Partnerships for Student Success

Partnerships for Student Success is a draft model policy considered by ALEC's Education and Workforce Development Task Force at the Spring Task Force Summit on May 5, 2017. Due to incomplete information, it is not known if the bill passed in a vote by legislators and lobbyists at ALEC task force meetings, if ALEC sought to distance itself from the bill as the public increased scrutiny of its pay-to-play activities, or if key operative language from the bill has been introduced by an ALEC legislator in a state legislature in the ensuing period or became binding law.

ALEC Bill Text

Summary

Creates a grant program, called the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program, to improve educational outcomes for at risk students through the formation of cross sector partnerships to align and improve efforts focused on student success. It aligns and leverages community resources to collectively focus on achievement outcomes for students in feeder school cones including elementary schools and junior high schools that feed into a single high school and have higher percentages of at risk students.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of {State}:

Section 1 Section 53A-1-1209 is amended to read: 53A-1-1209. School Leadership Development Program. (1) As used in this section, “school leader” means a school principal or assistant principal. (2) There is created the School Leadership Development Program to increase the number of highly effective school leaders capable of: (a) initiating, achieving, and sustaining school improvement efforts[.]; and (b) forming and sustaining community partnerships as described in Section 53A-4-303. (3) The board shall identify one or more providers, through a request for proposals process, to develop or provide leadership development training for school leaders that: (a) may provide in-depth training in proven strategies to turn around low performing schools; (b) may emphasize hands-on and job-embedded learning; (c) aligns with the state’s leadership standards established by board rule; (d) reflects the needs of a school district or charter school where a school leader serves; (e) may include training on using student achievement data to drive decisions; (f) may develop skills in implementing and evaluating evidence-based instructional practices; [and] (g) may develop skills in leading collaborative school improvement structures, including professional learning communities[.]; and

(h) includes instruction on forming and sustaining community partnerships as described in Section 53A-4-303. (4) Subject to legislative appropriations, the State Board of Education shall provide incentive pay to a school leader who: (a) completes leadership development training under this section; and (b) agrees to work, for at least five years, in a school that received an “F” grade or “D” grade under the school grading system in the school year previous to the first year the school leader: (i) completes leadership development training; and (ii) begins to work, or continues to work, in a school described in this Subsection (4)(b). (5) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, [State] Administrative Rulemaking Act, the board shall make rules specifying: (a) eligibility criteria for a school leader to participate in the School Leadership Development Program; (b) application procedures for the School Leadership Development Program; (c) criteria for selecting school leaders from the application pool; and (d) procedures for awarding incentive pay under Subsection (4).

Section 2 Section 53A-1-1211 is enacted to read: 53A-1-1211. Coordination with the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program. If a low performing school is a member of a partnership that receives a grant under Chapter 4, Part 3, Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program, the school turnaround committee shall: (1) coordinate the school turnaround committee’s efforts with the efforts of the partnership; and (2) ensure that the goals and outcomes of the partnership are aligned with the school turnaround plan described in this part.

Section 3 Section 53A-4-301 is enacted to read:

Part 3. Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program 53A-4-301. Title. This part is known as “Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program.”

Section 4 Section 53A-4-302 is enacted to read: 53A-4-302. Definitions. As used in this part: (1) “Board” means the State Board of Education. (2) “Eligible elementary school” or “eligible junior high school” means a district school or charter school that has at least 50% of the school’s students with a family income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. (3) “Eligible partnership” means a partnership that: (a) includes at least: (i) a local education agency that has designated an eligible school feeder pattern; (ii) a local nonprofit organization; (iii) a private business; (iv) a municipality or county in which the eligible school feeder pattern is located; (v) an institution of higher education within the state; (vi) a state or local government agency that provides services to students attending schools within the eligible school feeder pattern; (vii) a local philanthropic organization; and (viii) a local health care organization; and (b) has designated a local education agency or local nonprofit organization to act as lead applicant for a grant described in this part. (4) “Eligible school feeder pattern” means the succession of schools that a student enrolls in as the student progresses from kindergarten through grade 12 that includes, as designated by a local education agency: (a) a high school;

(b) an eligible junior high school that: (i) is a district school within the geographic boundary of the high school described in Subsection (4)(a); or (ii) is a charter school that sends at least 50% of the charter school’s students to the high school described in Subsection (4)(a); and (c) an eligible elementary school that: (i) is a district school within the geographic boundary of the high school described in Subsection (4)(a); or (ii) is a charter school that sends at least 50% of the charter school’s students to the junior high school described in Subsection (4)(b). (5) “Local education agency” means a school district or charter school.

