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Senate Engrossed
schools; course equivalents |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session 2021
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SENATE BILL 1400 |
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AN ACT
amending Title 15, chapter 9, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-901.08; relating to school instruction.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 9, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-901.08, to read:
15-901.08. Course equivalents; credits; calculation of average daily membership; rules
A. Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, school districts and charter schools serving students in any of grades nine through twelve, may at the request of the student and with the permission of the parent and pursuant to subsection f of this section, allow students in grades nine through twelve to receive one elective credit per school year through any of the following:
1. For students who are of a legal age to work, working the equivalent of at least five hours per week over the course of any semester, including summer break.
2. Participating in an organized sport. The state board of education shall prescribe what qualifies as an organized sport under this paragraph, except that the state board shall consider all of the following to be organized sports under this paragraph:
(a) Off-campus leagues.
(b) Sports that are not organized by the school district or charter school, including any of the following:
(i) Sports leagues that are organized by for-profit or nonprofit organizations.
(ii) Club sports.
(iii) Any other sports league that students generally participate in outside of school.
(c) school district or charter school sports in which the student participates for a season.
3. Participating in learning opportunities outside of the courses offered by the school district or charter school, including tutoring, STEM clubs and other project-based learning opportunities, internships and apprenticeships as approved by the state board of education or the school district or charter school. For the purposes of this paragraph, "STEM" has the same meaning prescribed in section 15-782.01.
4. Participating in community arts, including music lessons and community theater.
5. Enrolling in and passing any course offered by any of the following:
(a) A university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.
(b) A community college as defined in section 15-1401.
(c) Any private postsecondary institution approved by the state board of education.
B. Notwithstanding section 15-701.01, for each course equivalent completed under subsection A of this section, a student shall earn the equivalent of at least one currently required elective credit that counts toward the graduation requirements prescribed in section 15-701.01.
C. A course equivalent prescribed in subsection A of this section is considered a subject for the purposes of meeting the definition of a fractional student or full-time student prescribed in section 15-901. A course equivalent prescribed in subsection A of this section is not required to meet one hundred twenty-three hours a year, or the equivalent, to be considered a subject.
D. Instructional hours provided to a student who completes a course equivalent prescribed in subsection A of this section shall be included in the calculation of the average daily membership for that student pursuant to section 15-901. Except as otherwise provided by law, for a full-time high school student who completes a course equivalent pursuant to this section, the average daily membership may not exceed 1.0.
E. The state board of education shall:
1. Adopt a framework for schools to carry out this section.
2. As provided by school districts and charter schools, post a list of local or statewide nonprofits and vendors where students' out-of-school experiences are being recognized for credit.
F. The school district governing board or charter school governing body shall establish a process to consider requests for course equivalent credit at the student's school.
G. The opportunity to identify a course equivalent shall be provided to families and students during the course and semester enrollment periods and schools shall make every effort to recognize the experiences students have outside of school mandated courses as relevant to the student's growth and development.
H. Schools shall identify an elective course with or for students who work and who request a course equivalent.
I. The state board of education may adopt rules to allow out-of-school experiences prescribed in subsection A, paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this section to satisfy the academic standards prescribed by the state board of education in section 15-701 for students in kindergarten programs and grades one through eight. Any hours spent by students in kindergarten programs and grades one through eight who participate in out-of-school experiences prescribed in subsection A, paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this section pursuant to rules adopted by the state board of education under this section count toward the instructional hours requirements prescribed in section 15-901 and shall be included in the calculation of the average daily membership for that student pursuant to section 15-901. Any extra hours in the school day that result from a student participating in out-of-school experiences under this section may be used for student support and acceleration on approval of the student's parents and teaching team.