Sub.
S.B. 311*
126th General Assembly
(As Reported by S. Education)
Sens. Gardner, Padgett, Harris, Clancy, Mumper
BILL SUMMARY
· Establishes the Ohio Core curriculum of 20 specified units of study as the minimum curriculum required for high school graduation from all public and chartered nonpublic schools, beginning with the Class of 2012.
· Permits a student in the Classes of 2012 through 2015 who has not completed the Ohio Core curriculum to graduate from high school only if the student has satisfied certain alternative requirements.
· Excuses students enrolled in certain dropout prevention and recovery programs from the Ohio Core curriculum.
· Requires public and chartered nonpublic high schools to integrate economics and financial literacy instruction into a required social studies course or another class.
· Requires students who are subject to the Ohio Core curriculum to complete two semesters of fine arts in any of grades 7 to 12 to graduate from high school.
· Requires school districts and community schools to adopt a procedure for notifying parents of the Ohio Core curriculum requirements.
· Authorizes the State Board of Education to prescribe an honors high school diploma that recognizes technical expertise for a career-technical student.
· Requires the State Board to revise its existing standards for honors diplomas and make them effective by June 30, 2007.
· Requires the Department of Education and the Board of Regents to propose a standardized method and form for recording high school credit on high school transcripts.
· Prohibits public high schools from awarding an honors diploma to a student who is subject to the Ohio Core curriculum but opts to fulfill the alternative requirements.
· Requires the Department of Education to make its Individual Academic Career Plan available on its web site for schools to use in guiding students and families in selecting high school courses.
· Requires the State Board of Education to adopt a statewide plan for students to earn units of high school credit based on demonstration of subject area competency, instead of or in combination with completing hours of classroom instruction, and requires public and chartered nonpublic schools to award units of high school credit in accordance with it.
· Requires the State Board of Education to establish a Foreign Language Advisory Council, which must propose a statewide foreign language education implementation plan to the General Assembly by December 31, 2007.
· Requires the Partnership for Continued Learning, in collaboration with the Board of Regents and the State Board of Education, to recommend by July 30, 2007, a means of assessing high school students' college and work readiness, especially in English and math.
· Directs the State Board of Education to display measures of the preparedness of high school graduates for higher education and the workforce on the school district and building report cards, beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.
· Requires each school district, community school, and chartered nonpublic high school to offer students in grades 9 to 12 the opportunity to participate in a dual enrollment program to earn college credit.
· Requires the Partnership for Continued Learning to make legislative recommendations to improve the operation of the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program and other dual enrollment programs.
· Generally requires completion of the Ohio Core curriculum for admission as a resident undergraduate student to most state universities, beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year, for students who entered ninth grade after July 1, 2008.
· Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, limits the amount of state operating subsidies that the Ohio Board of Regents may pay to most state universities for academic remedial or developmental courses offered at their main campuses.
· Directs the Articulation and Transfer Advisory Council of the Ohio Board of Regents to recommend standards for awarding course credit toward degree requirements based on students' scores on Advanced Placement exams and requires all public institutions of higher education to comply with the standards upon their adoption by the Board.
· Requires the State Board of Education to issue an annual report on the quality of teacher preparation programs.
· Requires the Teacher Quality Partnership to study the relationship of teacher performance on educator licensure assessments to teacher effectiveness in the classroom and to submit annual reports to the Educator Standards Board.
· Requires the Partnership for Continued Learning to make recommendations concerning expansion of school counseling career and educational programs.
· Adds two teachers to the Partnership for Continued Learning.
· Requires community schools to adopt parental involvement policies in the same manner as school districts.
· Directs the State Board of Education to adopt recommendations for the development of parental involvement policies by school districts and community schools.
· Establishes a public-private collaborative commission to make recommendations for promoting greater incidence of student success in conjunction with the Ohio Core curriculum
· Permits teachers and students of chartered nonpublic schools to participate in programs financed by a fiscal year 2007 appropriation to promote and implement the Ohio Core through alternative paths to teacher licensure and dual enrollment in math, science, engineering, technology, and foreign language.
