• SB 151, sponsored by Gov. Dunleavy, received its first hearing in the Senate Education Committee. The legislation would help ensure Alaska students can read on grade level by the end of third grade by creating a comprehensive early literacy policy, called the Alaska Reads Act.
   

Arizona

• Udall introduced HB 2448 to provide waivers from state rules and policies that impede educators from pursuing innovative and personalized learning models. It will send a clear message that Arizona encourages innovation and will partner with school leaders to remove obstacles to finding new or better ways to meet the unique learning needs of the state’s students.
   

Colorado

• HB 1002—sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan, Mark Baisley and Cathy Kipp, and Senators Rachel Zenzinger and Tammy Story—was unanimously passed by the House Education Committee. The legislation would recognize the value of experiential learning by granting college credit to students for demonstrating competencies gained through work-related experience, such as apprenticeships. The bill next moves to House Appropriations Committee.

Florida

• Both the House and Senate have private school choice bills moving through the process. SB 1220 by Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr. increases the income eligibility of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship to 300 percent of Federal Poverty Level and allows students to take up to two virtual courses per academic year. The House Education Committee unanimously passed PCB EDC 20-01, by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, which expands the Family Empowerment Scholarship by:
  • Increasing the number of scholarships added annually by 1 percent of total public school enrollment;
  • Removing the prior public school requirement for first and second grade students; and
  • Providing an automatic trigger to increase the income eligibility level by 25 percent if 5 percent or less of the scholarships are available.
• Both chambers proposed increases to the Gardiner Scholarship Program, which is Florida’s education scholarship account for students with unique abilities. Sen. Kelli Stargel, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, proposed a $42 million increase while her House counterpart, Rep. Chris Latvala, Chair of the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, proposed a $20 million increase.
• Hundreds of families from across the state attended the Gardiner Celebration Rally at the Capitol, as did Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, Senate President Bill Galvano, Senate Education Committee Chair Manny Diaz, Jr., Sen. Keith Perry and Rep. James Bush, III.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced recommendations for revisions to the Florida Standards. The proposed Florida Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) summary documents are available here. It’s important to note that the standards themselves have not yet been released.
• The Florida Department of Education released preliminary findings from the first annual Career and Technical Education Audit that was required by legislation passed last year.
• A proposal—requiring revenues from voted discretionary sales surtax referendum to be shared with charter schools based on their proportionate share of total school district enrollment—passed both the Senate Education and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education as part of SB 62 by Sen. Kelli Stargel.
• HB 953, by Rep. Stan McClain, authorizes state colleges and universities to sponsor charter schools and passed the PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee and Appropriations Committee. The bill next moves to the Education Committee.
• HB 523 by Rep. Nick DiCeglie regarding mastery-based education passed both the PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee and PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee with unanimous votes. The bill next moves to the House Education Committee.
• Legislation that would assist veterans, reservists and state guard members to achieve their educational goals passed all committees in both the House and the Senate. HB 171, by Rep. Mel Ponder, and SB 372, by Sen. Tom Lee, are waiting to be heard on the floor of their respective chamber.
• Language that expands the timeframe when eligible veterans, reservists and National Guard members may apply for a Commercial Driver License was amended onto HB 395, by Rep. Alex Andrade regarding transportation, and SB 474, by Sen. Ben Albritton regarding deregulation of professions and occupations.
   

Georgia 

• Two charter school priority bills have been introduced. HB 755, by Rep. Dave Belton, would improve financial transparency between districts and locally authorized charters, while HB 764, by Rep. Todd Jones, would make unused state facilities available to charters.
• HB 444, a priority of Gov. Brian Kemp and sponsored by Rep. Bert Reeves, passed the Senate following changes by the Senate Higher Education Committee. The legislation, which streamlines dual enrollment opportunities for Georgia students, returns to the House for consideration.

