Arkansas
Bill: HB 1785
Status: 03/07/2013 – House — Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on EDUCATION COMMITTEE- HOUSE
Relevant Elements: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10
Arkansas HB 1785, sponsored by Rep. Dan Douglas, R-Bentonville, was introduced on March 7 and referred to the House Education Committee. It would expand digital learning opportunities to all students and require the maintenance of the necessary infrastructure to deliver a quality digital learning environment in each school district and public charter schools. HB 1785 would require the Department of Education to publish a list of approved digital learning providers and would explain the process of becoming a digital learning provider that would utilize a highly qualified teacher to teach the digital classes but not require that the teacher be licensed as a teacher by the state board. Beginning in 2013-2014, it would require all public and charter schools to provide at least one digital course that would be made available in a blended learning, online-based, or other technology-based format tailored to meet the needs of each student. It would also require that the ninth grade class of 2013-2014 take at least one digital learning class to graduate and the Department of Education would not limit the number of digital classes for credit a student may take. The digital learning courses would be required to be capable of being assessed by standardized tests and local assessments.
Florida
Bill: SB 1076
Status: 03/13/2013 – Senate Subcommittee Recommendation: CS by Appropriations Subcommittee on Education; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
Relevant Elements: 4, 9, 10
Florida SB 1076 passed the Senate Education Committee on March 6 and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education 11-0 on March 13 with amendments. It would:
- Align technical centers with the needs of local businesses and industry certifications.
- Require each school to offer acceleration options that may include rigorous industry certifications or apprenticeships.
- Require each school district to make available digital materials for students in pre-K-12 in order to enable students to attain digital skills.
- The materials would be made available through open-access options, or deployed through online or digital computer applications.
- Development of a Florida Cyber Security Recognition and a Florida Digital Arts Recognition for elementary school students with bonus funding for schools when students earn the recognitions.
- Development of a Florida Digital Tools Certificate for middle school students with bonus funding for schools when students earn the certificate.
- Require the state Board of Education to designate multiple pathways for demonstrating the skills required for high school graduation, including earning industry certifications for high school credit, apprenticeships, course and credit options, and end-of-course assessments.
- Amend school bonus pay to teachers for AP courses, to require that in order to receive the bonus, at least 50 percent of the students enrolled in the course would have to earn a three or higher. It would also increase the bonus to $1,000 to teachers in “D” or “F” schools who has at least 25 percent of students enrolled in a class score a three or higher on an AP exam. It would increase the bonus pay ceiling from $2,000 annually to $3,000.
Kentucky
Bill: HB 180
Status: 03/12/2013 – received in House; to Rules (H); taken from Rules; posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (2) ; House concurred in Senate Committee Substitute (2) ; passed 100-0; enrolled, signed by each presiding officer; delivered to Governor
Relevant Elements: 6
Kentucky HB 180 was delivered to Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear on March 12 who will have until March 22 to sign or veto the measure or it will become law without signature. This system would be required to promote the continuous professional growth and development of skills needed to be a highly effective teacher or administrator. The system would be required to:
- Use multiple measures of effectiveness, including student growth data from state standardized tests.
- Include formative and summative evaluation components.
- Measure professional effectiveness.
- Support professional growth.
- Have at least three performance levels.
- Be used to inform personnel decisions.
- Be considerate of the time requirements of evaluators at the local level.
- Not require all certified personnel have a formal summative evaluation each year.
- Rate teachers by multiple measures instead of a single measure.
A local school district may submit a written request to use an alternative effectiveness and evaluation system that would need to comply with certain requirements. Parent surveys would be used as a source of data once a valid and reliable survey tool becomes available for this purpose.
Maine
Bill: LD 995
Status: 03/12/2013 – (H) Bill REFERRED to the Committee on EDUCATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS . In concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
Relevant Elements: 7
Maine LD 995, sponsored by Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, was introduced on March 12 and referred to the Joint Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. It would prohibit the commission from authorizing a virtual public charter school until legislation is enacted that would give express authority for the operation of virtual public charter schools. The bill would also require the Maine Charter School Commission to review the law and the virtual public charter school models that have been implemented in other states and develop a virtual public charter school model that will best serve the learning needs of students. The virtual public charter school model developed would apply only to part-time students in grades 9 to 12 and must place emphasis on blended learning models for high school students. The bill would also define “Virtual public charter school” as a school that offers education services predominately through an online program, enrolls students on a part-time basis, and provides a program of secondary education for grades 9-12. It would restrict the education service providers that virtual schools can enter into a contract with to a provider that is a public or private nonprofit entity.
Maryland
Bill: HB 532, SB 537
Status: 03/13/2013 – Second Reading Passed with Amendments
Relevant Elements: 1
Maryland HB 532 passed the House Ways and Means Committee on March 13 with amendments. It would require the state virtual learning council to study and make recommendations on requiring an online course for graduation and the feasibility of establishing virtual schools in the state. The bill as introduced would have required that students entering grade nine in the 2015-2016 school year complete one online course in order to graduate from high school.
