2020 -- H 7818 | |
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LC004235 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- ACCESS TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES FOR | |
ALL STUDENTS ACT | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Amore, O'Brien, Speakman, Williams, and Messier | |
Date Introduced: February 26, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 16-98-2, 16-98-4 and 16-98-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 16- |
2 | 98 entitled "Access to Advanced Placement Courses for All Students Act [See Title 16 Chapter |
3 | 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
4 | 16-98-2. Definitions. |
5 | The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have the following |
6 | meanings given to them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: |
7 | (1) "Advanced placement" means a college-level class taught at the high school level |
8 | preparatory course for a college advanced placement that provides students the opportunity to |
9 | earn college credit upon passage of an exam that: |
10 | (i) Incorporates all topics specified by the college board College Board on its standards |
11 | syllabus for a given subject area; and |
12 | (ii) Is authorized by the college board College Board. |
13 | (2) "Board of regents" means the board of regents for elementary and secondary |
14 | education. |
15 | (3) "College board Board " means the non-profit examination board in the United States |
16 | comprised of over four thousand five hundred (4,500) institutions of higher learning and known |
17 | for managing standardized tests such as the advanced placement or "AP" tests and refers to the |
18 | nonprofit organization that develops and administers standardized tests and curricula used by |
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1 | kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) and post-secondary education institutions to promote |
2 | college readiness. |
3 | (4) "Department" means the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary |
4 | education. |
5 | (5) "Eligible teacher" means a professional employee that is certified in the subject area |
6 | of the advanced placement course that he or she will be teaching. |
7 | (6) “Examination” or “exam” means the test provided by the College Board to measure a |
8 | student’s mastery of the advanced placement subject matter. |
9 | (6)(7) "Four core academic areas" means advanced placement courses in English, |
10 | mathematics, science and social science. |
11 | (7)(8) "Poverty level" means the percentage of students in a school district eligible for |
12 | free and reduced lunch. |
13 | (8)(9) "Program" means furtherance of the advanced placement classes in the public |
14 | schools and includes teacher training program and increased student participation. |
15 | (9)(10) "School district" means any public school district, school unit, area-vocational- |
16 | technical school, or charter school or mayoral academy that composes a school district; the term |
17 | also encompasses a single high school or multiple high schools within a school district where |
18 | applicable. |
19 | (10)(11) "Teacher training entities" means institutions of higher education, intermediate |
20 | units or organizations approved/certified by the college board College Board to train teachers to |
21 | teach advanced placement courses. |
22 | (11)(12) "Virtual learning instruction" means providing academic courses to students via |
23 | the Internet and/or the use of technology in providing instruction to students. |
24 | 16-98-4. Powers and duties of department. |
25 | (a) Guidelines. The department shall promulgate rules, regulations and procedures |
26 | necessary for the implementation of this chapter including, but not limited to, the following: |
27 | (1) In consultation with the college board College Board, certify those teacher-training |
28 | entities that are qualified to provide training of teachers to teach advanced placement courses in |
29 | the four (4) core academic areas; |
30 | (2) In certifying teacher-training entities for this program, the department shall ensure |
31 | that the training times and locations will be geographically accessible for teachers from eligible |
32 | school entities to attend; |
33 | (3) The department, in consultation with the college board College Board, shall ensure |
34 | that training provided by those teacher-training entities must provide teachers of advanced |
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1 | placement courses with the necessary content knowledge and instructional skills to prepare |
2 | students for success in advanced placement courses and examinations; and |
3 | (4) Starting at the end of the first year of the program, and every year thereafter, the |
4 | department shall issue a report to the general assembly on the advanced placement teacher- |
5 | training program that shall include, but not be limited to: |
6 | (i) The number of teachers receiving training in advanced placement instructions in |
7 | school entities, school districts and high schools in each of the four (4) core academic areas. |
8 | (ii) The number of students taking advanced placement courses at school entities in each |
9 | of the four (4) core academic areas. |
10 | (iii) The number of students scoring a three (3) or more on an advanced placement |
11 | examination at school entities in each of the four (4) core academic areas. |
12 | (iv) The remaining unmet need for trained teachers in school entities that do not offer |
13 | advanced placement courses. |
14 | (v) The number of students taking advanced placement courses who do not take the |
15 | advanced placement examination. |
16 | (vi) The number of students below the poverty level who take advanced placement |
17 | courses. |
18 | (vii) The number of students below the poverty level who take advanced placement |
19 | courses and do not take the advanced placement examination; and. |
20 | (5) In consultation with local education authorities, ensure that the opportunity to |
21 | participate in the advanced placement program and gain college credit is available to the greatest |
22 | amount of students as practicable. |
23 | (b) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the board of education, through the department, |
24 | from expanding the program to include other nationally accepted courses of study that provide |
25 | students an opportunity to gain college credits from classes taken in high school. |
26 | 16-98-6. Program funding. |
27 | (a) Funding for this program is subject to appropriation by the general assembly to the |
28 | department for that purpose. |
29 | (b) In the event that insufficient moneys are appropriated in any fiscal year to provide |
30 | funding for all eligible school entities applying to the program, the department shall prioritize |
31 | funding of eligible school entities based on the poverty level of the school districts that high |
32 | school students who will be taking the advanced placement courses reside in. |
33 | (c) Notwithstanding any general law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the department |
34 | shall include as part of its annual budget the amount necessary to pay the exam costs for all |
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1 | students below the poverty level who take advanced courses. |
2 | (1) In support of the Rhode Island promise scholarship act (the “scholarship”), chapter |
3 | 107 of title 16, the board of education shall remit to each school district, from the funds allocated |
4 | for the scholarship or other similar program, the amounts necessary to pay for the exam costs for |
5 | all students below the poverty level who take advanced placement courses. |
6 | (2) Funds allocated for the purpose of paying the cost of the examinations may be used |
7 | only to pay those costs and may be carried over into the next fiscal year for the same purpose. |
8 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- ACCESS TO ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES FOR | |
ALL STUDENTS ACT | |
*** | |
1 | This act would change the definition of advance placement to mean a college level class |
2 | taught at the high school level that provides students the opportunity to earn college credit upon |
3 | passage of an exam. This act also expands the reach of access to advanced placement courses to |
4 | ensure that the opportunity to participate in the advanced placement program and gain college |
5 | credit is available to the greatest amount of students as practicable. This act would add |
6 | requirements to the annual report issued by the department of education on the program. |
7 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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