HB 1806 - Academic Advancement Act; enact
Georgia House of Representatives - 1995/1996 Sessions
HB 1806 - Academic Advancement Act; enact
Page Numbers - 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5
1. Godbee 145th
House Comm: Ed / Senate Comm: /
House Vote: Yeas Nays Senate Vote: Yeas Nays
----------------------------------------
House Action Senate
----------------------------------------
2/27/96 Read 1st Time
2/28/96 Read 2nd Time
----------------------------------------
Code Sections amended:
HB 1806 LC 19 3004
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1- 1 To amend Part 9 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the
1- 2 Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to grants for
1- 3 educational programs, so as to create the "Academic
1- 4 Advancement Act"; to provide for state grants to be awarded
1- 5 to public elementary and secondary schools to assist such
1- 6 schools with high concentrations of at-risk students to plan
1- 7 and implement a school improvement program designed to
1- 8 improve the academic achievement of such students; to
1- 9 provide for eligibility requirements; to provide for a
1-10 three-funding series; to provide for development of a plan;
1-11 to provide for expenditure of grant funds; to provide for
1-12 rules and regulations to be issued by the State Board of
1-13 Education; to provide for matters relative to the foregoing;
1-14 to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
1-15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
1-16 Part 9 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official
1-17 Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to grants for
1-18 educational programs, is amended by adding at the end
1-19 thereof a new Code section to read as follows:
1-20 "20-2-257. (Index)
1-21 (a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited as
1-22 the 'Academic Advancement Act.'
1-23 (b) The purpose of this Code section shall be to assist
1-24 those public schools in the state with high concentrations
1-25 of at-risk students to plan and implement a school
1-26 improvement program designed to address academic
1-27 achievement gains for at-risk students.
1-28 (c) The General Assembly recognizes that the most
1-29 significant challenge in public education today is the
1-30 at-risk student who comes to school unready to learn,
1-31 quickly falls behind, rarely if ever catches up, and
1-32 likely becomes a drop out statistic and a problem to
-1- (Index)
LC 19 3004
2- 1 society through adulthood. The General Assembly further
2- 2 recognizes that the primary contributing factor to
2- 3 becoming an at-risk student is the poverty in which many
2- 4 students live.
2- 5 (d)(1) The State Board of Education shall provide
2- 6 qualified public elementary and secondary schools and
2- 7 local school systems with school improvement grants,
2- 8 subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. The
2- 9 purpose of such grants shall be to assist those public
2-10 schools with high concentrations of at-risk students to
2-11 plan and implement a school improvement program designed
2-12 to address academic achievement gains for at-risk
2-13 students.
2-14 (2) The State Board of Education shall award grants to
2-15 public schools within the state which house high
2-16 concentrations of at-risk students identified by
2-17 multiple criteria such as low test scores, high
2-18 absenteeism rates among teachers and students, lower
2-19 socioeconomic status measured by higher free and reduced
2-20 price lunch participation, high mobility rates, higher
2-21 single parent homes, and such other factors deemed
2-22 appropriate by the State Board of Education; provided,
2-23 however, that all comparisons of schools shall be within
2-24 schools containing similar grade levels. In addition,
2-25 eligibility criteria for each school shall include the
2-26 requirement of documented evidence of support for
2-27 participation in the school improvement program for
2-28 at-risk students provided for in this Code section from
2-29 the local board of education, the local superintendent,
2-30 the school administration and staff, and the community
2-31 served.
2-32 (e) Each local school system shall have discretion to
2-33 identify and rank public schools with such system eligible
2-34 to receive a grant under this Code section and to make
2-35 written application to the State Board of Education for an
2-36 award of a three-year series of grants to provide funding
2-37 as follows:
2-38 (1) First-year funding to support planning and design of
2-39 a school improvement program designed to improve the
2-40 academic achievement of at-risk students;
2-41 (2) Second-year funding to support implementation of the
2-42 program provided for in paragraph (1) of this Code
2-43 section; and
-2- (Index)
LC 19 3004
3- 1 (3) Third-year funding to support continuing operation
3- 2 and evaluation of the program provided for in paragraph
3- 3 (1) of this Code section.
