the per-pupil distribution for students who are not in priority grade bands only; and
ii. Ensure that the per-pupil distribution for students in priority grade bands is not affected. (Sec. 1)
21. Instructs SBE to:
a) Immediately remit Program monies to schools that received an A or B letter grade for the most recent year upon receipt of a Plan; and
b) Evaluate and approve the Plan of a school that did not receive an A or B letter grade for the most recent year prior to disbursing monies. (Sec. 1)
22. Prohibits SBE from approving Plans or distributing Program monies until May 1, 2021.
a) Specifies that SBE, ADE or the State Board for Charter Schools may accept Plans or provide guidance before this date. (Sec. 1)
23. Requires an LEA to separately account for Program monies in its annual financial report. (Sec. 1)
24. Prohibits an LEA from using Program monies to supplant monies received from any other source, including Title I monies for summer school. (Sec. 1)
Reporting Requirements
25. Directs an LEA, before the 2021-2022 school year, to submit a report to SBE on the effectiveness of the strategies that the schools used during the intersession and which strategies the school will continue to use. (Sec. 1)
a) Outlines what the LEA's report must contain. (Sec. 1)
26. Mandates that if an LEA uses Program monies to extend remediation supports in to the 2021-2022 school year, the LEA must submit a quarterly report by June 1, 2022. (Sec. 1)
27. Instructs SBE, by September 30, 2021, to compile the reports submitted by LEAs and provide them as a comprehensive report to the Governor, the President of the Senate (President), the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Speaker) and the chairpersons of both the Senate and House of Representatives Education Committees (Chairpersons). (Sec. 1)
28. Requires SBE to convene a panel of community members, educators, policy experts and advocates of achievement for low-income students to review Program results. (Sec. 1)
29. Requires the panel to submit a report, which details the lessons learned from the Program that could be scaled, to the Governor, the President, the Speaker and the Chairpersons by November 1, 2021. (Sec. 1)
Miscellaneous
30. Defines priority grade bands to mean students who are in kindergarten programs, the 1st-3rd, 8th or 11th grades during the 2020-2021 school year. (Sec. 1)
31. Defines FRPL students, local education agency and Title I monies. (Sec. 1)
32. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing, except that any unexpended and unencumbered monies revert to the state GF on January 1, 2023. (Sec. 2)
33. Contains an emergency clause. (Sec. 3)
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
HB 2887
Initials CH Page 0 Education
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------