Indiana

• Students would have better educational opportunities to align their credentials with the demands of Indiana’s high-skilled industries if SB 195 becomes law. This legislation, sponsored by Sen. Koch, specifically focuses on creating pathways for students to the electric and utility industries. This bill would ensure that any future career clusters and courses created by the State Board of Education will consider whether the course or sequence is tied to high wage, high demand career opportunities. The Senate passed this legislation, and the bill next moves to the House for consideration.
• HB 1003, a school innovation and flexibility waiver bill, passed unanimously in the House and now awaits consideration in the Senate. This bill, sponsored by Rep Jordan, will allow the State Board of Education to approve flexibility waiver requests from schools for education laws and rules if the school can show it has an innovative program that is hindered by current law. Companion bill, SB 295, sponsored by Sen. Raatz, which would create a state Innovation Council to allow schools to apply for flexibility waivers, is still in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.
• If HB 1066 becomes law, foster children in Indiana will be eligible for choice scholarships. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Thompson, will also allow for easier transportation of students from career and technical education programs and provides an enrollment preference policy for siblings of students in charter schools. This bill passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration.

Kansas

• HB 2465 was heard this week in the Kansas K-12 Budget Committee. This bill, authored by Rep. Huebert, would expand student eligibility in Kansas’s tax credit scholarship system by eliminating student eligibility requirements such as having to attend one of the state’s lowest 100 performing schools.

Kentucky

• House Majority Whip Chad McCoy and Sen. Ralph Alvarado filed legislation (HB 350 and SB 110, respectively) that would create a $25 million Tax Credit Scholarship Program serving 7,000 students with special needs or from lower-income families.
• Deanna Frazier introduced HB 263, which aims to increase participation in computer science courses by underrepresented groups.

Missouri

• Senator Cierpiot introduced the “Show me a Brighter Future Scholarship Act.” This bill, SB 581, would allow low-income students and parents the ability to receive K-12 scholarships through Missouri’s 529 program and would provide donors a tax credit for their contribution. This bill passed the Senate Ways and Means Committee and will now await consideration in the Senate floor.

• Legislation to modify provisions for charter schools is now being heard in the Senate Government Reform Committee. This legislation, SB 603, sponsored by Sen. O’Laughlin, expands access to public charter schools beyond large cities so students can have greater choices across Missouri.

• SB 649, sponsored by Sen Bill Eigel, allows for the expansion of public charter schools in any city with more than 30,000 residents. The Missouri Senate General Laws Committee approved this bill that expands educational opportunities for families by adding access to public charter schools beyond large cities. The bill awaits consideration in the Senate.

North Carolina

• The General Assembly convened on January 14. The Senate considered—but ultimately opted not to hold—a floor vote on overriding Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the two-year budget, which the House had previously overridden. The budget, HB 966, would make significant upgrades to North Carolina’s Read to Achieve early literacy framework, and includes additional improvements in computer science, college and career readiness and school choice. Lawmakers adjourned until late April (barring any new special sessions), at which time the veto override could again be considered.

South Carolina

• S 556, an ESA proposal by Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, received several hearings in a Senate Education subcommittee. As introduced, the program would serve students with special needs and those from lower-income, military or foster care households.
• S 419, a comprehensive education reform bill by Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, was advanced by the committee and continues to be debated by the full Senate. The bill aims to make significant improvements in early literacy, computer science, college and career readiness, school turnaround and other areas.

Tennessee

• A joint meeting of the House and Senate Government Operations Committees approved rules for the implementation of Tennessee’s new ESA program for students from lower-income families in Memphis and Nashville public schools. If the Secretary of State’s Office follows suit, the approval paves the way for families to begin applying to the program for the Fall semester.

Virginia

• Simonds introduced legislation requiring students in grades 6-8 complete a computer science elective or introduction to technology course, starting in 2025. HB 694 would give students the opportunity to prepare for high-demand careers in computer science and similar fields.
• Legislation for STEM-focused teacher micro-credentials passed the House Education Pre-K–12 Subcommittee. HB 836, by Del. Foy, would require the Virginia Department of Education to develop and adopt standards for micro-credentials earned by public school teachers. It awaits consideration in the House Education Committee.
• HB 953, which would establish the STEAM Education Fund, passed the House Education Pre-K– 12 Subcommittee and moves to the House Appropriation Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee. The bill, sponsored by Del. Ayala, would award grants of up to $50,000 to public elementary and secondary schools that provide STEM-focused curriculum.

West Virginia

• House Education Chairwoman Rucker introduced SB 515 and House Education Vice Chairman Higginbotham introduced HB 2002. Both pieces of legislation aim to increase school choice via the creation of an education savings account program for West Virginia students. These bills have been referred to the corresponding chambers’ Education Committees.

The post State Actions Update – January 2020 appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

The Governor signed SB 108, a priority this session for Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, in a ceremony at Cobb County’s Wheeler High School, whose STEM program was recently ranked No. 2 in the nation by Study.com.

