HB2322 - 551R - Senate Fact Sheet

Purpose

Modifies the administration of dropout recovery programs (DRPs) and associated reporting requirements. Establishes operational procedures including a graduation rate attainment and calculates average daily membership (ADM) based on earned credits.

Background

A DRP is an alternative education program assisting pupils who left the education system yet still desire to achieve their high school diploma (Arizona Department of Education (ADE)). Each school district and charter school providing instruction to high school pupils can offer a DRP, but currently a provider of Arizona online instruction (AOI) is restricted from operating a DRP (A.R.S. § 15-901.06).

The State Board of Education (SBE) prescribes standards and achievement testing requirements for high school DRPs to ensure that programs are compatible with public school education goals and requirements. The standards require DRPs to: 1) provide curricula aligned to academic standards adopted by the SBE; 2) provide standardized tests required by federal and state law; 3) make available appropriate and sufficient supports including tutoring, career and college counseling; 4) comply with laws governing pupils with disabilities; and 5) meet state requirements for high school graduation (A.R.S. § 15-901.06).

If a pupil is enrolled in a school district or charter school and attends a DRP at another school district or charter school in the same fiscal year, the ADM for that pupil shall not exceed 1.0, with outlined exceptions. Currently, the ADM for pupils enrolled in a DRP must equal the average daily attendance (ADA) of the pupils (A.R.S. § 15-901.06).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

Administrative Modifications

1. Directs the SBE to prescribe standards for school districts and charter schools, instead of for DRPs, to use when evaluating and selecting potential DRP providers.

2. Applies outlined standards to DRP providers, instead of DRPs.

3. Requires participating school districts and charter schools to administer assessments to enrolled pupils if the school district or charter school receives funding for the pupils.

4. Allows an AOI provider to operate a DRP.

5. Removes permissions for school districts and charter schools to contract with an educational management organization to provide a DRP.

6. Requires DRP providers to provide teachers who hold a valid fingerprint clearance card and a current teaching license from any state.

7. Specifies participating school districts, charter schools and DRP providers must hold active accreditation by a regional accrediting body, its consolidation or successor entity.

DRP Operations

8. Directs a school district or charter school to:

a) notify ADE at least 30 calendar days before operating a DRP;

b) include evidence and assurances that DRP provider requirements are met; and

c) not operate a DRP, upon receiving notification within the 30-day period, until sufficient evidence is provided to ADE that operating requirements are met.

9. Allows ADE to notify a school district or charter school, within the 30-day notification period, if a DRP provider does not meet operating requirements.

10. Prohibits ADE from restricting a school district or charter school meeting outlined requirements from operating a DRP after the 30-day notification period.

11. Requires a DRP provider, serving at least 30 pupils in a program year, to maintain a two-year cohort graduation rate of at least 50 percent to maintain its DRP provider status.

12. Specifies pupils transferring from a school district’s or charter school’s DRP to the traditional school program are removed from the cohort graduation rate.

Reporting Modifications

13. Directs a DRP provider to report any recorded contact between an enrolled pupil and their assigned mentor to the school district or charter school each quarter.

14. Modifies a pupil's written learning plan to:

a) specify credits to be completed by the pupil during the academic year; and

b) remove outlined expectations for satisfactory monthly progress.

15. Requires ADE to include the total annual credits earned by participating pupils in the DRP annual report.

16. Restricts ADE from overseeing or approving DRPs or limiting contracts between school districts and charter schools with DRPs, based solely upon the outlined ADE annual reporting requirements.

17. Requires a school district or charter school, that enrolls a pupil who has been withdrawn from the district or charter school for less than 30 days, to report to ADE the name of the pupil and the reason for enrollment.

ADM Calculations

18. Calculates ADM for pupils enrolled in a DRP at a school district or charter school based on:

a) attainment of each one-half unit of high school credit; and

b) the provision of 0.1 ADM to a school for each one-half unit of high school credit attained by a pupil enrolled in a DRP.

19. Limits the ADM of a pupil participating in any DRP to 1.0 in any calendar year.

20. Modifies calculations of per-pupil funding based upon ADM instead of ADA, apportioned as outlined.

Miscellaneous

21. Removes the classification of DRPs as alternative schools, subject to outlined accountability provisions.

22. Restricts payment to a DRP provider that advertises or markets to pupils currently enrolled in a district or charter school or encourages pupils to stop attending school to qualify for a DRP.

23. Defines high school credit as credit that counts towards the high school graduation requirements prescribed by the SBE.

24. Defines two-year cohort graduation rate as the number of pupils graduating from a DRP in two years and entered the DRP with 10 or less credits remaining for graduation, divided by the number of pupils who form the cohort for the graduating class.

25. Makes technical and conforming changes.

26. Becomes effective on the general effective date.