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H.B. 341 Enrolled

    

MODIFIED SCHOOL WEEK PILOT PROGRAM

    
1997 GENERAL SESSION

    
STATE OF UTAH

    
Sponsor: Thomas Hatch

    AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR A MODIFIED SCHOOL
    WEEK PILOT PROGRAM IN SELECTED HIGH SCHOOLS; PROVIDING
    COMPONENTS FOR THE PROGRAM; PROVIDING FOR AN EVALUATION;
    PROVIDING FOR TERMINATION OF THE PROGRAM; AND PROVIDING AN
    EFFECTIVE DATE.
    This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
    ENACTS:
         53A-15-801, Utah Code Annotated 1953
    Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
        Section 1. Section 53A-15-801 is enacted to read:
    
Part 8. Modified School Week Pilot Program

         53A-15-801. Modified School Week Pilot Program -- Components -- Evaluation --
     Termination.
        (1) There is hereby established a Modified School Week Pilot Program to help determine
    if rural high schools could benefit from a modified school week.
        (2) (a) The State Board of Education, through the state superintendent of public
    instruction, may select one participant group of rural schools from a geographically clustered area
    for the pilot program.
        (b) The participating schools must agree to coordinate their scheduling of activities to
    accommodate the modified school week.
        (c) (i) Participation in the program is subject to approval by the school board of the district
    in which the participant schools are located.
        (ii) Participation of any one school in the pilot program may also be subject to voter
    approval, if a petition signed by 20% of the parents whose children attend the school is presented
    to the local school board requesting a vote on the issue.


        (3) The State Board of Education shall structure the pilot program to include at least the
    following components:
        (a) a total of at least 990 hours of instructional time scheduled over the school year to be
    included in the modified school week;
        (b) the scheduling of extracurricular activities, such as sporting events, dances, musical or
    dramatic events, speech activities, or programs of a similar nature on Thursday night, Friday, or
    Saturday, so that students will not practice for or be involved in or travel to and from extracurricular
    activities during the regular school day; and
        (c) an assessment component that compares the test scores of the pilot high schools with test
    scores of high schools throughout the state on at least the following tests:
        (i) the Stanford Achievement Test or a similar achievement test required under Title 53A,
    Chapter 1, Part 6, Achievement Tests;
        (ii) the American College Test; and
        (iii) end of level tests.
        (4) (a) The State Board Of Education shall carefully monitor the pilot program and make an
    annual report to the Legislature's Education Interim Committee prior to December 31.
        (b) (i) Each pilot school shall submit an annual report to the state superintendent on the
    amount of time students were out of class for school approved activities or field trips.
        (ii) The report shall specify each activity, the date of occurrence, the number of students
    involved, and the time missed.
        (c) (i) At the conclusion of the second year of the program, the board shall perform an
    evaluation on the overall academic performance and an evaluation of the positive and negative social
    consequences of students at the participating high schools.
        (ii) If the board determines that academic performance has declined or negative social
    consequences have increased at any of the participating schools, then the board, through the state
    superintendent, shall notify the school district and the school of the specific deficiencies and the need
    to remedy those deficiencies.
        (d) (i) The pilot program shall terminate July 1, 2002.

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        (ii) During the fifth year of the program and prior to the 2002 General Session of the
    Legislature, the board shall perform a final evaluation and present its findings as part of its annual
    report under Subsection (4)(a) together with recommendations as to permanency of the program and
    the need, if required, for further legislative action.
        Section 2. Effective date.
        This act takes effect on July 1, 1997.

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