Current Status Bill Number:4607 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:19980211 Primary Sponsor:Townsend All Sponsors:Townsend Drafted Document Number:gjk\21159sd.98 Residing Body:House Current Committee:Education and Public Works Committee 21 HEPW Subject:Early childhood development, academic assistance; preschool through grade three, individual curriculum, Schools, Minors
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved
______ ________ _______________________________________ _______ ____________
House 19980211 Introduced, read first time, 21 HEPW
referred to Committee
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TO AMEND SECTIONS 59-139-5, 59-139-10, AND 59-139-60, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE ACT, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMS IN REGARD TO CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE THREE SHALL BE "INDIVIDUALLY APPROPRIATE" RATHER THAN "DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE".
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 59-139-5(4) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 135 of 1993, is amended to read:
"(4) to promote the advancement of developmentally individually appropriate curriculum and coordinated programs from preschool through grade three which are supportive of the curriculum for grades four through twelve; and"
SECTION 2. Section 59-139-10(C)(2) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 135 of 1993, is amended to read:
"(2) the development and implementation of a developmentally an individually appropriate curriculum from early childhood education through grade three. Options available to districts and schools in designing the early childhood assistance component include:
(a) expanded kindergarten day;
(b) reduction in kindergarten pupil-teacher ratio;
(c) floating teachers in grades one through three assigned to work with students with academic difficulties;
(d) multiage grouping for four and five-year-olds;
(e) multiage grouping in the primary grades;
(f) extended day and/or weekend programs, or summer programs;
(g) additional slots in the half-day program for four-year-olds, and programs for three-year-olds; and
(h) alternatives to the listed options; and"
SECTION 3. Section 59-139-60(1) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 135 of 1993, is amended to read:
"(1) develop or adapt a developmentally an individually appropriate assessment program to be administered to all public school students by the end of grade three that is designed to measure a student's strengths and weaknesses in skills required to perform academic work considered to be at the fourth grade level. Information on each student's progress and on areas in need of improvement must be provided to the student's parent and fourth grade teacher. Aggregated information on student progress must be given to the students' kindergarten through third grade schools so that deficiencies in the schools' academic programs can be addressed;"
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.