· Appropriates $1 million in fiscal year 2007 for a grant program to provide financial incentives to recruit math and science teachers in rural, urban, and hard-to-staff schools.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ohio Core: a new minimum high
school curriculum
Advanced work for high school credit
Instruction in financial literacy
Temporary alternative to the Ohio Core
Local option for more rigorous curriculum
Dropout prevention and recovery programs
Application to community schools
Notice of Ohio Core requirements
Standardized high school transcripts
Individual Academic Career Plan
Competency-based high school credit
Foreign Language Advisory Council
Recommendation for a college and work readiness assessment
Report card data on college and work readiness
Recommendations for improving dual enrollment programs
Admission to state universities
Legislative recommendations for waivers
Remedial and developmental courses at state universities
Funding limits at ten state universities
Remedial courses at other institutions
Report on quality of teacher preparation programs
Study of teacher performance assessments vs. classroom effectiveness
Recommendations related to school counselors
Partnership for Continued Learning membership
Public-private collaborative commission
Programs to promote and implement the Ohio Core
CONTENT AND OPERATION
(R.C. 3313.603(B) and (C))
To earn a high school diploma, students of school districts and nonpublic schools must complete their high school's curriculum, which must at least satisfy the minimum high school curriculum prescribed in state law, except that disabled students instead must complete their individualized education plans (or IEPs). In addition, students of school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools must pass the state high school proficiency or achievement tests.[1]
The bill prescribes a new minimum high school curriculum for public and chartered nonpublic schools. Called the "Ohio Core," the new curriculum first applies to the Class of 2012. Thus, students entering the ninth grade in the 2008-2009 school year in any public or chartered nonpublic school will be subject to the new minimum curriculum. Students attending nonchartered nonpublic schools remain subject to the current curriculum requirements. As with the current state minimum high school curriculum, the new Ohio Core consists of 20 units of study, but the distribution of those units among subject areas is changed from current law. The following table compares the bill's Ohio Core curriculum with the current minimum state high school curriculum:
STATE MINIMUM HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
|
|
CURRENT LAW |
THE OHIO CORE |
|
English
Lang. Arts |
4
units (480 hours) |
4 units (480 hours) |
|
Math |
3
units (360 hours) |
4 units (480 hours),
including 1 unit (120 hours) of algebra II or its equivalent |
|
Science |
3
units (360 to 450 hours, depending on whether the unit is a laboratory
course), including: |
3 units with inquiry-based
laboratory experience,* including: |
|
Social
Studies |
3
units (360 hours), including ½ unit (60 hours) of American history and ½ unit
of American government |
3 units (360 hours),
including ½ unit (60 hours) of American history and ½ unit of American
government |
|
Health |
½
unit (60 hours) |
½
unit (60 hours) |
|
Physical
Education |
½
unit (120 hours) |
½
unit (120 hours) |
|
Electives |
6
units (720 hours), which must include 1 unit (or two ½ units) from
business/technology, fine arts, or foreign language |
5 units (600 hours), which
must consist of one or a combination of foreign language, fine arts,
business, career-technical education, family and consumer sciences,
technology, or English language arts, math, science, or social studies
courses not otherwise required under the Ohio Core |
|
Total |
20
units |
20 units |
*It is
not clear whether the bill's requirement that science units have
"laboratory experience" actually requires that they consist of 150
hours of instruction (which current law requires for all "laboratory
courses") instead of the usual 120 hours.
As the table illustrates, the new curriculum requires four, rather than just three, units of math. It also requires that one math unit consist of "algebra II" or its equivalent.
While the bill continues to require three units of science, it adds that those units must include "inquiry-based laboratory experience that engages students in asking valid scientific questions and gathering and analyzing information." In addition, the three units must consist of one each of physical science and biology (as under current law) and one unit of advanced study in either (1) chemistry, physics, or other physical science, (2) advanced biology or other life science, or (3) astronomy, physical geology, or other earth or space science. The bill does not prescribe how much laboratory time must be completed. Thus, it may not be clear whether an Ohio Core science unit must consist of 120 hours of instruction, which is normally required for one unit, or 150 hours, which current law (retained by the bill) requires for laboratory courses.[2]
To offset the extra math class and keep the total curriculum at 20 units, the bill reduces the number of required electives from six to five. It also eliminates the requirement that a student's electives include one unit from business/technology, fine arts, or foreign language. Rather, under the bill, students may complete their electives in one or any combination of foreign language, fine arts, business, career-technical education, family and consumer sciences, technology, or additional English, math, science, or social studies classes not required by the Ohio Core.