Section 5 Section 53A-4-303 is enacted to read: 53A-4-303. Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program established. (1) There is created the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program to improve educational outcomes for low income students through the formation of cross sector partnerships that use data to align and improve efforts focused on student success. (2) Subject to legislative appropriations, the board shall award grants to eligible partnerships that enter into a memorandum of understanding between the members of the eligible partnership to plan or implement a partnership that: (a) establishes shared goals, outcomes, and measurement practices based on unique community needs and interests that: (i) are aligned with the recommendations of the five- and ten-year plan to address intergenerational poverty described in Section 35A-9-303; and ii) address, for students attending a school within an eligible school feeder pattern: (A) kindergarten readiness; (B) grade 3 mathematics and reading proficiency; (C) grade 8 mathematics and reading proficiency; (D) high school graduation; (E) postsecondary education attainment; (F) physical and mental health; and (G) development of career skills and readiness; (b) coordinates and aligns services to: (i) students attending schools within an eligible school feeder pattern; and (ii) the families and communities of the students within an eligible school feeder pattern; (c) implements a system for: (i) sharing data to monitor and evaluate shared goals and outcomes, in accordance with state and federal law; and (ii) accountability for shared goals and outcomes; and (d) commits to providing matching funds as described in Section 53A-4-304. (3) In making grant award determinations, the board shall prioritize funding for an eligible partnership that: (a) includes a low performing school as determined by the board; or (b) addresses parent and community engagement. (4) In awarding grants under this part, the board: (a) shall distribute funds to the lead applicant designated by the eligible partnership as described in Section 53A-4-302; and (b) may not award more than $500,000 per fiscal year to an eligible partnership.

Section 6 Section 53A-4-304 is enacted to read: 53A-4-304. Matching funds — Grantee requirements. (1) (a) The board may not award a grant to an eligible partnership unless the eligible partnership provides matching funds equal to two times the amount of the grant. (b) The board shall ensure that at least half of the matching funds provided under Subsection (1)(a) are provided by a local education agency. (c) Matching funds may include cash or an in-kind contribution. (2) A partnership that receives a grant under this part shall:

(a) select and contract with a technical assistance provider identified by the board as described in Section 53A-4-305; (b) continually assess progress toward reaching shared goals and outcomes; (c) publish results of the continual assessment described in Subsection (2)(b) on an annual basis; (d) regularly report to the board in accordance with rules established by the board under Section 53A-4-307; and (e) as requested, share information and data with the third party evaluator described in Section 53A-4-306, in accordance with state and federal law. (3) A partnership that receives a grant under this part may use grant funds only for the following purposes: (a) to contract with a technical assistance provider identified by the board as described in Section 53A-4-305; and (b) to plan or implement a partnership, including: (i) for project management; (ii) for planning and adaptation of services and strategies; (iii) to coordinate services; (iv) to establish and implement shared measurement practices; (v) to produce communication materials and conduct outreach activities to build public support; (vi) to establish data privacy and sharing agreements, in accordance with state and federal law; (vii) to purchase infrastructure, hardware, and software to collect and store data; or (viii) to analyze data. (4) (a) The board shall establish interventions for a partnership that: (i) fails to comply with the requirements described in this section; or (ii) is not making progress toward reaching the shared goals and outcomes established by the partnership as described in Section 53A-4-303.

(b) An intervention under Subsection (4)(a) may include discontinuing or reducing funding.

Section 7 Section 53A-4-305 is enacted to read: 53A-4-305. Technical assistance. (1) In accordance with [State Procurement Code], the board shall identify two or more technical assistance providers that a partnership may select from to assist the partnership in: (a) establishing shared goals, outcomes, and measurement practices; (b) creating the capabilities to achieve shared goals and outcomes that may include providing leadership development training to members of the partnership; and (c) using data to align and improve efforts focused on student success. (2) In identifying technical assistance providers under this section the board shall identify providers that have a credible track record of providing technical assistance as described in Subsection (1).

Section 8 Section 53A-4-306 is enacted to read: 53A-4-306. Independent evaluation — Reporting. (1) In accordance with [State] Procurement Code, the board shall contract with an independent evaluator to annually evaluate a partnership that receives a grant under this part. (2) The evaluation described in Subsection (1) shall: (a) assess implementation of a partnership, including the extent to which members of a partnership: (i) share data to align and improve efforts focused on student success; and (ii) meet regularly and communicate authentically; and (b) assess the impact of a partnership on student outcomes using appropriate statistical evaluation methods. (3) In identifying an independent evaluator under Subsection (1), the board shall identify an evaluator that:

(a) has a credible track record of conducting evaluations as described in Subsection (2); and (b) is independent of any member of the partnership and does not otherwise have a vested interest in the outcome of the evaluation. (4) Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, the board shall ensure that the independent evaluator: (a) prepares an annual written report of an evaluation conducted under this section; and (b) annually submits the report to the Education Interim Committee. Section 9. Section 53A-4-307 is enacted to read: 53A-4-307. Rules. In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, [State Administrative Rulemaking Act], the board shall make rules to administer the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program in accordance with this part. Section 10. Appropriation. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2017, the following sums of money are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts previously appropriated, out of the funds or amounts indicated. These sums of money are in addition to amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2017. To State Board of Education – State Office of Education – Initiative Programs From Education Fund

$2,000,000 Schedule of Programs: Contracts and Grants – Partnerships for Student Success $2,000,000 The Legislature intends that: (1) under Section 63J-1-603, appropriations under this section not lapse at the close of fiscal year 2017; and (2) the State Board of Education may use up to $80,000 of the appropriation under this section for administration of the Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program.