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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.1141 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:20000210 Primary Sponsor:Setzler All Sponsors:Setzler Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\bbm\9060htc00.doc Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Education Committee 04 SED Subject:School districts, unsatisfactory grade of; improvement ratings and report card requirements; Kindergarten History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 20000210 Introduced, read first time, 04 SED referred to Committee Versions of This Bill
TO AMEND SECTIONS 59-18-120, 59-18-370, 59-18-900, 59-18-930, 59-18-1500, AND 59-18-1570, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS, DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS, ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT CARDS AND PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS RATED UNSATISFACTORY FOR PURPOSES OF THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1998, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT HIGH SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT RATINGS MUST BE BASED ON A COMBINATION OF LONGITUDINAL DATA WHERE AVAILABLE IN COMBINATION WITH APPROPRIATE COMPARISONS OF COHORTS OF STUDENTS AND TO MAKE A CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO THIS REVISED DEFINITION, TO PROVIDE FOR SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE RATINGS FOR SCHOOLS INCLUDING KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADES TWO, AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS AND FOR DUAL REPORT CARDS FOR SCHOOLS ENROLLING STUDENTS ACROSS TYPICAL ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS, TO CLARIFY THE REQUIREMENTS FOR NEWSPAPERS IN WHICH REPORT CARDS MUST BE PUBLISHED, AND TO CLARIFY THAT THE PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO THE APPOINTMENT OF AN EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR A DISTRICT RECEIVING A BELOW AVERAGE RATING ALSO EXTENDS TO A DISTRICT WITH AN UNSATISFACTORY RATING.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 59-18-120(9) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended to read:
"(9) 'Improvement performance' means the rating a school will receive receives based on longitudinally matched student data comparing current performance to the previous year's for the purpose of determining student academic growth. High school improvement ratings must be based on a combination of longitudinal data, where available, in combination with appropriate comparisons of cohorts of students."
SECTION 2. Section 59-18-370 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended to read:
"Section 59-18-370. The Department of Education is directed to shall provide assessment results annually on individual students and schools in a manner and format that is easily understood by parents and the public. In addition, the school assessment results must be presented in a format easily understood by the faculty and in a manner that is useful for curriculum review and instructional improvement. The department is to shall provide longitudinally matched student data and other applicable data from the standards based assessments and include information on the performance of subgroups of students within the school. The department must shall work with the Division of Accountability in developing the formats of the assessment results. Schools and districts shall be are responsible for disseminating this information to parents."
SECTION 3. Section 59-18-900 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended by adding two appropriately lettered subsections at the end to read:
"( ) For schools including grades kindergarten through grade two, or for special schools and schools with unique circumstances including, but not limited to, very low enrollments or a limited school year, school performance ratings may be based on criteria relevant to early childhood programs developed in conjunction with a representative group of early childhood educators. For other schools included in the category defined by this subsection, school performance ratings may be developed using criteria developed with representative educators and consistent with the organizational mission of and as approved by the Oversight Committee.
( ) For schools enrolling students across typical organizational levels in two or more configurations, dual report cards may be published."
SECTION 4. Section 59-18-930 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended to read:
"Section 59-18-930. Beginning in 2001 and annually thereafter the State Department of Education must shall issue report cards to all schools and districts of the State no later than November first. The report card must be mailed to all parents of the school and the school district. The school, in conjunction with the district board, must also shall inform the community of the school's report card by advertising the results in at least one newspaper published in South Carolina daily newspaper of general circulation in the area which has a periodical mailing permit from the United States Postal Service and a circulation within the school district. This notice must be published within ninety days of receipt of the report cards issued by the State Department of Education and must be a minimum of two columns by ten inches (four and one-half by ten inches) with at least a twenty-four point bold headline."
SECTION 5. Section 59-18-1500(A)(4) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended to read:
"(4) The school, in conjunction with the district board, must inform the parents of children attending the school of the ratings received from the State Board of Education and must outline the steps in the revised plan to improve performance, including the support which the board of trustees has agreed to give the plan. This information must go to the parents no later than February first. This information must also be advertised in at least one newspaper published in South Carolina daily newspaper of general circulation in the area which has a periodical mailing permit from the United States Postal Service and a circulation in the school district. This notice must be published within ninety days of receipt of the report cards issued by the State Department of Education and must be a minimum of two columns by ten inches (four and one-half by ten inches) with at least a twenty-four point bold headline. The notice must include the following information: name of school district, name of superintendent, district office telephone number, name of school, name of principal, telephone number of school, school's absolute performance rating and improvement performance rating on student academic performance, and strategies which must be taken by the district and school to improve student performance; and"
SECTION 6. Section 59-18-1570(A) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 400 of 1998, is amended to read:
"(A) When a district receives a rating of below average or unsatisfactory, the State Superintendent, with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall appoint an external review committee to study educational programs in that district and identify factors affecting the performance of the district. The review committee must:
(1) examine all facets of school and district operations, focusing on strengths and weaknesses, determining the extent to which the instructional program is aligned with the content standards and shall make recommendations which draw upon strategies from those who have been successful in raising academic achievement in schools with similar student characteristics;
(2) consult with parents and community members to gather additional information on the strengths and weaknesses of the district;
(3) identify personnel changes, if any, that are needed at the school and/or district level and discuss such findings with the board;
(4) work with school staff, central offices, and local boards of trustees in the design of the district's plan, implementation strategies, and professional development training that can reasonably be expected to improve student performance and increase the rate of student progress in the district;
(5) identify needed support from the State Department of Education and other sources for targeted long-term technical assistance;
(6) report its recommendations, no later than three months after the district receives the designation of unsatisfactory, to the superintendent, the district board of trustees, and the State Board of Education; and
(7) report annually over the next four years to the local board of trustees and state board, or as deemed necessary by the state board, on the district's and school's progress in implementing the plans and recommendations and in improving student performance."
SECTION 7. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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