The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PETITION OF:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PETITION OF:
Patricia A. Haddad
Tom Sannicandro
Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.
Michael A. Costello
Elizabeth A. Malia
John P. Fresolo
Theodore C. Speliotis
Benjamin Swan
Kay Khan
William N. Brownsberger
Denise Provost
Michael E. Festa
Ellen Story
Rachel Kaprielian
Gloria L. Fox
Christine E. Canavan
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.
Douglas W. Petersen
Michael F. Rush
Steven M. Walsh
Jarrett T. Barrios
Robert P. Spellane
Barbara A. L'Italien
Walter F. Timilty
A. Stephen Tobin
Sarah K. Peake
Peter J. Koutoujian
Michael F. Kane
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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.
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An Act enhancing student opportunity for achievement and results. |
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:─
Section 90. (a) Subject to appropriation, the department shall establish a 4 year grant program, Student Opportunity for Achievement and Results (SOAR), to assist schools in reducing class size in grades kindergarten through 3 to a ratio of 1 teacher to 15-18 students, or, where space is unavailable, to a ratio of 2 teachers to 30 students, and to study the effects of class size reduction on student performance.
(b) The department shall develop guidelines and regulations for the administration of the grant program in accordance with the following provisions:
(1) In order for a school district to be eligible, for this program, 20 percent or more of the district’s students shall be eligible for free or reduced lunch under eligibility guidelines promulgated by the federal government under 42 USC 1758.
(2) Each eligible district may apply to the grant program to receive funding for 1 to 3 schools, depending on the number of pupils in the district. Initially, each district with 5,000 pupils or less may apply for 1 school; those with 5,001-10,000 pupils may apply for 2 schools, and those with more than 10,000 pupils may apply for 3 schools.
(3) In determining which school(s) within an eligible school district shall implement this program:
(i) The district shall ensure that the school(s) offer an all-day kindergarten program in the year that the grant is distributed; and
(ii) The district shall prioritize school(s) that meet one or both of the following criteria:
(A) The school(s) have the highest percentage of students eligible for the free or reduced lunch program within the district
(B) The school(s) have been deemed under-performing or chronically under-performing, as under section 1J of chapter 69, as so appearing.
(4) In determining which districts shall participate in the program, the department may also consider how the applicant schools plan to use the grant funds in association with existing education programs in order to create an environment for maximum learning opportunity.
(5) All schools that participate shall do so for the full 4 years of the program and shall phase-in the program as follows: In the first year of the program, participating schools will reduce all kindergarten class sizes; in the second year, kindergarten classes will remain at the reduced size and schools will reduce all grade 1 class sizes; in the third year, kindergarten and grade 1 class sizes will remain at the reduced size and participating schools will reduce all grade 2 class sizes; and in the fourth year, kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 class sizes will remain at the reduced size and participating schools will reduce all grade 3 class sizes.
(6) The department shall assure that the schools have access to department programs that assist in developing or maintaining all-day kindergarten.
(7) Schools shall demonstrate every effort to participate in the universal school breakfast program and encourage families eligible for the free and reduced lunch program to register for that program.
(8) Teachers in small-sized classes shall receive training and professional development on instructional strategies to optimize the use of small class size.
(c) Grants shall be used to supplement, not supplant, federal, state or local funds for these activities.
(d) Program funds shall only be used for hiring of personnel, professional development, or extra materials for reduced sized classrooms. For the purposes of this section only, professional development may include per diem payments of substitute teachers when they substitute for a small-sized class teacher who is absent in order to pursue professional development in small class instructional strategies.
(e) The department shall establish statewide criteria for professional development that would qualify under clause (8) of subsection (b) of section 90 of the general laws, as so appearing.
(f) The department shall contract with a state institution of higher learning to conduct an independent study to measure and compare student performance in small-sized classes with other students of comparable demographics. The department shall submit the study to the joint committee on education, the clerk of the house and the clerk of the senate 5 years after the initiation of the grant program. The department shall assist the institute of higher learning conducting the independent study in the data collection.
(g) The department may retain 1 percent of the total appropriation in order to administer the program and may expend the amount deemed necessary for conducting the independent study.
(h) The department shall report annually on the status of the program to the joint committee on education by September 1st following each school year of the program.