H.B. 341

1

MODIFIED SCHOOL WEEK PILOT PROGRAM
2 1997 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Sponsor: Thomas Hatch
5 AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL
6 WEEK PILOT PROGRAM IN SELECTED HIGH SCHOOLS; PROVIDING COMPONENTS
7 FOR THE PROGRAM; PROVIDING FOR AN EVALUATION; PROVIDING FOR
8 TERMINATION OF THE PROGRAM; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
9 This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
10 ENACTS:
11 53A-15-801, Utah Code Annotated 1953
12 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
13 Section 1. Section 53A-15-801 is enacted to read:
14 Part 8. Modified School Week Pilot Program
15 53A-15-801. Modified School Week Pilot Program -- Components -- Evaluation --
16 Termination.
17 (1) There is hereby established a Modified School Week Pilot Program to help determine
18 if rural high schools could benefit from a four-day school week.
19 (2) The State Board of Education, through the State Superintendent of Public Instruction,
20 shall select participant schools from geographically clustered applicants.
21 (3) The State Board of Education shall structure the pilot program to include at least the
22 following components:
23 (a) a total of at least 990 hours of instructional time scheduled over the school year to be
24 included in the four-day school week;
25 (b) the scheduling of extracurricular activities, such as sporting events, dances, musical
26 or dramatic events, speech activities, or programs of a similar nature on Thursday night, Friday,
27 or Saturday, so that students will not be involved in or travel to and from extracurricular activities

1 during the regular school day; and
2 (c) an assessment component that compares the test scores of the pilot high schools with
3 test scores of similar high schools throughout the state on at least the following tests:
4 (i) the Stanford Achievement Test or a similar achievement test required under Title 53A,
5 Chapter 1, Part 6, Achievement Tests;
6 (ii) the American College Test; and
7 (iii) end of level tests.
8 (4) (a) The State Board Of Education shall carefully monitor the pilot program and make
9 an annual report to the Legislature's Education Interim Committee prior to December 31.
10 (b) (i) At the conclusion of the second year of the program, the board shall perform an
11 evaluation on the overall academic performance of students at the participating high schools.
12 (ii) If the board determines that academic performance has declined at any of the
13 participating schools, then the board, through the state superintendent, shall work with the school
14 district and the school to remedy those deficiencies.
15 (c) (i) The pilot program shall terminate July 1, 2002.
16 (ii) During the fifth year of the program and prior to the 2002 General Session of the
17 Legislature, the board shall perform a final evaluation and present its findings as part of its annual
18 report under Subsection (4)(a) together with recommendations as to permanency of the program
19 and the need, if required, for further legislative action.
20 Section 2. Effective date.
21 This act takes effect on July 1, 1997.




Legislative Review Note
as of 2-4-97 1:28 PM

A limited legal review of this bill raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

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