(R.C. 3313.603(G))
As under current law, high schools may permit middle school students to take advanced work for high school credit. High schools may count that coursework toward graduation if it was taught by a teacher licensed to teach high school and it meets high school curriculum requirements, as determined by the school district or school. The bill specifies that students may use this option to earn credit for Ohio Core requirements.
(R.C. 3313.603(C)(6))
Under the bill, each public and chartered nonpublic high school must integrate the study of economics and financial literacy into the content of one or more of the Ohio Core social studies classes or another class so that all students receive the instruction. The instruction must reflect the coverage of those topics in the social studies academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education.[3] In developing economics and financial literacy curricula, high schools must use available public-private partnerships, resources, and materials that exist in business, industry, and economics education centers at institutions of higher education.
(R.C. 3313.603(K))
The bill requires students subject to the Ohio Core curriculum to complete two semesters or the equivalent of fine arts to graduate from high school. This provision does not apply to students who opt out of the Ohio Core or to students enrolled in dropout recovery programs that have a waiver from the Ohio Core. The fine arts coursework may be taken in any of grades 7 to 12. If a student completes a fine arts course in seventh or eighth grade, the student may elect to have that course count toward the five electives required by the Ohio Core, if the course qualifies for high school credit (see "Advanced work for high school credit" above). If the course does not qualify for high school credit, it still counts toward the requirement to complete two semesters of fine arts.
The bill makes several purpose and intent statements regarding its new Ohio Core curriculum requirements.
Purpose of the Ohio Core. The bill states that completion of the Ohio Core curriculum is the standard expectation for all students entering ninth grade at a public or chartered nonpublic high school on or after July 1, 2008, and may be satisfied through a variety of methods, including, but not limited to, integrated, applied, and traditional coursework.
Future appropriations. The bill also states that since "teacher quality is essential for student success in completing the Ohio Core curriculum, the General Assembly shall appropriate funds for strategic initiatives designed to strengthen schools' capacities to hire and retain highly qualified teachers in the subject areas required by the curriculum."
Coordination. The bill further states that "stronger coordination between high schools and institutions of higher education is necessary to prepare students for more challenging academic endeavors and to lessen the need for academic remediation in college." It directs the State Board of Education, the Ohio Board of Regents, and the Partnership for Continued Learning[4] "to develop policies to ensure that only in rare instances will students who complete the Ohio Core curriculum require academic remediation after high school."
Technology. The bill further directs school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools to "integrate technology into learning experiences whenever practicable across the curriculum in order to maximize efficiency, enhance learning, and prepare students for success in the technology-driven twenty-first century." It formally stipulates that districts and schools may use distance and web-based course delivery for all instruction, including laboratory experience in science, and that they use, whenever practicable, electronic learning opportunities offered by various public and private technology providers, such as the eTech Ohio Commission and public television stations.
(R.C. 3313.603(D))
The bill provides students who enter ninth grade on or after July 1, 2008, and before July 1, 2012 (that is, the four graduating classes of 2012 through 2015) an alternative to completing the Ohio Core curriculum for high school graduation. Under the bill, such a student may graduate from high school without completing the Ohio Core curriculum, but only if the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) The student and the student's parent, guardian, or custodian sign and file with the school a written statement consenting to the student's graduating without completing the Ohio Core curriculum and acknowledging that one consequence is ineligibility to enroll in most state universities without further coursework. The student must attend two years of high school before filing this statement.
(2) The student and the student's parent, guardian, or custodian fulfill any procedural requirements the school stipulates to ensure their informed consent and to facilitate orderly filing of statements.
(3) The student, the student's parent, guardian, or custodian, and a high school representative jointly develop an "individual career plan" for the student that specifies the student matriculating to a two-year degree program, acquiring a business and industry credential, or entering an apprenticeship.
(4) The high school provides counseling and support for the student related to that plan for the remainder of high school.
(5) The student, at a minimum, completes at least the 20-unit curriculum prescribed in current law.
The exception is not available to students who enter ninth grade after July 1, 2012 (the Classes of 2016 and later). But the Partnership for Continued Learning, by August 1, 2014, must analyze student performance data and make recommendations whether "there are mitigating factors that warrant extending the exception" to subsequent classes.
