§100.13. Expanded academic support; accelerated learning committees

            A. For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, each student in grades four through eight who failed to achieve mastery on any statewide assessment administered pursuant to the state's school and district accountability system during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years shall be provided expanded academic support.

            B. Each city, parish, or other local public school board shall develop an educational plan and supporting budget to provide expanded academic support to students identified pursuant to Subsection A of this Section using federal funds provided for educational relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such plan shall be submitted to the state Department of Education not later than September 30, 2021, for review and approval.

            (1) Educational plans shall adhere to state board rules and regulations pertaining to pupil progression and individual academic improvement plans.

            (2) Supporting budgets shall adhere to all applicable federal and state regulations, including but not limited to those enacted pursuant to the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

            C. The department shall review each plan submitted for compliance with applicable federal and state regulations, including state board regulations pursuant to pupil progression and individual academic improvement plans. The department shall provide feedback to the local board if necessary to bring the plan into compliance with applicable regulations.

            D. If, following timelines set forth by the department, a city, parish, or other local public school board fails to submit a revised plan that complies with applicable regulations, the department shall reject such plan and shall require the board to adhere to the requirements set forth in Subsection E of this Section.

            E. The parent or legal guardian of a student identified in need of expanded academic support shall be provided one of the following options:

            (1) Accelerated instruction as provided in Subsections F through H of this Section.

            (2) Prioritized placement in a class taught by a teacher labeled as "highly effective" pursuant to the state's teacher evaluation system, if a highly effective teacher is available in the school.

            F. Accelerated instruction provided pursuant to this Section shall:

            (1) Include targeted instruction in the subject matter areas in which the student has failed to perform satisfactorily.

            (2) Be provided in addition to the instruction normally provided to students in the grade level in which the student is enrolled.

            (3) Be provided for not less than thirty total hours during the following summer and school year, and include instruction for not less than once per week.

            (4) Be designed to assist the student in achieving grade level performance in the applicable subject area.

            (5) Be taught using high-quality instructional materials that are fully aligned with state content standards and that are designed for supplemental instruction.

            (6) Be provided to a student individually or in a group of not more than twelve students, unless the parent or legal guardian of each student in the group authorizes a larger group.

            (7) Be provided by a person with training in using the instructional materials pursuant to Paragraph (5) of this Subsection and who receives ongoing oversight while providing the accelerated instruction.

            (8) To the extent possible, be provided by the same person for the entirety of the student's supplemental instruction period.

            (9) Be provided in accordance with guidelines on research-based best practices and effective accelerated instruction strategies developed and provided by the state Department of Education.

            G.(1) Each public school shall establish an accelerated learning committee for each student in grades four through eight who failed to achieve mastery on any statewide assessment administered pursuant to the state's school and district accountability system. The committee shall be composed of the student's parent or legal guardian, the teacher of the subject in which the student has failed to perform satisfactorily, and the school principal or his designee. The student's parent or legal guardian shall be notified of the time and place the committee will meet and the purpose of the committee.

            (2) A student's accelerated learning committee shall, not later than August thirty-first, develop an accelerated learning plan for the student that provides the accelerated instruction needed to enable the student to perform on grade level by the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The student's parent or legal guardian shall be provided with a copy of the student's accelerated learning plan.

            H. If a student fails to perform satisfactorily in the same subject matter area on a state assessment administered in the subsequent school year, the accelerated learning committee shall:

            (1) Identify the reasons the student failed to perform satisfactorily.

            (2) Determine whether the student needs additional expanded academic support including accelerated instruction, summer learning programs, or other resources to meet the student's academic needs.

            I.(1) Each city, parish, or other local public school board shall provide a report by June first of 2022 and 2023 to the state Department of Education on the number of students identified as needing expanded academic support, the number of students provided each type of academic support, and the number who failed to achieve mastery on any statewide assessment administered pursuant to the state's school and district accountability system during the 2021-2022 school year continuing to need additional academic support.

            (2) The department shall submit a report to the Senate and House committees on education by July first of 2022 and 2023 summarizing the information required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection by school, by school system, and statewide.

            J. The determination of whether students are in need of additional expanded academic support shall not be used in evaluating teacher performance or determining school or district accountability scores and letter grades.

            Acts 2021, No. 294, §1. 

NOTE: See Acts 2021, No. 294, §2, relative to the prohibition on the use of state or obligated federal funds.