Bill > S2029

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Department of Education to establish and administer the High Efficiency Accelerated Learning Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to provide high-impact tutoring opportunities to students throughout the State. The grant program supports high-impact tutoring programs implemented by local education providers, in partnership with a tutoring provider included on the department's list. The bill details the criteria that a tutoring program must meet in order to be considered. The bill also requires the Department of Education to publish a list of tutoring providers with a record of high quality instruction in mathematics and English language arts. The department will develop performance standards and guides, and will establish a rubric to evaluate each tutoring program and determine the minimum qualifications for a tutoring program to be included in the department's list of high quality tutoring providers. The department will compile and make the list publicly available on its Internet website no later than 90 days following the effective date of the bill. A tutoring program wishing to be included on the list of high quality tutoring providers will be required to submit an application to the department. The bill outlines the application process for a local education provider wishing to participate in the grant program. A tutoring provider may apply for a grant on behalf of a local education provider. Grant awards will be allocated to local education providers on a competitive basis, in a manner to be determined by the department. In determining grant recipients, the department will consider the local education provider's plan with respect to the alignment with elements of high impact tutoring programs, the potential number of students impacted by the program, the need of the local education provider to supplement classroom learning, and the estimated cost of implementing the program by the local education provider. The bill stipulates that school employees may only serve as tutors during times that do not conflict with existing school duties. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any individual hired as a tutor under the grant program is not required to have or maintain a principal residence in the State unless required to do so as a condition of another position of employment. Under the bill, any local education provider participating in the High Efficiency Accelerated Learning Grant Program must conduct an annual evaluation or provide an annual external evaluation of the tutoring program implemented according to the criteria developed by the Department of Education. The evaluation will be reported in a manner determined by the department, in consultation with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. The bill also outlines information to be included in the evaluation. The bill also requires updates to be made to the Governor and to the Legislature concerning the outcomes and efficacy of the program.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Vin Gopal (D)*,  Andrew Zwicker (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document