(R.C. 3313.603(E))
The bill affirms the authority of each school district and chartered nonpublic school to implement a more rigorous curriculum than required by law. Specifically, a district or school may require more than 20 units of academic credit to graduate, may allow for no exceptions to its minimum curriculum, or may allow an exception comparable to the bill's exception (see above) but with additional requirements.
(R.C. 3313.603(F))
The bill permits certain students to graduate by successfully completing a competency-based instructional program offered by a "dropout prevention and recovery program," instead of completing the Ohio Core curriculum. To qualify, the dropout program serving the student must have received a waiver from the Department of Education. A program may receive a waiver if it meets all of the following conditions:
(1) It serves only students 16 or older, but no older than 21.
(2) It enrolls students who, at the time of their enrollment, are at least one grade level behind their age group, experience crises that significantly interfere with their academic progress, or both.
(3) It requires students to pass the Ohio Graduation Tests.[5]
(4) It develops an individual career plan for each student that specifies the student matriculating to a two-year degree program, acquiring a business and industry credential, or entering an apprenticeship.
(5) It provides counseling and support for the student related to that plan for the remainder of high school.
(6) It requires the student and the student's parent, guardian, or custodian to sign and file a written statement consenting to the student's graduating without completing the Ohio Core curriculum and acknowledging that one consequence is ineligibility to enroll in most state universities without further coursework.
(7) It submitted to the Department, prior to receiving the waiver, an instructional plan that demonstrates how it will teach and assess the state academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
(R.C. 3314.03(A)(11)(f))
The bill applies the Ohio Core curriculum requirements to students of community schools, as well as students of school districts and chartered nonpublic schools. Under current law, community schools are not subject to state curriculum standards, and their students may satisfy the curricular requirement for a diploma by completing the school's curriculum. Under the bill, therefore, each community school that serves high school students at a minimum must satisfy the Ohio Core curriculum beginning with students entering ninth grade on or after July 1, 2008.
(R.C. 3313.6014 and 3314.03(A)(11)(d))
The bill requires each school district and community school to adopt a procedure for notifying the parent of each high school student enrolled in the district, or in a joint vocational school district to which the district belongs, of the Ohio Core curriculum requirements and that one consequence of not completing the Ohio Core is ineligibility to enroll in most state universities in Ohio without additional coursework. The bill also specifies that this provision does not create a new cause of action or substantive legal right.
(R.C. 3301.46)
The bill requires the Department of Education and the Board of Regents to propose a standardized method and form for documenting high school credits on high school transcripts that are compatible with the standards for credit transfer and articulation adopted by the Board of Regents and any electronic clearinghouse for student transcript transfer developed by the Board of Regents. The proposal must be submitted no later than April 30, 2009, to the State Board of Education, the Chancellor of the Board of Regents, the Partnership for Continued Learning, the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Education committees.
(R.C. 3313.61(B) and 3325.08(B); Section 4)
Continuing law authorizes public high schools to issue an "honors diploma" to any student who has successfully completed the high school curriculum (or, if the student is a disabled student, the student's IEP), has met the proficiency or achievement testing requirements for graduation, and has met additional criteria established in rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
The bill authorizes the State Board to prescribe an honors diploma that recognizes technical expertise for a career-technical student. It also requires the State Board to adopt rules revising its existing standards for honors diplomas. The State Board must file the revised rules so that they take effect by June 30, 2007.
The bill also prohibits the granting of an honors diploma to any student who is subject to the Ohio Core curriculum but instead elects to graduate under the alternative requirements described above.
(R.C. 3313.603(H))
The bill requires the Department of Education to make its Individual Academic Career Plan available through its Ohio Career Information web site for schools to use in guiding students and families in selecting high school courses.
(R.C. 3313.603(J) and 3314.03(A)(11)(f))
The bill requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Regents and the Partnership for Continued Learning, by March 31, 2009, to adopt a statewide plan for students to earn units of high school credit based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of or in combination with completing hours of classroom instruction. The plan must include a standard method for recording demonstrated proficiency on high school transcripts.
The State Board must commence phasing in the plan during the 2009-2010 school year. In addition, each school district, community school, and chartered nonpublic school must comply with the plan adopted under this division and award units of high school credit in accordance with it.
(Section 3)
The bill requires the State Board of Education to establish a Foreign Language Advisory Council to develop and propose a statewide foreign language education implementation plan. In appointing the Council, the State Board must consult with the Board of Regents and the Partnership for Continued Learning. The Council membership must include educators from preschool through higher education, business leaders, and representatives of other interested parties.
