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First Substitute H.B. 200

Representative Bradley G. Last proposes the following substitute bill:


             1     
EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AND

             2     
EVALUATION

             3     
2008 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Bradley G. Last

             6     
Senate Sponsor: Darin G. Peterson

             7      Cosponsors:
             8      Sylvia S. Andersen
             9      David Clark
             10      Bradley M. Daw
             11      Brad L. DeeJohn Dougall
Lorie D. Fowlke
Kevin S. Garn
James R. Gowans
Gregory H. HughesEric K. Hutchings
Michael E. Noel
Stephen H. Urquhart
Mark W. Walker
R. Curt Webb              12     
             13      LONG TITLE
             14      General Description:
             15          This bill creates a pilot project using a home-based educational technology program to
             16      develop school readiness skills of preschool children.
             17      Highlighted Provisions:
             18          This bill:
             19          .    establishes within the public education system a pilot project known as UPSTART
             20      which uses a home-based educational technology program to develop school
             21      readiness skills of preschool children;
             22          .    directs the State Board of Education to contract with:
             23              .    an educational technology provider, selected through a request for proposals
             24      process, for the delivery of a home-based educational technology program to
             25      develop school readiness skills of preschool children; and
             26              .    an independent evaluator to evaluate the home-based educational technology


             27      program for preschool children;
             28          .    specifies standards for the home-based educational technology program for
             29      preschool children;
             30          .    provides for school district participation in the pilot project;
             31          .    requires an annual audit of the contractor's use of funds appropriated for UPSTART
             32      and an annual report on UPSTART to the Legislature; and
             33          .    repeals the pilot project on July 1, 2014.
             34      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             35          This bill appropriates:
             36          .    as an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints, $2,500,000 from
             37      the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2008-09; and
             38          .    for fiscal year 2007-08 only, $1,000,000 from the Uniform School Fund.
             39      Other Special Clauses:
             40          This bill provides an immediate effective date.
             41      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             42      AMENDS:
             43          63-55b-153, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2007, Chapter 216
             44      ENACTS:
             45          53A-1a-1001, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             46          53A-1a-1002, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             47          53A-1a-1003, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             48          53A-1a-1004, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             49          53A-1a-1005, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             50          53A-1a-1006, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             51          53A-1a-1007, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             52     
             53      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             54          Section 1. Section 53A-1a-1001 is enacted to read:
             55     
Part 10. UPSTART

             56          53A-1a-1001. Definitions.
             57          As used in this part:


             58          (1) "Contractor" means the educational technology provider selected by the State Board
             59      of Education under Section 53A-1a-1002 .
             60          (2) "Low income" means an income below 200% of the federal poverty guideline.
             61          (3) "Preschool children" means children who are:
             62          (a) age four or five; and
             63          (b) have not entered kindergarten.
             64          (4) "UPSTART" means the pilot project established by Section 53A-1a-1002 that uses
             65      a home-based educational technology program to develop school readiness skills of preschool
             66      children.
             67          Section 2. Section 53A-1a-1002 is enacted to read:
             68          53A-1a-1002. Pilot project to develop school readiness skills of preschool children.
             69          (1) UPSTART, a pilot project that uses a home-based educational technology program
             70      to develop school readiness skills of preschool children, is established within the public
             71      education system.
             72          (2) UPSTART is created to:
             73          (a) evaluate the effectiveness of giving preschool children access, at home, to
             74      interactive individualized instruction delivered by computers and the Internet to prepare them
             75      academically for success in school; and
             76          (b) test the feasibility of scaling a home-based curriculum in reading, math, and science
             77      delivered by computers and the Internet to all preschool children in Utah.
             78          (3) The State Board of Education shall contract with an educational technology
             79      provider, selected through a request for proposals process, for the delivery of a home-based
             80      educational technology program for preschool children that meets the requirements of
             81      Subsection (4).
             82          (4) A home-based educational technology program for preschool children shall meet
             83      the following standards:
             84          (a) the contractor shall provide computer-assisted instruction for preschool children on
             85      a home computer connected by the Internet to a centralized file storage facility;
             86          (b) the contractor shall:
             87          (i) provide technical support to families for the installation and operation of the
             88      instructional software; and


