2
3
4
5
6 Cosponsors:
7 Curtis S. Bramble
8 Lyle W. Hillyard
9 Alvin B. Jackson
Peter C. Knudson
Howard A. Stephenson
Jerry W. Stevenson
Daniel W. Thatcher
Stephen H. Urquhart
Todd Weiler
10
11 LONG TITLE
12 General Description:
13 This bill provides for public school dropout recovery services.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This bill:
16 ▸ defines terms;
17 ▸ requires a local education agency to provide dropout recovery services;
18 ▸ under certain circumstances, requires a local education agency to contract with a
19 provider to provide dropout recovery services;
20 ▸ requires a local education agency and the State Board of Education to report on the
21 provisions of this bill; and
22 ▸ directs the State Board of Education to make rules.
23 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
24 None
25 Other Special Clauses:
26 None
27 Utah Code Sections Affected:
28 ENACTS:
29 53A-17a-172, Utah Code Annotated 1953
30
31 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
32 Section 1. Section 53A-17a-172 is enacted to read:
33 53A-17a-172. Use of minimum school program funds for dropout recovery
34 services.
35 (1) As used in this section:
36 (a) "Adequate monthly progress" means:
37 (i) an amount of progress that is measurable on a monthly basis and that, if continued
38 for a full school year, would result in the same amount of academic credit being awarded to an
39 eligible student as would be awarded to a regularly enrolled full-time student during a school
40 year; or
41 (ii) completion of one-quarter credit of college and career readiness course work.
42 (b) "Attainment goal" means:
43 (i) for an eligible student up to 18 years of age:
44 (A) earning a high school diploma;
45 (B) earning a Utah High School Completion Diploma, as defined in State Board of
46 Education rule; or
47 (C) earning an industry-based certificate that is likely to result in job placement; or
48 (ii) for an eligible student over 18 years of age, earning a high school diploma as
49 required under Section 53A-12-101.
50 (c) "Average daily membership" means the same as that term is defined in Section
51 53A-17a-103.
52 (d) "Cohort" means a group of students, defined by the year the group enters ninth
53 grade.
54 (e) "College and career readiness course work" means course work that prepares a
55 student to succeed in a:
56 (i) post-secondary environment, such as course work designed to teach time
57 management skills and study skills; and
58 (ii) work environment, such as:
59 (A) career and technical education courses;
60 (B) career exploration and planning courses;
61 (C) course work designed to teach the soft skills that are necessary to succeed in a
62 work environment; and
63 (D) course work designed to prepare a student to pass an industry based certification
64 exam.
65 (f) "Eligible student" means a student:
66 (i) who has withdrawn from a secondary school prior to earning a diploma with no
67 legitimate reason for departure or absence from school;
68 (ii) who has been dropped from average daily membership for having a certain number
69 of unexcused absences as described in rules established by the State Board of Education; and
70 (iii) (A) whose cohort has not yet graduated; or
71 (B) whose cohort graduated in the previous school year.
72 (g) (i) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means a school district or charter school.
73 (ii) "Local education agency" or "LEA" does not include:
74 (A) an alternative school as defined in Section 53A-1-1102; or
75 (B) a statewide virtual school.
76 (2) (a) An LEA shall provide a dropout recovery program for eligible students that
77 includes the following dropout recovery services:
78 (i) recruiting eligible students;
79 (ii) working with an eligible student to identify and mitigate social barriers to regular
80 school attendance;
81 (iii) developing a learning plan, in consultation with the eligible student to:
82 (A) identify an attainment goal; and
83 (B) specify adequate monthly progress toward the attainment goal;
84 (iv) monitoring an eligible student's progress against the eligible student's learning
85 plan;
86 (v) providing tiered interventions for an eligible student who is not making adequate
87 monthly progress; and
88 (vi) providing dropout recovery services to eligible students throughout the calendar
89 year.
90 (b) An LEA shall allow an eligible student to enroll in a dropout recovery program
91 under Subsection (2)(a) at any point during the calendar year.
92 (3) An LEA that does not meet the criteria described in Subsections (4)(a) and (b) may
93 contract with a provider to provide one or more of the dropout recovery services described in
94 Subsection (2)(a).
95 (4) An LEA shall contract with a provider to provide the dropout recovery services
96 described in Subsection (2)(a) if:
97 (a) the LEA has a graduation rate that is lower than the statewide graduation rate, as
98 annually calculated by the State Board of Education; and
99 (b) (i) on average over the previous calendar year, at least 10% of the eligible students
100 in the LEA have not made adequate monthly progress toward an attainment goal; or
101 (ii) the LEA's graduation rate, as calculated annually by the State Board of Education,
102 has not increased by at least 1% as compared to the previous school year.
103 (5) An LEA described in Subsection (4) shall ensure that:
104 (a) a provider that is contracted with under Subsection (4) has a demonstrated record of
105 effectiveness engaging with and recovering eligible students; and
106 (b) a contract with a provider requires the provider to:
107 (i) provide the services described in Subsection (2)(a); and
108 (ii) regularly report an eligible student's progress to the LEA.
109 (6) (a) Subject to Subsection (6)(b), an LEA may count a student who was classified as
110 an eligible student during a previous school year in average daily membership for the current
111 school year if the eligible student is enrolled in a dropout recovery services program under
112 Subsection (2)(a) during the current school year.
113 (b) An LEA may count a student in average daily membership under Subsection (6)(a):
114 (i) for a month during which the student makes adequate monthly progress, calculated
115 in accordance with rules established by the State Board of Education under Subsection (7)(a);
116 and
117 (ii) if a student re-enrolls in an LEA or statewide course or program, in accordance
118 with the pupil accounting provisions under Section 53A-17a-106 and State Board of Education
119 rule.
120 (7) The State Board of Education shall:
121 (a) make rules specifying procedures for calculating average daily membership under
122 Subsection (6)(b)(i); and
123 (b) ensure that the amount accounted for under Subsection (6):
124 (i) does not exceed one pupil in average daily membership per student;
125 (ii) includes only the value of the kindergarten through grade 12 weighted pupil unit;
126 and
127 (iii) excludes add-on weighted pupil units.
128 (8) An LEA shall annually submit a report to the State Board of Education on dropout
129 recovery services provided under this section, including:
130 (a) the number of eligible students:
131 (i) in the LEA;
132 (ii) enrolled in a dropout recovery program under Subsection (2)(a);
133 (iii) making adequate monthly progress toward an attainment goal; and
134 (iv) counted in average daily membership under Subsections (6)(b)(i) and (ii); and
135 (b) funding allocated to provide for a dropout recovery program as described in
136 Subsection (2).
137 (9) The State Board of Education shall:
138 (a) review reports submitted under Subsection (8);
139 (b) ensure that an LEA described in Subsection (4) contracts with a provider to provide
140 dropout recovery services in accordance with Subsections (4) and (5); and
141 (c) annually report to the Education Interim Committee on the provisions of this
142 section.