In developing the plan, the Council must, at minimum, address facilitating K-12 foreign language acquisition, emphasis on languages of economically competitive countries, best practices for implementing P-16 foreign language instruction, course-delivery models, and proficiency-based approaches to earning foreign language credit. The plan also must include recommendations for its implementation by the 2014-2015 school year. The Council must submit its plan to the State Board, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Board of Regents, the Partnership for Continued Learning, the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Education committees by December 31, 2007.
(R.C. 3301.43)
The bill requires the Partnership for Continued Learning, in collaboration with the Board of Regents and the State Board of Education, to recommend a means of assessing high school students' college and work readiness, especially in English and math. In doing so, the Partnership must recommend one or more assessments that can achieve the following goals:
(1) Measure students' skills against identified college and work-ready expectations in English and math and serve as an indicator of students' readiness to successfully complete introductory level coursework at an institution of higher education and to avoid remedial coursework;
(2) Promote consistency in high school academic course content, quality, and expectations;
(3) Provide individual students with information to assist in planning the remaining high school learning experience;
(4) Serve as one indicator for college admission or placement; and
(5) Assist institutions of higher education in aligning remedial coursework with the college and work-ready expectations measured by the assessments.
The Partnership must consider the suitability of existing assessments for these purposes, including the Ohio Graduation Tests. It also must describe how the recommended readiness assessments fit within the current state achievement test system.
The Partnership must submit its report by July 30, 2007, to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Education committees, the State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Board of Regents, and the Chancellor of the Board of Regents.
(R.C. 3302.032 and 3314.012)
Under the bill, by June 30, 2012, the State Board of Education must select one or more measures of the preparedness of high school graduates for higher education and the workforce for display on the school district and building report cards. Prior to selecting any measure, the State Board must consult with the Partnership for Continued Learning and the Ohio Board of Regents. Those measures may include student performance on the college readiness assessment recommended by the Partnership for Continued Learning (see above), the percentage of students who earn college credit while in high school, or the percentage of students who take remedial coursework in college. The Department of Education must begin including the measures on the report cards covering the 2012-2013 school year. The bill prohibits a district's or building's performance on the measures from affecting its report card rating.[6]
(R.C. 3313.6013, 3314.03(A)(11)(d), and 3333.34)
The bill requires each school district, community school, and chartered nonpublic high school to offer students in grades 9 to 12 the opportunity to participate in a dual enrollment program. As defined by the bill, a dual enrollment program enables a student either (1) to earn credit toward a degree from an institution of higher education while enrolled in high school or (2) to complete coursework while in high school that may qualify for college credit if the student attains a specified score on an examination covering the coursework. Dual enrollment programs include the existing Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEO), Advanced Placement courses (see "College credit for AP courses" below), and similar programs established through agreements between individual districts or schools and post-secondary institutions.
Under continuing law, all school districts and community schools must participate in PSEO, which allows high school students to enroll in nonsectarian college courses on a full- or part-time basis and receive high school and college credit for those courses.[7] Districts and community schools meet the bill's requirement to offer a dual enrollment program through their mandatory participation in PSEO. Nevertheless, districts and community schools may offer additional dual enrollment programs to students "in good standing." The bill directs the Partnership for Continued Learning to develop a definition of "in good standing" for schools to use in determining who qualifies for dual enrollment programs other than PSEO.
Chartered nonpublic high schools also are eligible for PSEO and may satisfy the bill's requirement by electing to participate in that program. Chartered nonpublic high schools that do not participate in PSEO must offer at least one other dual enrollment program instead, but only to students in good standing, as defined by the Partnership for Continued Learning.
All school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic high schools must provide students in grades 8 to 11 with information about the dual enrollment programs they offer. In addition, the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the State Board of Education, must publish an annual report describing those programs. The Board of Regents must submit the report to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Education committees, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the President of the State Board of Education. In addition, the Board of Regents must post the report on its web site.
(R.C. 3301.42(B))
Continuing law requires the Partnership for Continued Learning to make recommendations for increasing opportunities for students to participate in dual enrollment programs. The bill further requires those recommendations to include expanded opportunities for students to earn college credit on their high school campuses. Also, under the bill, the Partnership must recommend legislative changes that would improve the operation of PSEO and other dual enrollment programs. These legislative recommendations, which must be developed in consultation with the Board of Regents and the State Board of Education, are due by May 31, 2007.
