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Senate Engrossed
advanced placement courses; exams; appropriations |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session 2021
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SENATE BILL 1295 |
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AN ACT
amending Title 15, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-245; appropriating monies; relating to the department 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 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-245, to read:
15-245. Advanced placement course access, participation and success program; advanced placement exam fee waiver program; funds; report; program termination; definition
A. The advanced placement course access, participation and success program is established within the department of education to expand and enhance access to, participation in and student success in advanced placement courses and advanced placement exams. The department shall administer the program with the following goals:
1. Increasing the number of schools offering advanced placement courses.
2. Increasing student participation and success in advanced placement courses and exams.
3. Eliminating or reducing advanced placement exam fee costs for low-income students.
B. The advanced placement course access, participation and success program fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The department shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations. The department shall use monies from the fund for the purposes of the advanced placement course access, participation and success program. Monies allocated from the fund must be used to assist schools in developing and supporting the implementation of advanced placement courses and courses that prepare students for advanced placement courses, including activities such as professional learning, and purchasing instructional materials. Monies provided from the fund shall supplement, and not supplant, other nonfederal monies that are available to assist schools in expanding access to advanced placement courses and support programs. The department may use up to four percent of the monies in the fund to administer the advanced placement course access, participation and success program.
C. In selecting schools to participate in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program:
1. The department shall give preference to a school to which both of the following apply:
(a) The school offers two or fewer advanced placement courses that are taught in school by a local certificated teacher.
(b) At least forty percent of the school's students have a family income that does not exceed one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty guidelines or otherwise meet the eligibility guidelines as set by the department.
2. The department may give preference to a school that provides data as described in subsection D, paragraph 2 of this section showing that there are students enrolled in the school who demonstrate potential to excel in an advanced placement course but who lack access to advanced placement courses.
D. A school that participates in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program shall commit to both of the following:
1. Eliminating all barriers for students to enroll in advanced placement courses.
2. Identifying additional students for participation in advanced placement courses by using data from precollege entrance assessments or statewide assessments or previous course grades or by other means.
E. The department may prioritize high schools that participate in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program to form partnerships with one or more feeder schools in order to create an aligned pipeline of advanced placement courses and systems of support to effectively prepare students to access and succeed in advanced placement courses and exams in high school.
F. The advanced placement exam fee waiver program is established to eliminate or reduce the advanced placement exam fee costs for all students enrolled in public schools in this state who have a family income that does not exceed one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty guidelines or otherwise meet the eligibility guidelines as set by the department. The department shall administer the program.
G. The advanced placement exam fee waiver program fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations for the purposes of supporting the advanced placement exam fee waiver program. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations. If the department determines that there are more monies in the fund than are necessary to support the advanced placement exam fee waiver program, the department may transfer the excess monies to the advanced placement course access, participation and success program fund established by subsection B of this section.
H. On or before August 15 of each year, the department shall compile a report that contains all of the following:
1. The number of schools that participate in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program that are adding advanced placement courses to their master schedules, including the courses added and the number of new advanced placement teachers, by course.
2. The number of students who enrolled in an advanced placement course during the prior school year in each school that participates in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program, by course.
3. The following data, disaggregated by race, gender and low-income status, to show the performance of students on end-of-course advanced placement exams during the prior school year:
(a) The number of students who took an advanced placement exam in each school that participated in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program, by course.
(b) The number of students who earned a three or above on an advanced placement exam in each school that participates in the advanced placement course access, participation and success program, by course.
I. on or before august 15 of each year, The department shall submit the report prescribed in subsection H of this section to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state.
J. The programs established by this section end on July 1, 2031 pursuant to section 41-3102.
K. For the purposes of this section, "department" means the department of education.
Sec. 2. Appropriations; advanced placement course access, participation and success program fund; advanced placement exam fee waiver program fund
A. In addition to any other appropriations made in fiscal year 2021-2022, the sum of $1,500,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2021-2022 to the advanced placement course access, participation and success program fund established by section 15-245, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act. All monies remaining unexpended and unencumbered on July 1, 2024 revert to the state general fund.
B. In addition to any other appropriations made in fiscal year 2021-2022, the sum of $1,200,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2021-2022 to the advanced placement exam fee waiver program fund established by section 15-245, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.