Together with $1 million in the 2019-20 budget, the new law will directly benefit students interested in pursuing careers in computer science, while helping those considering jobs in other fields learn logical thinking skills that are valuable in any profession. SB 108 was sponsored by Senate Education Chair P.K. Martin and carried in the House by Rep. Todd Jones.

“We commend Governor Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Duncan, Chair Martin and Rep. Jones for their leadership in preparing today’s students for the 21^st century workforce. We also thank our coalition partners at Code.org, the College Board, GeorgiaCAN, the Georgia Chamber, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the National Math + Science Initiative, Project Lead the Way and TAG-Ed for their hard work in making today a reality.”

Ryan Mahoney, Senior Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action

The post Georgia Governor Signs Comprehensive Computer Science Legislation appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

“All students, regardless of their ZIP code, deserve the opportunity to pursue an education the prepares them for a successful and fulfilling life. It’s time more families across Missouri have access to public charter schools as another option to meet their unique learning needs. We thank Representative Rebecca Roeber, members of the House Rules – Administrative Oversight Committee, Chairwoman Holly Rehder, and House leadership for their support in expanding educational opportunities for Missouri students.”

Adam Peshek, National Legislative Director, ExcelinEd in Action

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that have greater freedom to meet the unique needs of their students. Instead of being run directly by a school district, they operate under a performance contract with a school district or the state. Charter schools are able to have a specific focus—such as STEM education, the arts or language immersion—as well as a unique teaching style—such as project-based learning, classical education or blended learning. Charter schools create a path for communities to solve local problems and provide families with high-quality public school options.

The bill now heads to the House Floor for consideration.

For more information on charter schools, visit ExcelinEd’s policy library.

The post Key Committee Approves Expanding Access to Public Charter Schools in Missouri appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

Beginning in 2021, the bill requires each public high school to offer a computer science course as a one- semester elective course in its curriculum, at least once each school year. It also establishes the Next Level Computer Science Grant Program and the Next Level Computer Science Fund to award grants to eligible entities to implement teacher professional development programs for training in computer science.

According to Code.org, there is high demand for qualified students with 4,667 open computing jobs in the state with an average salary of $74,459.

“Indiana’s legislators took a huge step toward better preparing our students for 21st century jobs when they cast their vote for this important legislation. As more and more jobs become automated, we will see a significant increase in the number of opportunities for workers skilled in computer science. This policy gives all students access to computer science course work so they are ready to succeed after graduation.

“Furthermore, it ensures Indiana will have a leg up on finding qualified workers for increasingly technical jobs. Congratulations to Sen. Jeff Raatz, our partners at Code.org, and numerous legislators from both sides of the aisle for earning nearly unanimous bipartisan support for this common-sense, yet life-changing, legislation.”

Kim Preston, Midwest Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action

For more on the critical need for developing college and career pathways, visit our policy library.

The post Indiana Students Will Have More Access to 21st Century Training appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

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One in three Tennessee students with special needs didn’t graduate high school last year.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Tennessee taxpayers spent hundreds of millions of dollars to undereducate these students. Now, instead of heading off to college or beginning new careers, these young adults face limited opportunities, lower earnings and an inferior quality of life.

But help for special needs students and their families is on the way, thanks to a new Tennessee law known as the Individualized Education Act, which our organizations supported this past legislative session. Similar to laws in Arizona, Florida, Mississippi and Nevada, this game-changing policy allows parents of these students to build a truly customized K-12 education that gives their child the best shot at success.

It works like this: Families that enroll in the program will receive an Education Savings Account, or ESA, containing most of the money that would normally be spent on their child in a traditional public school. Parents can then use the money to send their child to the private school of their choice; educate them at home and cover the cost of books and materials; or enroll them in online school, college courses, private tutoring, or any combination thereof.

ESA dollars can also pay for support services like physical, speech, occupational or behavioral therapy from licensed providers — services that are critical for these students to function and to learn, but that are not always provided by local public schools.

Essentially, ESAs bring the same consumer-driven approach to education that Health Savings Accounts created for health care, empowering parents to individualize their child’s education based on his or her specific needs.