(R.C. 3345.06)
The bill generally restricts undergraduate admission to ten of Ohio's 13 state universities, beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year, for Ohio residents who entered ninth grade after July 1, 2008. Those students may be permitted to commence undergraduate coursework only if they have successfully completed the Ohio Core curriculum. This restriction applies to the University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Miami University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Toledo, and Wright State University. It specifically does not apply to Central State University, Shawnee State University, and Youngstown State University. The bill also authorizes any of the ten state universities to which the admission restriction applies to delay admission or to conditionally admit a student who has completed the Ohio Core curriculum, if the university determines that the student still requires academic remedial or developmental coursework. The university may delay admission, or make admission conditional upon, the student's completing this additional coursework at a university branch, community college, state community college, or technical college.
The bill also provides a number of exceptions to the general requirement. First, a student who has not completed the Ohio Core may be admitted if the student has earned at least ten semester hours (or its equivalent) at a community college, state community college, university branch, technical college, or another post-secondary institution (except any of the ten state universities to which the general prohibition applies) in courses bearing college credit that may be applied to the requirements for a degree. State universities must grant credit for those courses in the manner prescribed in any applicable articulation and transfer policies of the Board of Regents or any agreements the universities have entered into with the institution where the student completed those courses. The bill also specifically states that credit toward satisfaction of this exception may be granted for college credit earned during high school through the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEO) or other dual enrollment programs, if the courses may be applied to the requirements for a degree. (See "Dual enrollment programs" above.)
Second, the bill permits admission of a disabled student who has not completed the Ohio Core, if the student successfully completed the student's IEP.
Third, a student who has completed the equivalent of the twelfth grade through home schooling or has graduated from a nonchartered nonpublic high school may be admitted without completing the Ohio Core, if the student has demonstrated mastery of the academic content and skills in reading, writing, and math needed for introductory college coursework without remedial coursework.
Fourth, a high school student may be admitted to a state university as a secondary student participating in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program or another dual enrollment program.
(R.C. 3301.42(M))
The bill does not authorize the ten state universities to waive the new admission requirement. However, it requires the Partnership for Continued Learning to make recommendations for legislative changes that would establish criteria for state universities to use in granting waivers to the general requirement that each resident undergraduate student complete the Ohio Core curriculum prior to admission. At a minimum, the Partnership must consider criteria for waiving the admission requirement for (1) students who have served in the military and (2) students who entered ninth grade on or after July 1, 2008 in another state and moved to Ohio prior to high school graduation. The Partnership must develop its recommendations in consultation with the Board of Regents and issue them by July 1, 2007.
(R.C. 3345.061)
(R.C. 3345.061(B))
Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, the bill limits the amount of state operating funds that the University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Miami University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Toledo, and Wright State University may receive for academic remedial or developmental courses for undergraduate students offered at their main campuses. Funding for those courses is limited as follows:
(1) In the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years, to 3% of the total undergraduate credit hours provided by the university at its main campus;
(2) In the 2014-2015 academic year, to 15% of the first-year full-time-equivalent (FTE) students enrolled at the university's main campus;
(3) In the 2015-2016 academic year, to 10% of the first-year FTE students enrolled at the university's main campus; and
(4) In the 2016-2017 academic year, to 5% of the first-year FTE students enrolled at the university's main campus.
After the 2016-2017 academic year, the bill prohibits state operating subsidies for academic remedial or development courses at the main campuses of the ten affected state universities. However, the bill also states that state universities may continue to offer such courses beyond the extent for which subsidies are paid and after they are fully phased out.
(R.C. 3345.061(C))
After the phase-out of subsidies for the ten state universities, state subsidies for remedial or developmental courses may be paid for students who commence undergraduate studies in 2012-2013 or later only to Central State University, Shawnee State University, Youngstown State University, university branches, community colleges, state community colleges, and technical colleges.
(R.C. 3345.061(D))
Finally, the bill requires each state university to grant credit for academic remedial or developmental courses successfully completed at an approved institution in accordance with any applicable articulation and transfer agreements the university has entered into with that institution.[8]
(R.C. 3345.061(E))
The bill requires the Board of Regents to withhold state operating subsidies for remedial and developmental courses at a state university's main campus in order to conform to the funding limits prescribed in the bill (see above). The Board also must adopt standards for academic remedial and developmental courses and to encourage and assist in the design and establishment of such courses.
