1     
UPSTART PROGRAM AMENDMENTS

2     
2018 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: J. Stuart Adams

5     
House Sponsor: Bradley G. Last

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill amends provisions related to a contract for a home-based educational
10     technology program.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     permits the State Board of Education to issue a request for proposals and enter into
14     a contract for a two-year pilot of a home-based educational technology program;
15     and
16          ▸     makes technical and conforming changes.
17     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
18          None
19     Other Special Clauses:
20          None
21     Utah Code Sections Affected:
22     AMENDS:
23          53F-4-402, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 2
24     

25     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
26          Section 1. Section 53F-4-402 is amended to read:
27          53F-4-402. UPSTART program to develop school readiness skills of preschool
28     children.

29          (1) UPSTART, a project that uses a home-based educational technology program to
30     develop school readiness skills of preschool children, is established within the public education
31     system.
32          (2) UPSTART is created to:
33          (a) evaluate the effectiveness of giving preschool children access, at home, to
34     interactive individualized instruction delivered by computers and the Internet to prepare them
35     academically for success in school; and
36          (b) test the feasibility of scaling a home-based curriculum in reading, math, and science
37     delivered by computers and the Internet to all preschool children in Utah.
38          (3) (a) The State Board of Education shall contract with an educational technology
39     provider, selected through a request for proposals process, for the delivery of a home-based
40     educational technology program for preschool children that meets the requirements of
41     Subsection (4).
42          (b) (i) The State Board of Education [shall] may, on or before July 1, 2019, issue a
43     request for proposals for two-year pilot proposals from, and enter into a contract with, one or
44     more educational technology providers that do not have an existing contract under this part
45     with the state for the delivery of a home-based educational technology program for preschool
46     children that meets the requirements of Subsection (4).
47          (ii) [After the two-year pilots] If the State Board of Education enters into a contract for
48     a two-year pilot as described in Subsection (3)(b)(i), the State Board of Education may enter
49     into a contract with one or more educational technology providers that have participated in a
50     Utah pilot.
51          (c) Every five years after July 1, 2021, the State Board of Education may issue a new
52     request for proposals described in this section.
53          (4) A home-based educational technology program for preschool children shall meet
54     the following standards:
55          (a) the contractor shall provide computer-assisted instruction for preschool children on

56     a home computer connected by the Internet to a centralized file storage facility;
57          (b) the contractor shall:
58          (i) provide technical support to families for the installation and operation of the
59     instructional software; and
60          (ii) provide for the installation of computer and Internet access in homes of low income
61     families that cannot afford the equipment and service;
62          (c) the contractor shall have the capability of doing the following through the Internet:
63          (i) communicating with parents;
64          (ii) updating the instructional software;
65          (iii) validating user access;
66          (iv) collecting usage data;
67          (v) storing research data; and
68          (vi) producing reports for parents, schools, and the Legislature;
69          (d) the program shall include the following components:
70          (i) computer-assisted, individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and science;
71          (ii) a multisensory reading tutoring program; and
72          (iii) a validated computer adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of
73     trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who
74     cannot read;
75          (e) the contractor shall have the capability to quickly and efficiently modify, improve,
76     and support the product;
77          (f) the contractor shall work in cooperation with school district personnel who will
78     provide administrative and technical support of the program as provided in Section 53F-4-403;
79          (g) the contractor shall solicit families to participate in the program as provided in
80     Section 53F-4-404; and
81          (h) in implementing the home-based educational technology program, the contractor
82     shall seek the advise and expertise of early childhood education professionals within the Utah

83     System of Higher Education on issues such as:
84          (i) soliciting families to participate in the program;
85          (ii) providing training to families; and
86          (iii) motivating families to regularly use the instructional software.
87          (5) (a) The contract shall provide funding for a home-based educational technology
88     program for preschool children, subject to the appropriation of money by the Legislature for
89     UPSTART.
90          (b) An appropriation for a request for proposals described in Subsection (3)(b)(i) shall
91     be separate from an appropriation described in Subsection (5)(a).
92          (6) The State Board of Education shall evaluate a proposal based on:
93          (a) whether the home-based educational technology program meets the standards
94     specified in Subsection (4);
95          (b) the results of an independent evaluation of the home-based educational technology
96     program;
97          (c) the experience of the home-based educational technology program provider; and
98          (d) the per pupil cost of the home-based educational technology program.