Thousands of students in other states are already excelling under this transformational model. In Arizona, Kathy and Christo Visser spent years at their local school trying to get the education and care they needed for their son, Jordan, who has cerebral palsy. The ESA has allowed them to double the amount of therapy Jordan receives and to provide him with a home-school curriculum and private tutoring that are helping him thrive.

Arizona parent Marc Ashton told Tennessee legislators that his son Max — who was born blind — used his ESA to attend private school, obtain a talking computer and even save some of the funds for college, which he’s now attending (parents can do all of this under Tennessee’s new law).

It’s no wonder that the Arizona ESA program, now entering its fifth year, enjoys 100 percent parental satisfaction.

Many Tennessee parents could never afford these options on their own. Now, with the ESA, many will finally have the tools they need. The average account under the program will contain about $6,600 per year, but students with especially high needs could see more. As with Health Savings Accounts, the law includes strong financial oversight and ensures the money can only be spent on approved providers and services. And both the state and local schools are expected to save money under the program.

The law also creates strong protections for students who enroll. Parents will get important information on participating schools upfront, including whether they educate students with special needs alongside those without them. They’ll receive the results of their students’ state and national assessments directly, so they can track their child’s progress. And any student who wants to return to their local public school may do so at any time.

Students — particularly students with special needs — learn best when they have access to academic options that fit their unique needs. Tennessee has taken a bold step to provide that access. We commend Gov. Bill Haslam, Sen. Dolores Gresham, Rep. Debra Moody and the General Assembly, and we look forward to working to ensure the success of this vital program.

Justin Owen is president and CEO of the Beacon Center of Tennessee. Patricia Levesque is executive director of Excellence in Education National and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education.

The post New Tennessee Law Will Help Students with Special Needs Succeed appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

RELEASE: Excel National Applauds Nevada Assembly for Approving the Read by Three Act
Comprehensive Literacy Bill to help students succeed in school

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Nevada Assembly passed the Read by Three Act (SB 391); once the Senate concurs, this monumental piece of legislation will be sent to Governor Brian Sandoval for signature. The Read by Three Act unanimously passed the Nevada Senate earlier this month and is a comprehensive reading bill aimed at improving student achievement. The bill includes early identification and parental notification of reading deficiencies, intensive reading interventions for students in need of additional support and retention at the end of third grade, with more intensive interventions, as a last resort. Mary Laura Bragg, National Legislative Director for Excellence in Education National (@Excel_National), issued the following statement:

“Literacy is the key to a bright future. To ensure the success of students, we must demand that every child who sits in kindergarten through third grade classrooms enters fourth grade as a competent reader. Governor Sandoval has made education reform, including the forward-thinking Read by Three Act, a top priority and is taking extraordinary actions to secure the future of the state. We thank Superintendent Dale Erquiaga, Senator Becky Harris, Assemblyman Elliot Anderson and the bipartisan sponsors of the Read by Three Act for their leadership in navigating this critical legislation through both legislative chambers. We look forward to Governor Sandoval signing this meaningful legislation.”

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Learn more about the Read by Three Act (SB 391):

• Struggling readers must be identified and provided intensive intervention in early grades to remedy reading deficiencies.
• Parents must be notified each year, kindergarten through third grade, if their child is not reading on grade level.
• Progress monitoring plans must be established for struggling readers, which prescribes the interventions that the school will provide to address their reading needs.
• Teachers will be provided learning strategists support and professional development for additional instructional strategies for teaching struggling readers.
• Third graders must demonstrate adequate proficiency before moving on to fourth grade.
• Retained third graders receive a different course of action with more intensive interventions.
• School districts and charter schools are required to report the number of students retained each year in third grade.

For more information visit www.ExcelNational.org.

The post Nevada Assembly Approves the Read by Three Act appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

• Pursuing policies that improve student learning and expand educational choice;
• Actively identifying and supporting education reform champions in governors’ offices, state legislatures and state departments of education;
• Protecting reforms already in place from the special interest’s continuous attacks to return to the status quo, and
• Shaping the public debate on education reform and motivating others to take action.

The Mississippi Legislature met from January 6 to April 2, 2015 and Excel National employed the above strategies to advance reform policies and legislation. Mississippi policymakers boldly empowered parents with the passage of Education Scholarship Account (“ESA”) legislation, while holding the line on attempts by defenders of the status quo to peel back the state’s accountability systems. Excel National is grateful for partners like Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Senator Gray Tollison, numerous other legislators, Empower Mississippi, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Mississippi First, the American Federation for Children and several parents who all worked tirelessly on behalf of Mississippi’s students.