Cross-filed bill SB 537, sponsored by Sen. Christopher Shank, R-Hagerstown, was read a first time and referred to the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on January 31 and contains the same provisions as the introduced version of HB 532.
Minnesota
Bill: HF 1337, SF 1103
Status: 03/11/2013 – Committee report, to pass as amended and re-refer to Government Operations
Relevant Elements: 8
Minnesota HF 1337, sponsored by House Education Policy Vice-Chair Kathy Brynaert, DFL-Mankato, passed that committee on March 11 and is now in the Government Operations Committee. It would:
- Require students entering grade 9 before the 2013-2014 school year who have not yet demonstrated proficiency on the state comprehensive assessments, the graduation-required assessments or the basic skills testing to satisfy state graduation requirements by taking the ACT for college admission in their senior year.
- Require state-constructed tests to be developed as computer-adaptive reading and math assessments in grades 3-8.
- Require certain assessments required for graduation to be based on a longitudinal, systematic approach to career planning, instructional support and evaluation.
- Require such assessments to reflect college and career readiness, as demonstrated on a nationally normed college entrance exam.
- Require the state to contract with a nationally recognized vendor for a series of college entrance assessments that are aligned with state standards and include career and college readiness in math, reading and writing.
- Require the percentage for students whose progress meets career and college readiness benchmarks in the school’s performance report.
- Create the career pathways advisory task force.
Companion bill SF 1103, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Vice Chair Kevin Dahle, DFL-Northfield, passed Vice Chair Dahle’s committee on March 14.
New Jersey
Bill: AR 154
Status: 03/07/2013 – Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee
Relevant Elements: 6
New Jersey AR 154, sponsored by Assembly Majority Whip Peter J. Barnes III, D-Edison, and Assembly Deputy Speaker/Parliamentarian Patrick Diegnan, D-South Plainfield, was introduced on March 7 and referred to the Assembly Education Committee. It would support traditional classroom teachers and would take the position that virtual learning in elementary and secondary schools should not replace the role of teachers but rather be utilized as a supplementary educational tool.
North Carolina
Bill: HB 45
Status: 03/14/2013 – Senate Ref To Com On Appropriations/Base Budget
Relevant Elements: 10
North Carolina HB 45 passed the House on March 13 and is now in the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee. It would require the Board of Education to establish a standard for sufficient classroom wireless connectivity for a digital learning environment and conduct an inventory of the wireless access and bandwidth capacity of each school in the state.
Pennsylvania
Bill: HB 979
Status: 03/12/2013 – PN 1120 Referred to EDUCATION
Relevant Elements: 9
Pennsylvania HB 979, sponsored by multiple members including Rep. Mike Fleck, R-Huntingdon, was introduced on March 12 and referred to the Education Committee. It would add provisions on the funding of charter schools for non-special education students in a charter school, including athletic funds and school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
HB 979 would also create how funding for cyber charter schools would be provided. It would not require a tuition charge for a resident or nonresident student to attend a cyber charter school. For both non-special and special education students, this bill would provide what the cyber charter school would receive. The bill would also cover payments to cyber charter schools as well as audit guidelines.
Bill: HB 980
Status: 03/12/2013 – PN 1121 Referred to EDUCATION
Relevant Elements: 7, 9
Pennsylvania HB 980, sponsored by multiple members including Representative Fleck, was introduced on March 12 and also referred to the House Education Committee. It would establish a moratorium on the establishment of new cyber charter schools from July 1, 2013 through June 2016. The bill would also limit fund balances beginning in 2013-2014 and on for charter schools, prohibiting them from accumulating an unassigned fund balance greater than the charter school entity unassigned fund balance limit.
Bill: HB 983
Status: 03/13/2013 – PN 1147 Referred to EDUCATION
Relevant Elements: 1, 7, 9
Pennsylvania HB 983, sponsored by multiple members including Rep. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, was introduced on March 13 and referred to the House Education Committee. It would require, within one year of the effective date, the establishment of an online catalog of courses for students enrolled in grades three through 12 and would establish an application process for providers to submit their online course offerings for review by the Department of Education. The department would be required to review the courses submitted and verify that they were aligned to the state academic standards and other state requirements. HB 0983 would also require that an online database be created and available to school entities of approved providers and their approved online courses. The bill would outline the fees that could be charged for administrative purposes. Beginning in 2015-2016 and forward, the bill would require schools to offer students in grades three through 12 the opportunity to participate in the online courses.
South Carolina
Bill: HB 3752
Status: 03/06/2013 – Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works
Relevant Elements: 2
South Carolina HB 3752, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Patrick, R-Hilton Head, was introduced on March 6 and referred to the Education and Public Works Committee. The bill would amend current law to enact the “Expanded Virtual Learning Act,” which would revamp the existing virtual school program into a virtual education program. The bill would also remove the limit of credits that a student could earn online.
