HB0287 - Educational programs for schools.
|
2001 |
State of Wyoming |
01LSO-0624 |
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0287
Educational programs for schools.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Landon, Burns, Iekel and
Wasserburger and
Senator(s) Kinnison,
Schiffer and Scott
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to
public school educational programs;
2 modifying educational programs subject to statewide
3
educational program standards and statewide student
4
assessment; requiring districts to establish program
5
standards in specified areas of knowledge; eliminating
6
authority of the state board of education to establish
7
common core of knowledge and skill mastery requirements for
8
student graduation; and providing for an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
11
12 Section 1. W.S. 21-2-202(a)(xviii),
13 21-2-304(a)(iii)(intro), 21-3-110(a)(xv)
and 21-9-101(a),
14 (b)(i)(B) and (D), by creating a new
subsection (c) and by
15 renumbering or amending and
renumbering (c) through (g) as
16 (d) through (h) are amended to read:
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1
2 21-2-202. Duties of the state superintendent.
3
4 (a) In addition
to any other duties assigned by law,
5 the
state superintendent shall:
6
7 (xviii) In
accordance with W.S. 21-2-501 and
8 21-2-701(a)(ii)
and subject to W.S. 21-2-304(a)(iii) and
9 21-9-101(c) 21-9-101(d),
promulgate rules to assure that
10 each child with disabilities receives a free
and
11 appropriate education in accordance with his
capabilities,
12 including persons who are deaf, blind or
have other
13 physical disabilities which prevent them
from reading in a
14 normal manner;
15
16 21-2-304. Duties of the state board of education.
17
18 (a) The state board of education shall:
19
20 (iii) By rule and
regulation and in consultation
21 and coordination with local school
districts, prescribe
22 uniform student performance standards for
the common core
23 of knowledge and the common core of skills
specified under
24 W.S. 21-9-101(b) and promulgate uniform
standards for
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1 programs
addressing the special needs of student
2
populations specified under W.S. 21-9-101(c)
21-9-101(d).
3
Student performance standards prescribed under this
4
paragraph shall include standards for graduation from any
5
high school within any school district of this state based
6
upon performance or mastery of the common core of knowledge
7 and
common core of skills prescribed under W.S.
8 21-9-101(b).
Graduation standards imposed under this
9
paragraph shall require the successful completion of the
10 following components, as evidenced by
passing grades or by
11 the successful performance on competency-based
equivalency
12 examinations:
13
14 21-3-110. Duties of boards of trustees.
15
16 (a) The board
of trustees in each school district
17 shall:
18
19 (xv) Provide an
educational program within the
20 schools under its jurisdiction in compliance
with uniform
21 state standards prescribed under W.S. 21-9-101
and 21-9-102
22 and by rule and regulation of the state
board, and shall
23 file and maintain
with the state superintendent a current
24 and complete copy of district standards for educational
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1 programs in the areas of knowledge specified under
W.S.
2 21-9-101(c). A current copy of district educational
program
3 standards developed pursuant
to W.S. 21-9-101(c) shall also
4 be maintained
at each school administration location within
5 the district;
6
7 21-9-101. Educational programs for
schools;
8 standards; core of
knowledge and skills; special needs
9 programs; class size
requirements; cocurricular activities.
10
11 (a) The board
of trustees of each school district
12 within the state shall cause the schools
under its
13 jurisdiction to provide an educational program
in
14 accordance with this
section, uniform standards defined
15 under this section and rules and regulations
promulgated by
16 the state board of education pursuant to
W.S. 21-2-304(a).
17
18 (b) Each school
district within the state shall
19 provide educational programs sufficient to
meet uniform
20 student performance standards at the level
established by
21 the state board of education in the
following areas of
22 knowledge and skills:
23
24 (i) Common core of knowledge:
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1
2 (B) Social
studies, government and civics
3 including state and federal
constitutions pursuant to W.S.
4 21-9-102;
5
6 (D) Science.;
7
8 (c) In
addition to subsection (b) of this section,
9 each school district shall
provide educational programs and
10 shall
establish and maintain program
standards in the
11 following
areas of knowledge:
12
13 (i) Fine arts and performing arts;
14
15 (ii) Physical education;
16
17 (iii) Health and safety;
18
19 (iv) Humanities;
20
21 (v) Career/vocational education;
22
23 (vi) Foreign cultures and languages;
24
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1 (vii) Applied technology.
2
3 (c)(d) In addition
to subsection subsections (b) and
4 (c) of this section, each
school district within this state
5
shall provide programs designed for the special needs of
6
those student populations specified within this subsection.
7
Programs under this subsection shall be provided and shall
8
identify special student populations in accordance with
9 rules and regulations of the state board of education. The
10 state board shall monitor the proportion of
students in
11 each special needs category, compared to
available regional
12 averages. Special needs student populations
include:
13
14 (i) Children
with disabilities evaluated in
15 accordance with rules and regulations of the
state board as
16 having mental retardation, hearing
impairments including
17 deafness, speech or language impairments,
visual
18 impairments including blindness, serious
emotional
19 disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism,
traumatic
20 brain injury, other health impairments,
specific learning
21 disabilities, deafness and blindness or
other multiple
22 disabilities, and who, because of the
impairments, need
23 special education and related services; and
24
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1 (ii) Gifted and
talented students identified by
2
professionals and other qualified individuals as having
3
outstanding abilities, who are capable of high performance
4 and
whose abilities, talents and potential require
5
qualitatively differentiated educational programs and
6
services beyond those normally provided by the regular
7
school program in order to realize their contribution to
8 self and society.
9
10 (d)(e) In addition
to subsections (b), and (c) and
11 (d)
of this section, each school district within this state
12 shall endeavor to maintain when practicable,
in
13 kindergarten through grade three (3) within
the district,
14 an average class size of no more than twenty
(20) students
15 per teacher, excluding children with
disabilities who spend
16 more than fifty percent (50%) of their time
outside of
17 regular classroom instruction.
18
19 (e)(f) Nothing in
this section shall be construed to
20 prohibit school districts from establishing
cocurricular
21 activity programs which have as their
purpose to provide
22 educational experiences not otherwise
provided by the local
23 district. The legislature specifically
encourages school
24 districts to establish programs of this
type.
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1
2 (f)(g) It is the
intent of the legislature that the
3
funding mechanism established by law for schools encourage
4
school districts to achieve the goal of reduced class
5
sizes.
6
7 (g)(h) Not later
than the 2002-2003 school year, all
8
school districts shall provide instruction in foreign
9
languages to students in kindergarten through grade 2 two
10 (2) in
accordance with standards promulgated by the state
11 board.
12
13 Section 2. W.S.
21-2-304(a)(iv) and 21-9-101(b)(i)(E)
14 through (N) are repealed.
15
16 Section 3. This act is effective July 1, 2001.
17
18 (END)
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