Education Scholarship Accounts

• On April 16, Governor Bryant signed the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act, SB 2695, sponsored by Senator Nancy Collins and Representative Carolyn Crawford. The new law allows parents to create a customized education for their children with special needs. Mississippi became just the third state in the nation to authorize ESAs.

Standards and Accountability

• During Mississippi’s 2015 Session, the Legislature considered several bills regarding all aspects of standards and accountability. Ultimately, the Mississippi Legislature took great care to remove what would have been significantly negative impacts to the state’s A-F School Grading and K-3 Reading policies that were included in numerous bills. The Legislature further did well to defeat proposals that would have created negative impacts to graduation requirements for students with special needs and students in career and technical education programs.

• Most notably, policymakers rejected a push to dilute the state’s comprehensive K-3 Reading policy, a policy that blends early identification, teacher training and supports, interventions for struggling readers, parent notification and retention as a last resort. Lawmakers held firm on the retention as a last resort component, because every piece of the policy is necessary to ensure that K-3 students are reading proficiently to succeed from fourth grade through graduation.

The post Mississippi: Turning Reform into Reality appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

The unions use those dues to fund political campaigns and lawsuits to oppose education programs for children. The latter means the state collects dues to pay for union lawyers who sue the state, which requires taxpayers to spend more money in courts rather than in classrooms.

The outrage doesn’t end there. Portions of those dues also are funneled to groups like the National Education Association in Washington, D.C., the parent union of the LAE. That’s right. Louisiana teachers’ hard-earned-money is funneled to organizations in Washington, D.C., to run political operations around the country.

Please, don’t mistakenly think unions support or share in the goal of giving all students a voice and opportunity. The unions exist to represent union members, not the interests of children.

Albert Shanker, former president of the United Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, said it best: “When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of children.”

So why don’t the unions collect their own dues? Why don’t teachers who choose to pay dues simply set up automatic payments out of their bank or credit union accounts?

The answer is unions don’t want this. And the reason is this simple. They know that if teachers weigh what they are paying in dues versus what services the unions are providing them and what political positions the unions are taking, more teachers will elect to keep their own money.

The Louisiana Legislature can end this outrageous situation by passing HB 418 and SB 204, the Paycheck Protection bills. This would end the forced collection of union dues by school districts.

Even if you support unions, you can’t justify the state acting as their collection agency. The bills that have been filed do not prevent teachers from joining the union if they wish. Nor do they prevent unions from collecting dues. They simply take the state and local school districts out of a private matter between union members and their unions.

Patricia Levesque is the Executive Director of Excellence in Education National.

The post How is this fair? appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.

The Read by Three Act will work to identify and assist struggling readers

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Nevada Assembly Education Committee unanimously passed the Read by Three Act (SB 391), a comprehensive reading bill to improve student achievement. The bill includes early identification and parental notification of reading deficiencies, intensive reading interventions for students in need of additional support and retention at the end of third grade, with more intensive interventions, as a last resort.

Mary Laura Bragg, National Legislative Director for Excellence in Education National (@Excel_National), issued the following statement in support of Read by Three. “With strong bipartisan support, the Read by Three Act will build a framework for ensuring students have the resources and support to become proficient readers, graduate high school and achieve future success. Studies have shown that if students are not reading proficiently by the end of the third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Under the leadership of Governor Brian Sandoval, and with unanimous support from the Senate, Nevada is taking a bold step to help struggling students achieve their full potential. We are pleased that this important legislation is moving forward and look forward to a vote on the Assembly Floor.”

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Learn more about the Read by 3 Act (SB 391):

• Struggling readers must be identified and provided intensive intervention in early grades to remedy reading deficiencies.
• Parents must be notified each year, kindergarten through third grade, if their child is not reading on grade level.
• Progress monitoring plans must be established for struggling readers, which prescribes the interventions that the school will provide to address their reading needs.
• Teachers will be provided learning strategists support and professional development for additional instructional strategies for teaching struggling readers.
• Third graders must demonstrate adequate proficiency before moving on to fourth grade.
• Retained third graders receive a different course of action with more intensive interventions.
• School districts and charter schools are required to report the number of students retained each year in third grade.

The post Excel National Applauds Nevada Assembly Education Committee appeared first on ExcelinEd in Action.