HB 1817 -- Accountability for Priority and Performance Schools

Co-Sponsors:  Franklin, Relford, Kreider, Shoemyer (9),
Berkowitz, Kelly (27), Smith, Holand, Whorton

This bill requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education to identify high-achieving schools as performance
schools and specify the waivers of rule applicable to those
schools.  Schools or districts that are academically deficient,
unaccredited or provisionally accredited, or that fail to achieve
any of the student performance standards established for
accreditation will be identified as priority schools and must
submit an accountability compliance statement that identifies
areas of deficiency and provides a strategy to address the
deficiencies and disclose the deficiencies on the school report
card.  The strategy must, among other requirements, align
curricula to address deficiencies, develop individual plans for
any student not receiving special education services who scores
at the lowest level of proficiency on the statewide assessments
and require those students to retake the assessment, focus
professional development funds on the areas of greatest academic
need, improve teacher and administrator effectiveness, and
reallocate resources.  Plans to improve teacher and administrator
effectiveness exempt individuals who meet any of several
requirements, including national board certification, mentors in
approved programs, and those who achieve qualifying scores in
professional assessments.  Nonexempt individuals must complete a
mentoring program, a training program for assessment scorers, or
work toward national board certification.  Resource reallocation
programs must include one of a number of specified elements, such
as extended learning time, smaller learning communities, or home
visits by teachers.  A schedule for submission of the
accountability compliance statements is set out in the bill, and
the department may withhold state aid from districts that do not
meet the standards and timelines for the statements established
by the bill.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated October 11, 2002 at 9:02 am