             89          (ii) provide for the installation of computer and Internet access in homes of low income
             90      families that cannot afford the equipment and service;
             91          (c) the contractor shall have the capability of doing the following through the Internet:
             92          (i) communicating with parents;
             93          (ii) updating the instructional software;
             94          (iii) validating user access;
             95          (iv) collecting usage data;
             96          (v) storing research data; and
             97          (vi) producing reports for parents, schools, and the Legislature;
             98          (d) the program shall include the following components:
             99          (i) computer-assisted, individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and science;
             100          (ii) a multisensory reading tutoring program; and
             101          (iii) a validated computer adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of
             102      trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who
             103      cannot read;
             104          (e) the contractor shall have the capability to quickly and efficiently modify, improve,
             105      and support the product;
             106          (f) the contractor shall work in cooperation with school district personnel who will
             107      provide administrative and technical support of the program as provided in Section
             108      53A-1a-1003 ;
             109          (g) the contractor shall solicit families to participate in the program as provided in
             110      Section 53A-1a-1004 ; and
             111          (h) in implementing the home-based educational technology program, the contractor
             112      shall seek the advise and expertise of early childhood education professionals within the Utah
             113      System of Higher Education on issues such as:
             114          (i) soliciting families to participate in the program;
             115          (ii) providing training to families; and
             116          (iii) motivating families to regularly use the instructional software.
             117          (5) The contract shall provide funding for a home-based educational technology
             118      program for preschool children for one year with an option to extend the contract for additional
             119      years or to expand the program to a greater number of preschool children, subject to the


             120      appropriation of money by the Legislature for UPSTART.
             121          Section 3. Section 53A-1a-1003 is enacted to read:
             122          53A-1a-1003. School district participation in UPSTART.
             123          (1) A school district may participate in UPSTART if the local school board agrees to
             124      work in cooperation with the contractor to provide administrative and technical support for the
             125      pilot project.
             126          (2) Family participants in UPSTART shall be solicited from school districts that
             127      participate in UPSTART.
             128          (3) A school district that participates in UPSTART shall:
             129          (a) receive funding for:
             130          (i) paraprofessional and technical support staff; and
             131          (ii) travel, materials, and meeting costs of the program;
             132          (b) participate in program training by the contractor; and
             133          (c) agree to adopt standardized policies and procedures in implementing the pilot
             134      project.
             135          Section 4. Section 53A-1a-1004 is enacted to read:
             136          53A-1a-1004. Family participation in UPSTART.
             137          (1) The contractor shall solicit families to participate in UPSTART through a public
             138      information campaign and referrals from participating school districts.
             139          (2) (a) Preschool children who participate in UPSTART shall:
             140          (i) be from families with diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds; and
             141          (ii) reside in different regions of the state in both urban and rural areas.
             142          (b) At least 30% of the preschool children who participate in UPSTART shall be from
             143      low income families.
             144          (3) A low income family that cannot afford a computer and Internet service to operate
             145      the instructional software may obtain a computer and peripheral equipment on loan and receive
             146      free Internet service for the duration of the family's participation in the pilot project.
             147          (4) The contractor shall make the home-based educational technology program
             148      available to families at an agreed upon cost if the number of families who would like to
             149      participate in UPSTART exceeds the number of participants funded by the legislative
             150      appropriation.