In addition, the Board must encourage and assist in the development of articulation and transfer agreements between state universities and other institutions of higher education in accordance with the Board's policies and procedures.
(R.C. 3333.163)
The Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers students the opportunity to earn college credit while enrolled in high school through participation in high-level academic courses in various subject areas. Generally, to be eligible for college credit, a student must take an exam covering the course content. Each college or university establishes its own policy regarding how well students must score on AP exams to receive course credit at that institution.
To bring consistency to these policies at Ohio's public institutions of higher education, the bill directs the Articulation and Transfer Advisory Council of the Board of Regents to recommend, by April 15, 2008, standards for awarding course credit to students based on their scores on AP exams.[9] The Council must recommend a score on each AP exam that it considers to be a passing score for which college credit is appropriate. Upon adoption of the recommended standards by the Board of Regents, all state universities, community colleges, state community colleges, university branches, and technical colleges must comply with the standards in awarding course credit for scores on AP exams.
(R.C. 3319.233)
Continuing law requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards for and to approve teacher preparation programs at public and private institutions of higher education.[10] The bill further requires the State Board, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents, to issue an annual report on the quality of those institutions. This report must be prepared in collaboration with the Teacher Quality Partnership, which is a research consortium of 50 Ohio colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programs. Information contained in the report must include (1) identification of best practices in the preparation of teachers drawn from the Teacher Quality Partnership's research, (2) a plan for implementing best practices in approved teacher preparation programs, and (3) the number of graduates of approved teacher preparation programs who graduated with a subject area specialty and teach in grades 7 to 12, disaggregated by the subject areas of math, science, foreign language, special education, and any other subject areas determined by the State Board. All information in the report must be based on data collected by the Teacher Quality Partnership and other educational agencies.
(R.C. 3319.234)
The bill requires the Teacher Quality Partnership, a consortium of teacher education programs, to study the relationship of the assessments adopted by the State Board of Education for licensing teachers to teachers' actual effectiveness in the classroom. The Partnership is required to begin submitting reports to the Educator Standards Board not later than September 1, 2007. That board is required under continuing law to make recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding teacher licensure and professional development standards.
(R.C. 3301.42(G))
To the Partnership of Continued Learning's duties to make recommendations concerning expanding access to postsecondary education, the bill adds a responsibility to make recommendations for expansion of "school counseling career and educational programs."
(R.C. 3301.41)
The bill adds two additional members to the Partnership for Continued Learning. One member must be a teacher employed by a school district, and one must be a teacher employed by a chartered nonpublic school. The Governor must appoint both members. As with current members, they serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
(R.C. 3313.472 and 3314.03(A)(11)(d))
Continuing law requires school districts to adopt a policy on parental involvement to build communication between parents and teachers and administrators. The policy must provide the opportunity for parents to be informed of the importance of parental involvement, methods of supporting their children's learning activities, and strategies to use at home to improve their children's academic success and development.
The bill applies the requirement to adopt a parental involvement policy to community schools. It also directs the State Board of Education to adopt recommendations for the development of parental involvement policies by districts and schools. The State Board must consult with the National Center for Parents at the University of Toledo in developing its recommendations.
(Section 8)
The bill establishes a public-private collaborative commission to make recommendations for promoting greater incidence of student success in conjunction with the Ohio Core curriculum. The commission's recommendations must address (1) methods of encouraging students and families to consider the opportunities afforded by higher education, (2) means of educating students and families about those opportunities, and (3) the use of mentorships, internships, and other programs to provide students and families with guidance as they evaluate higher education opportunities. The eight members of the commission are:
(1) A school district superintendent, appointed by the Governor;
(2) A business or civic leader, appointed by the Governor;
(3) Four public members, two each appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate;
(4) One member appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction; and
(5) One member appointed by the Chancellor of the Board of Regents.
The two gubernatorial appointees are co-chairpersons of the commission. The commission's recommendations are due by December 31, 2007. They must be distributed to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Education committees, the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents, and the Partnership for Continued Learning.
(Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 115 of the 126th General Assembly, amended in Sections 5, 6, and 7)
The bill qualifies teachers employed by and students enrolled in chartered nonpublic schools for certain programs financed by a $13.2 million appropriation for fiscal year 2007 to promote and implement the Ohio Core through alternative paths to teacher licensure and dual enrollment in math, science, engineering, technology, and foreign language. Current law qualifies only teachers and students of public schools.
Sub. H.B. 115 of the 126th General Assembly appropriated $13.2 million for Ohio Core support. It earmarked those funds for several programs to implement the Ohio Core by promoting alternative paths to teacher licensure and dual enrollment in math, science, engineering, technology, and foreign language. The specific earmarks include funds for the following:
(1) Support the participation of teachers and mid-career professionals in a 12-month intensive training program that leads to teacher licensure in a laboratory-based science, advanced mathematics, or foreign language field at the secondary education level and employment with an Ohio school district;
(2) Support alternative teacher licensure programs developed by educational service centers, in partnership with institutions of higher education;
(3) Support contracts with institutions of higher education to obtain student instruction in math, science, or foreign language that results in dual high school and college credit;
(4) eTech Ohio Commission funding for the "Ohio Students Choosing On-line Resources for Educational Success Initiative" that increases the educational options available for students in math, advanced laboratory-based science, and foreign language; and
(5) Board of Regents funding to support up to ten regional summer academies that focus on foreign language, science, math, engineering, and technology and prepare 11th and 12th grade students to pursue college-level foreign language, mathematics, science, technology, and engineering, with a focus on secondary teaching in these disciplines.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
04-06-06 |
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Reported, S. Education |
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s0311-rs-126.doc/kl
* This analysis was prepared before the report of the Senate Education Committee appeared in the Senate Journal. Note that the list of co-sponsors and the legislative history may be incomplete.
[1] R.C. 3313.61 and 3313.615. Beginning with the Class of 2007, the ninth grade proficiency tests are replaced by the tenth grade achievement tests, known as the Ohio Graduation Tests (R.C. 3301.0712, not in the bill).
[2] R.C. 3313.603(A)(1).
[3] Under continuing law, the State Board must adopt statewide academic standards for grades K to 12 in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, which specify the academic content and skills students are expected to learn at each grade level (R.C. 3301.079(A), not in the bill). All of these standards have been adopted.
[4] The Partnership for Continued Learning is a 19-member body charged with making recommendations to facilitate collaboration among providers of preschool through post-secondary education and to maintain a high-quality workforce. Members are the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chancellor of the Board of Regents, the Director of Development, the chairpersons and ranking minority members of the House and Senate education committees, and 11 representatives of education and workforce interests appointed by the Governor. (R.C. 3301.41 and 3301.42.)
[5] Passing the Ohio Graduation Tests is a diploma requirement for most students, unless specifically exempted by law. Therefore, the bill's stipulation that students of dropout programs must pass the OGTs appears merely to affirm the existing law.
[6] The Department of Education assigns each school district and building a rating based on three components: (1) achievement on performance indicators established by the State Board, (2) a performance index score, which measures improved performance on the achievement tests by students scoring at all performance levels, and (3) the federal measure of adequate yearly progress (R.C. 3302.03(A) and (B), not in the bill, and 3314.012(B)).
[7] See R.C. Chapter 3365. PSEO consists of two "options," which the student chooses at the time of enrollment in a post-secondary course. Under Option A, the student is responsible for payment of all tuition and other costs charged by the institution of higher education. The student may opt to receive only college credit for successful completion of the course, or both college and high school credit. Under Option B, the student receives both college credit and high school credit for the course, and the state makes a payment to the post-secondary institution on the student's behalf. (R.C. 3365.04, not in the bill.)
[8] The bill states that Ohio's two-year institutions are respected points of entry for students embarking on their post-secondary careers and that courses completed at those institutions are transferable to state universities in accordance with articulation and transfer agreements developed according to state law. Under those provisions of continuing law, the Board of Regents is required to (1) adopt policies and procedures for the transfer of coursework and degrees among state institutions of higher education, (2) adopt rules for a statewide system of articulation agreements for students pursuing teacher preparation programs, and (3) adopt criteria, policies, and procedures for the transfer of technical courses (see R.C. 3333.16, 3333.161, and 3333.162, none in the bill).
[9] The Council is a standing committee of the Board of Regents charged with facilitating implementation of the statewide articulation and transfer policy.
[10] R.C. 3319.23, not in the bill.