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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
dropout recovery programs; revisions
Purpose
Authorizes an alternative school within a school district (district school) or an alternative charter school with a unique entity number that is not an Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) provider to offer a dropout recovery program (DRP) and narrows the prohibition on AOI providers operating a DRP to apply to an AOI online course provider or an online school. Modifies DRP eligibility, administration and reporting requirements.
Background
A school district or charter school that provides high school instruction and is not also an AOI provider may offer a DRP to assist students who left the education system achieve a high school diploma in an alternative setting. The State Board of Education (SBE) must prescribe standards that require a DRP to: 1) provide curriculum aligned to academic standards, required standardized tests and support for students; and 2) meet the state graduation requirements. A school district or charter school may contract with an educational management organization (EMO) that meets prescribed requirements to provide a DRP and may provide curricula online. Schools that operate a DRP are classified as alternative schools.
For the purposes
of calculating average daily membership (ADM), a DRP student is in attendance
if: 1) in the first month, the student completes DRP orientation; 2) the
student makes satisfactory monthly progress in teacher-facilitated courses for
the current or previous month; or 3) meets the expectations for DRP reentry. A student
who does not make satisfactory progress for two or more consecutive months may
not be counted in ADM. Satisfactory monthly progress:
1) is progress measurable monthly that, if continued for 12 months would result
in the same amount of academic credit awarded to the student as would be
awarded to a student in a traditional education program who completes a full
school year; and 2) includes a lesser required amount of progress for the first
two months that the student participates in the program (A.R.S. §§ 15-241
and 15-901.06;
ADE).
An alternative school is a school whose mission is to serve a specific population of at-risk students that will benefit from an alternative school setting. At least 70 percent of the school's enrolled students must be in at least one of the prescribed population categories (ADE).
If modifying the qualifications of schools who may offer a DRP or the definition of satisfactory monthly progress results in a change to ADM calculated for DRP providers, there may be change in Basic State Aid costs to the state General Fund.
Provisions
1. Authorizes each alternative district school and each alternative charter school, rather than a school district or charter school, that provides high school instruction to offer a DRP.
2. Narrows the prohibition on an AOI provider operating a DRP to apply only to an AOI:
a) online school which is a school that is selected to participate in AOI and provides at least four online academic courses or at least one online course for the equivalent of at least five hours each day for 180 school days; or
b) online course provider which is a school other than an online school that is selected to participate in AOI and provides at least one SBE-approved online academic course.
3. Specifies that, if the school is not an AOI online course provider or online school, an alternative district school or an alternative charter school with a unique entity number may provide a DRP.
4. Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to create and maintain a list of alternative district schools and alternative charter schools that offer a DRP and the EMO, if any, that provides DRP services to each school.
5. Requires ADE to update the DRP schools and EMOs list on a quarterly basis.
6. Requires a school district or an alternative charter school, 30 days before an alternative district school or an alternative charter school begin DRP operations, to:
a) notify ADE that the school meets the prescribed DRP criteria; and
b) if applicable, identify the EMO contracted to operate a DRP in the notice.
7. Directs ADE, within 30 days after receiving the school's notice, to determine whether the DRP criteria are met and notify the school district or alternative charter school of the determination.
8. Provides the school district or alternative charter school 30 days to respond and appeal ADE's decision.
9. Allows an alternative school or alternative charter school that receives ADE-approval to start DRP operations 30 days after the school's initial notice to ADE.
10. Directs an alternative district school or alternative charter school that offers a DRP (DRP provider) to notify ADE within 30 days after entering or terminating a contract with an EMO for DRP services.
11. Adds, to the elements that must be included in a DRP student's written learning plan, whether the student will receive wraparound services or support services, including social work, trauma or food and housing security coaching sessions, that count toward the student's satisfactory monthly progress.
12. Specifies that teacher-facilitated courses may be synchronous or asynchronous for determining average daily membership generated by a DRP student making satisfactory monthly progress.
13. Requires, by July 31, each school and EMO that provides a DRP to annually report to ADE, in the form and manner ADE prescribes:
a) the total number of students who, during the fiscal year, are continuously enrolled for at least 80 school days and earn either at least four and one-half credits or all the remaining credits that the student needs for graduation; and
b) for students enrolled in the DRP by January 31 of the fiscal year who either graduated before January 31 or were enrolled in the DRP on January 31 and needed three or fewer credits to satisfy graduation requirements, including no more than one credit in mathematics:
i. the total number of students;
ii. the percentage of students who graduated in the fiscal year; and
iii. the percentage of students who earned at least one college and career readiness indicator point.
14. Requires ADE’s annual report to the Governor and Legislature to:
a) be submitted by November 1 and posted on ADE’s website; and
b) include compiled information submitted by DRP providers, rather than DRP outcomes including the number of participating students and the number of participating students who graduate.
15. Redefines eligible pupil as eligible student and modifies the definition by:
a) removing the criteria that the student must be eligible for placement in an alternative school; and
b) reducing, from 30 to 10, the number of days the student has been withdrawn from a school district or charter school.
16. Specifies, in the definition of satisfactory monthly progress, that the purpose of the two-month period of lesser progress is to establish wraparound or support services according to the student's written learning plan.
17. Makes technical and conforming changes.
18. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Reverts the amount of time during which a DRP student's satisfactory monthly progress may include a lesser amount of progress to only the first two months the student participates in the DRP, rather two months each year.
2. Specifies that the purpose of the two-month period of lesser progress is to establish wraparound or support services according to the student's written learning plan.
3. Specifies that teacher-facilitated courses may be synchronous or asynchronous for determining average daily membership generated by a DRP student making satisfactory monthly progress.
4. Replaces the information prescribed for a DRP provider's annual report to ADE.
5. Delays, from October 1 to November 1, the due date for the ADE-compiled annual DRP report.
6. Removes the requirement that ADE must submit a copy of the compiled annual DRP report to the Secretary of State.
7. Makes technical and conforming changes.
Senate Action
APPROP 2/2/23 W/D
ED 2/2/23 DP 6-1-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 22, 2023
LB/slp