             151          Section 5. Section 53A-1a-1005 is enacted to read:
             152          53A-1a-1005. Purchase of equipment and service through cooperative purchasing
             153      contracts.
             154          The State Board of Education or a school district may purchase computers, peripheral
             155      equipment, and Internet service for low income families who cannot afford them through
             156      cooperative purchasing contracts administered by the state Division of Purchasing and General
             157      Services.
             158          Section 6. Section 53A-1a-1006 is enacted to read:
             159          53A-1a-1006. Audit and evaluation.
             160          (1) The state auditor shall:
             161          (a) conduct an annual audit of the contractor's use of funds for UPSTART; or
             162          (b) contract with an independent certified public accountant to conduct an annual audit.
             163          (2) The State Board of Education shall:
             164          (a) require by contract that the contractor will open its books and records relating to its
             165      expenditure of funds pursuant to the contract to the state auditor or the state auditor's designee;
             166          (b) reimburse the state auditor for the actual and necessary costs of the audit; and
             167          (c) contract with an independent, qualified evaluator, selected through a request for
             168      proposals process, to evaluate the home-based educational technology program for preschool
             169      children.
             170          (3) Of the monies appropriated by the Legislature for UPSTART, excluding funds used
             171      to provide computers, peripheral equipment, and Internet service to families, no more than
             172      7.5% may be used for the evaluation of the program.
             173          Section 7. Section 53A-1a-1007 is enacted to read:
             174          53A-1a-1007. Annual report.
             175          (1) The State Board of Education shall make a report on UPSTART to the Education
             176      Interim Committee by November 30 each year.
             177          (2) The report shall:
             178          (a) address the extent to which UPSTART is accomplishing the purposes for which it
             179      was established as specified in Section 53A-1a-1002 ; and
             180          (b) include the following information:
             181          (i) the number of families:


             182          (A) volunteering to participate in the program;
             183          (B) selected to participate in the program;
             184          (C) requesting computers; and
             185          (D) furnished computers;
             186          (ii) the frequency of use of the instructional software;
             187          (iii) obstacles encountered with software usage, hardware, or providing technical
             188      assistance to families;
             189          (iv) student performance on pre-kindergarten and post-kindergarten assessments
             190      conducted by school districts and charter schools for students who participated in the
             191      home-based educational technology program and those who did not participate in the program;
             192      and
             193          (v) as available, the evaluation of the program conducted pursuant to Section
             194      53A-1a-1006 .
             195          Section 8. Section 63-55b-153 is amended to read:
             196           63-55b-153. Repeal dates -- Titles 53, 53A, and 53B.
             197          (1) Section 53-3-210 is repealed February 1, 2007.
             198          (2) Section 53A-1-403.5 is repealed July 1, 2012.
             199          (3) Subsection 53A-1a-511 (7)(c) is repealed July 1, 2007.
             200          (4) Tile 53A, Chapter 1a, Part 10, UPSTART, is repealed July 1, 2014.
             201          [(4)] (5) Section 53A-3-702 is repealed July 1, 2008.
             202          [(5)] (6) Section 53A-6-112 is repealed July 1, 2009.
             203          [(6)] (7) Section 53A-17a-152 is repealed July 1, 2010.
             204          Section 9. Ongoing appropriation for UPSTART.
             205          As an ongoing appropriation subject to future budget constraints, there is appropriated
             206      from the Uniform School Fund for fiscal year 2008-09, $2,500,000 to the State Board of
             207      Education for UPSTART as provided in Title 53A, Chapter 1a, Part 10, UPSTART, including
             208      costs of:
             209          (1) a home-based educational technology program provided by a contractor;
             210          (2) computers, peripheral equipment, and Internet service for families who cannot
             211      afford the equipment and service;
             212          (3) administrative and technical support provided by school districts;


             213          (4) an audit of the contractor's use of funds appropriated for UPSTART; and
             214          (5) an evaluation of the home-based educational technology program.
             215          Section 10. One-time appropriation for UPSTART.
             216          (1) There is appropriated from the Uniform School Fund to the State Board of
             217      Education for fiscal year 2007-08 only, $1,000,000 for UPSTART as provided in Title 53A,
             218      Chapter 1a, Part 10, UPSTART.
             219          (2) The money appropriated in Subsection (1) is nonlapsing.
             220          Section 11. Effective date.
             221          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
             222      upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
             223      Constitution Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
             224      the date of veto override.


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