1284: FLOOR SUMMARY (Date Completed: 7-15-10) - LOW-ACHIEVING SCHOOLS: INTERVENTION

LOW-ACHIEVING SCHOOLS: INTERVENTION S.B. 1284 (S-2): FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 1284 (Substitute S-2 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Senator Nancy Cassis
Committee: Education

CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to strongly encourage a school district or public school academy (PSA) that operated a school that was among the lowest-achieving 5% of public schools, to implement a program to improve pupils' literacy and numeracy skills, if a needs assessment identified a lack of an early intervention program as a primary reason for low pupil achievement and if the school were operating under the transformational, turnaround, or restart model under the Code. Such a program would have to meet the following requirements:

-- Be implemented by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
-- Include screenings of pupils in kindergarten to 3rd grade, and provide additional instruction to pupils determined to need intervention.
-- Include screenings in 4th grade beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, and in 7th grade beginning in the 2014-2015 school year; and provide literacy and numeracy intervention in 5th and 8th grades to the pupils determined to need intervention.
-- Include parental notification if a pupil failed to meet grade level content expectations.
-- Implement certain additional initiatives, including the assignment of adult advocates to high school pupils at risk of dropping out of school.
A district or PSA could contract with an intermediate school district (ISD) to provide the program, and an ISD could provide technical assistance to the district or PSA in developing and implementing the program. An ISD could use funds received under Section 81 of the State School Aid Act (which allocates funds to ISDs) for those purposes.

Proposed MCL 380.1280d Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government.

To the extent that successful literacy and numeracy programs are not already in place, school districts or public school academies in the lowest-achieving 5% of all public schools that met the additional criteria described in the bill and that chose to develop and implement programs providing enhanced instructional services, periodic screenings, and early intervening services, would incur additional costs due to the requirements for such a program. The extent to which the requirements in this legislation would exceed programs already in place would determine the fiscal impact on each affected district.

Date Completed: 7-15-10 Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1284/0910