3- 4 Funding for each phase of the three-year funding series as
3- 5 provided in this subsection beyond the first year shall be
3- 6 dependent upon completion of the previous phase as
3- 7 determined by the state board. Subsequent funding beyond
3- 8 the third year shall be dependent upon continual progress
3- 9 toward the stated goals of the programs as determined by
3-10 the program evaluations.
3-11 (f) Each school desiring to receive a school improvement
3-12 grant under this Code section shall develop a plan to
3-13 ensure implementation of a school improvement program to
3-14 serve the identified needs of all eligible students
3-15 without constraints. Such plan may include the following
3-16 provisions:
3-17 (1) Contracting with an external facilitator to help
3-18 focus the planning process designed to achieve
3-19 comprehensive school improvement;
3-20 (2) Considering using summers for paid staff planning as
3-21 opposed to using teacher release time during the school
3-22 year;
3-23 (3) Planning and designing efforts that would address
3-24 the resolution of each identified at-risk student
3-25 criterion with appropriate measures;
3-26 (4) Considering a team approach to accomplish improved
3-27 student learning, including the involvement of staff,
3-28 parents, and the community;
3-29 (5) Utilizing available resources during the planning,
3-30 design, and implementation phases such as Department of
3-31 Education improvement teams, regional educational
3-32 service agencies, P-16 state and local community
3-33 councils, and other available resources;
3-34 (6) Considering staff development and professional
3-35 development initiatives to train personnel to serve and
3-36 accomplish a plan of school improvement; and
3-37 (7) Addressing improvement of student reading, math,
3-38 science and social studies skills as an essential
3-39 component of the plan.
3-40 (g)(1) Within the three-year funding series provided for
3-41 in subsection (e) of this Code section, the first-year
-3- (Index)
LC 19 3004
4- 1 planning grant shall include the cost for an external
4- 2 facilitator and summer salary for participating staff
4- 3 and operations as required. Second-year implementation
4- 4 grants shall include the cost for curriculum development
4- 5 efforts, material development or acquisition, and
4- 6 equipment and training associated with programmatic
4- 7 requirements as required. Third-year operation and
4- 8 evaluation grants shall include continued training,
4- 9 planning, evaluation models, and redesign efforts where
4-10 appropriately identified.
4-11 (2) Cost factors for each school improvement program
4-12 approved for a grant under this Code section shall be
4-13 calculated by appropriate agencies and shall reflect
4-14 school cost by the size of the school, the number of
4-15 teachers, base summer salary per staff member,
4-16 facilitator contractual cost, and materials and
4-17 operations cost. The cost calculations for each school
4-18 for the three-year funding series shall be determined on
4-19 the basis of the following separate time lines based on
4-20 the readiness to proceed:
4-21 (A) Planning and design begin July 1, 1996 through the
4-22 summer of 1997; implementation, redesign, and
4-23 evaluation begin July 1, 1997; and continuation,
4-24 redesign, and evaluation begin July 1, 1998; or
4-25 (B) Planning, design, and implementation for those
4-26 schools that have experienced strategic planning and
4-27 development of school improvement programs begin July
4-28 1, 1996; continuation, redesign, and evaluation begin
4-29 July 1, 1997; funding for continuation and evaluation
4-30 shall be extended annually from 1997 for as long as a
4-31 school demonstrates achievement or or progress toward
4-32 the established goals of the program.
4-33 (h)(1) The State Board of Education shall provide by
4-34 regulation for grants under this Code section to be
4-35 awarded to eligible public schools in selected local
4-36 school systems representing diverse community settings
4-37 equally dispersed geographically throughout each of the
4-38 state's congressional districts.
4-39 (2) The number of schools selected to receive a grant
4-40 under this Code section for any fiscal year shall be
4-41 dependent upon the level of appropriations by the
4-42 General Assembly.
-4- (Index)
LC 19 3004
5- 1 (i) The State Board of Education shall prescribe criteria,
5- 2 policies, and standards deemed necessary for the effective
5- 3 implementation of this Code section."
SECTION 2.
5- 4 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
5- 5 repealed.
-5- (Index)
Office of the Clerk of the House
Robert E. Rivers, Jr., Clerk of the House
Last Updated on 01/02/97