First Substitute S.B. 56

This document includes House Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Mar 1, 2006 at 9:13 PM by ddonat. -->

Senator D. Chris Buttars proposes the following substitute bill:

1 SECONDARY SCHOOL AMENDMENTS
2 2006 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Chief Sponsor: D. Chris Buttars
5 House Sponsor: Margaret Dayton
6
7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill establishes requirements for the acceptance of credits awarded by schools and
10 the Electronic High School and establishes requirements for the Electronic High
11 School.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This bill:
14 . requires a public school to:
15 . accept credits awarded to students by certain accredited schools; and
16 . accept credits for both transfer students and students enrolled in the school who
17 take courses offered by other public or private schools;
18 . requires the Electronic High School to offer:
19 . courses in an open entry/open exit format; and
20 . core curriculum courses that conform to course standards and objectives
21 established by the board;
22 . requires public schools and school districts to:
23 . accept all credits earned through the Electronic High School; and
24 . apply credits awarded for a core curriculum course toward fulfillment of core
25 curriculum requirements;

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House Floor Amendments 3-1-2006 dd/dsl 26

. establishes eligibility requirements for enrollment in the Electronic High School and
27 for the award of diplomas by the Electronic High School;
28 . provides that Utah students may take Electronic High School courses free of charge
29 and nonresidents may take courses for a fee set by the State Board of Education;
30 . provides that students with disabilities seeking to enroll in the Utah Electronic High
31 School may request appropriate accommodations; and
32 . defines terms.
33 Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
34 None
35 Other Special Clauses:
36 None
37 Utah Code Sections Affected:
38 ENACTS:
39 53A-13-108.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
40 53A-15-1001, Utah Code Annotated 1953
41 53A-15-1002, Utah Code Annotated 1953
42 53A-15-1003, Utah Code Annotated 1953
43 53A-15-1004, Utah Code Annotated 1953
44 53A-15-1005, Utah Code Annotated 1953
45 53A-15-1006, Utah Code Annotated 1953
46 53A-15-1007, Utah Code Annotated 1953
47
48 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
49 Section 1. Section 53A-13-108.5 is enacted to read:
50 53A-13-108.5. Acceptance of credits awarded by accredited schools.
51 (1) H. (a) .H A public school shall accept credits H. and grades .H awarded to a
51a student by a school accredited or
52 approved by the State Board of Education or accredited or recognized by the Northwest
53 Association of Accredited Schools as issued by the school, without alterations.
53a H. (b) Credits awarded for a core curriculum course shall be applied to fulfilling core
53b curriculum requirements. .H
54 (2) Subsection (1) applies to credits awarded to a student who:
55 (a) transfers to a public school; or
56 (b) while enrolled in the public school, takes courses offered by another public or

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58 (3) Subsection (1) applies to:
59 (a) traditional classes in which an instructor is present in the classroom and the student
60 is required to attend the class for a particular length of time;
61 (b) open entry/open exit classes in which the student has the flexibility to begin or end
62 study at any time, progress through course material at his own pace, and demonstrate
63 competency when knowledge and skills have been mastered;
64 (c) courses offered over the Internet; or
65 (d) distance learning courses.
66 Section 2. Section 53A-15-1001 is enacted to read:
67 Part 10. Electronic High School Act
68 53A-15-1001. Title.
69 This part is known as the "Electronic High School Act."
70 Section 3. Section 53A-15-1002 is enacted to read:
71 53A-15-1002. Definitions.
72 As used in this part:
73 (1) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
74 (2) "Electronic High School" means a rigorous program offering grade 9 - 12 level
75 courses delivered over the Internet and coordinated by the board.
76 (3) "Home-schooled student" means a student:
77 (a) who attends a home school;
78 (b) is exempt from school attendance pursuant to Section 53A-11-102 ; and
79 (c) attends no more than two regularly scheduled classes or courses in a public school
80 per semester.
81 (4) "Open-entry, open-exit" means:
82 (a) a method of instructional delivery that allows for flexible scheduling in response to
83 individual student needs or requirements and demonstrated competency when knowledge and
84 skills have been mastered; and
85 (b) students have the flexibility to begin or end study at any time, progress through
86 course material at their own pace, and demonstrate competency when knowledge and skills
87 have been mastered.

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- 4 - 88 Section 4. Section 53A-15-1003 is enacted to read:
89 53A-15-1003. Courses and credit.
90 (1) The Electronic High School shall:
91 (a) offer courses in an open-entry, open-exit format; and
92 (b) offer core curriculum courses that are in conformance with course standards and
93 objectives established by the board.
94 (2) Public schools shall:
95 (a) accept all credits awarded to students by the Electronic High School; and
96 (b) apply credits awarded for a core curriculum course toward the fulfillment of core
97 curriculum requirements.
98 Section 5. Section 53A-15-1004 is enacted to read:
99 53A-15-1004. Student eligibility for enrollment.
100 (1) Utah students at any age or in any grade may enroll in Electronic High School
101 courses.
102 (2) The Electronic High School shall accept students into courses on a first-come
103 first-served basis.
104 Section 6. Section 53A-15-1005 is enacted to read:
105 53A-15-1005. Services to students with disabilities.
106 Students with disabilities who may need additional services or resources and who seek
107 to enroll in Electronic High School classes may request appropriate accommodations through
108 the students' assigned schools or school districts.
109 Section 7. Section 53A-15-1006 is enacted to read:
110 53A-15-1006. Student fees or tuition.
111 (1) Electronic High School courses are provided to students who are Utah residents, as
112 defined in Section 53A-2-201 , free of charge.
113 (2) Nonresident students may enroll in Electronic High School courses for a fee set by
114 the board, provided that the course can accommodate additional students.
115 Section 8. Section 53A-15-1007 is enacted to read:
116 53A-15-1007. Electronic High School diploma.
117 The Electronic High School may award a diploma to a student that meets any of the
118 following criteria upon the student's completion of high school graduation requirements set by

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120 (1) a home-schooled student;
121 (2) a student who has dropped out of school and whose original high school class has
122 graduated; or
123 (3) a student who is identified by the student's resident school district as ineligible for
124 graduation from a traditional high school program for specific reasons.