Relevant Elements: 6
The U.S. Department of Education approved a state plan to evaluate teachers on how students improve on tests, according to The State. One-third of a teacher’s evaluation would be based on student’s growth on test scores and the other two-thirds would be on observation by other teachers and principals. A teacher would be given a score at the end of the year on an A through F scale. The Department of Education hopes by 2014 to implement the program statewide but as of now it is only being “beta” tested in several schools in the state.
Texas
Bill: SB 1298, HB 3155, HB 1926
Status: 03/07/2013 – S Filed
Relevant Elements: 1, 2, 3, 5, 9
Texas SB 1298, sponsored by Senate Education Chair Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, was introduced on March 7 and was referred to the Senate Education Committee on March 13. It relates to electronic courses in schools and would:
- Require a school district to develop multiple versions of an exam for a subject or grade if it is to be given more than once in the same school year. Electronic testing would be permitted.
- Necessitate that the curriculum requirements for the recommended and advanced high school programs include a requirement that students successfully complete one credit in an electronic course offered through the state virtual school network.
- Provide students in K-12 with the opportunity to enroll part-time or full-time in electronic courses provided through the state virtual school network or through resident or non-resident charter schools or a school district.
- Amend virtual education provider requirements including accreditation and course quality standards as well as accountability measures.
- Stipulate that an entity that is not a school district or open-enrollment charter school be eligible to be a course provider only if they possess a prior successful experience offering online courses.
- Develop a comprehensive course numbering system for all courses offered in the state virtual school network to ensure that the numbering is consistent with similar courses offered by other course providers.
- Adopt a process to approve reciprocal agreements with agencies in other states to allow resident students to enroll through the state virtual school network in electronic courses provided in other states as well as verify that the courses meet state standards and eligibility.
- Entitle a course provider to funding based on a per-course amount, which is equal to the market rate for enrollment in an electronic course with funding dependent on student course completion.
Similar bills HB 3155, sponsored by Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, was introduced on March 7, and HB 1926, sponsored by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, was referred to the House Public Education Committee on March 5.
Utah
Bill: SB 284
Status: 03/14/2013 – Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Relevant Elements: 9, 10
Utah SB 284, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, was introduced on March 5, passed by the Senate on March 11 and the House on March 13 38-29 and is pending enrollment. It would:
- Remove the repeal date for the smart school technology program aimed at deploying a whole-school one to one mobile device technology in public schools.
- Require the Board of Business and Economic Development to select, through a request for proposals process, a single technology provider with integrated whole-school technology deployment experience to develop and implement a whole-school one to one technology deployment plan.
- Require the Board of Education to make rules requiring schools to provide matching funds to participate in the smart school program.
- Appropriate $2.4 million from the General Fund to the Economic Development Administration for the deployment of the one to one plan.
Bill: HB 393
Status: 03/14/2013 – Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension 22-1-6; Bill Received from House for Enrolling
Relevant Elements: 4, 9
Utah HB 393, sponsored by Majority Whip Rep. Gregory H. Hughes, R-Draper, was circled in the Senate and is unlikely to move further due to the legislature’s scheduled adjournment on March 14.
As amended, this bill would require, prior to the 2014 General Session, that the Board of Education make recommendations on a possible funding formula for competency-based education that would include the distribution of funds based on a student’s successful completion of a course through demonstrated competency and subject mastery, not dependent on the amount of time the student is instructed or the student’s age. HB 393 would allow a charter school or school district to establish assessments and a competency-based education program that would give a student credit if they were able to demonstrate competency in the subject and subject mastery.
Washington
Bill: SB 5496, HB 1304
Status: 03/21/2013 – Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 8:00 AM. (Subject to change)
Relevant Elements: 5
Washington SB 5496 passed the Senate unanimously on March 7 and is now in the House Education Committee where it is scheduled for a March 21 hearing. The bill would attempt to provide a clear process for private schools to obtain state approval to offer online learning options. If a state-approved private school seeks to offer and administer an online school program, including under contract with a third party, the requirements for minimum instructional hour and adequate facility requirements would be considered fulfilled. It would also require the private school advisory committee to examine issues associated with state approval of online school programs offered by private schools. The bill would prohibit a private school offering and administering an online program, a third party that contracts with the private school, or a parent or guardian providing an online program to receive state funding to provide the program.
Similar bill HB 1304 passed the House Education Committee February 14 and is pending a second reading
Bill Updates:
- North Carolina HB 23 was delivered to Republican Gov. Patrick McCrory on March 14 and he will have until March 24 to act on the measure. The majority of the bill would take effect in 2017 and would require The Board to develop digital teaching and learning competencies, a provision that would take effect immediately.
- North Carolina HB 44 was also delivered to Governor McCrory on March 12, who will have until March 22 to act on the measure.
- Oklahoma HB 1660, sponsored by Assistant Majority Floor Leader Lee Denny, R-Cushing, passed the House 81-6 on March 7 and was read a first time in the Senate on March 11.
- Oregon SB 761 passed the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee on March 12 and is now in Ways and Means.
- Washington HB 1252 passed the House 92-5 on March 8 and is now in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee where it is scheduled for a March 18 hearing.