Bill Summaries: S321 (2017-2018 Session)

Tracking:
  • Summary date: Mar 21 2017 - View summary

    Substantively identical to S 318, filed 3/20/17.

    Amends GS 115C-84.2 to provide flexibility in setting the opening and closing dates for low-performing schools. Requires a local board of education to determine the opening and closing dates for any  specific school in the local school administrative unit identified as a low-performing school in the previous school year. Requires the local school board to thereafter determine the dates for opening and closing regardless of whether the school is identified as low performing in subsequent school years if the school receives a school performance grade of D or F. Provides that if in three subsequent, consecutive years, the school is not identified as low-performing and receives a grade of C or higher, the local board of education must determine the opening and closing dates for that school in the following year under the current statutory provisions. Requires the local board of education to determine the opening and closing dates for all schools in a local school administrative unit that was identified as low-performing in the previous school year. Provides that if in three subsequent, consecutive years, the local school administrative unit is not identified as low-performing, the local board of education must determine the opening and closing dates for that school in the following year under the current statutory provisions. 

    Requires the Department of Public Instruction to study whether the modified calendar has an effect on student performance, including reviewing specified types of information. Requires DPI to compare low-performing schools following the traditional calendar to low-performing schools following the modified calendar and requires DPI to report the results annually to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 15, beginning in 2019.

    Amends GS 115C-105.27 by adding that if a local board of education adopts a modified calendar, the school improvement team for each school operating under the modified calendar must include five specified pieces of  information in its school improvement plan, including an outline of the goals to be achieved by operating under a modified calendar, a description of the calendar, and a description of how the school will measure student and parent satisfaction with the modified calendar to determine how it is affecting families.

    Applies beginning with the 2017-18 school year.