Effective: October 15, 2015
Latest Legislation: House Bill 70 - 131st General Assembly
As used in divisions (A), (C), and (D) of this section, for the 2014-2015 school year, and for each school year thereafter, when a provision refers to a school district or school building in a state of academic emergency, it shall mean a district or building rated "F"; when a provision refers to a school district or school building under an academic watch, it shall mean a district or building rated "D"; and when a provision refers to a school district or school building in need of continuous improvement, it shall mean a district or building rated "C" as those letter grade ratings for overall performance are assigned under division (C)(3) of section 3302.03 of the Revised Code, as it exists on or after March 22, 2013.
(A) The department of education shall establish a system of intensive, ongoing support for the improvement of school districts and school buildings. In accordance with the model of differentiated accountability described in section 3302.041 of the Revised Code, the system shall give priority to the following:
(1) For any school year prior to the 2012-2013 school year, districts and buildings that have been declared to be under an academic watch or in a state of academic emergency under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code;
(2) For the 2012-2013 school year, and for each school year thereafter, districts and buildings in the manner prescribed by any agreement currently in force between the department and the United States department of education. The department shall endeavor to include schools and buildings that receive grades under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code that the department considers to be low performing.
The system shall include services provided to districts and buildings through regional service providers, such as educational service centers. The system may include the appointment of an improvement coordinator for any of the lowest performing districts, as determined by the department, to coordinate the district's academic improvement efforts and to build support among the community for those efforts.
(B) This division does not apply to any school district after June 30, 2008.
When a school district has been notified by the department pursuant to section 3302.03 of the Revised Code that the district or a building within the district has failed to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years, the district shall develop a three-year continuous improvement plan for the district or building containing each of the following:
(1) An analysis of the reasons for the failure of the district or building to meet any of the applicable performance indicators established under section 3302.02 of the Revised Code that it did not meet and an analysis of the reasons for its failure to make adequate yearly progress;
(2) Specific strategies that the district or building will use to address the problems in academic achievement identified in division (B)(1) of this section;
(3) Identification of the resources that the district will allocate toward improving the academic achievement of the district or building;
(4) A description of any progress that the district or building made in the preceding year toward improving its academic achievement;
(5) An analysis of how the district is utilizing the professional development standards adopted by the state board pursuant to section 3319.61 of the Revised Code;
(6) Strategies that the district or building will use to improve the cultural competency, as defined pursuant to section 3319.61 of the Revised Code, of teachers and other educators.
No three-year continuous improvement plan shall be developed or adopted pursuant to this division unless at least one public hearing is held within the affected school district or building concerning the final draft of the plan. Notice of the hearing shall be given two weeks prior to the hearing by publication in one newspaper of general circulation within the territory of the affected school district or building. Copies of the plan shall be made available to the public.
(C)(1) For any school year prior to the school year that begins on July 1, 2012, when a school district or building has been notified by the department pursuant to section 3302.03 of the Revised Code that the district or building is under an academic watch or in a state of academic emergency, the district or building shall be subject to any rules establishing intervention in academic watch or emergency school districts or buildings.
(2) For the 2012-2013 school year, and for each school year thereafter, a district or building that meets the conditions for intervention prescribed by the agreement described in division (A)(2) of this section shall be subject to any rules establishing such intervention.
(D)(1) For any school year prior to the 2012-2013 school year, within one hundred twenty days after any school district or building is declared to be in a state of academic emergency under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code, the department may initiate a site evaluation of the building or school district.
(2) For the 2012-2013 school year, and for each school year thereafter, the department may initiate a site evaluation of a building or school district that meets the conditions for a site evaluation prescribed by the agreement described in division (A)(2) of this section.
(3) Division (D)(3) of this section does not apply to any school district after June 30, 2008.
If any school district that is declared to be in a state of academic emergency or in a state of academic watch under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code or encompasses a building that is declared to be in a state of academic emergency or in a state of academic watch fails to demonstrate to the department satisfactory improvement of the district or applicable buildings or fails to submit to the department any information required under rules established by the state board of education, prior to approving a three-year continuous improvement plan under rules established by the state board of education, the department shall conduct a site evaluation of the school district or applicable buildings to determine whether the school district is in compliance with minimum standards established by law or rule.
(4) Division (D)(4) of this section does not apply to any school district after June 30, 2008. Site evaluations conducted under divisions (D)(1), (2), and (3) of this section shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Determining whether teachers are assigned to subject areas for which they are licensed or certified;
(b) Determining pupil-teacher ratios;
(c) Examination of compliance with minimum instruction time requirements for each school day and for each school year;
(d) Determining whether materials and equipment necessary to implement the curriculum approved by the school district board are available;
(e) Examination of whether the teacher and principal evaluation systems comply with sections 3311.80, 3311.84, 3319.02, and 3319.111 of the Revised Code;
(f) Examination of the adequacy of efforts to improve the cultural competency, as defined pursuant to section 3319.61 of the Revised Code, of teachers and other educators.
(E) This division applies only to school districts that operate a school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for two or more consecutive school years. It does not apply to any such district after June 30, 2008, except as provided in division (D)(2) of section 3313.97 of the Revised Code.
(1) For any school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years, the district shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide written notification of the academic issues that resulted in the building's failure to make adequate yearly progress to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the building. The notification shall also describe the actions being taken by the district or building to improve the academic performance of the building and any progress achieved toward that goal in the immediately preceding school year.
(b) If the building receives funds under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, from the district, in accordance with section 3313.97 of the Revised Code, offer all students enrolled in the building the opportunity to enroll in an alternative building within the district that is not in school improvement status as defined by the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." Notwithstanding Chapter 3327. of the Revised Code, the district shall spend an amount equal to twenty per cent of the funds it receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, to provide transportation for students who enroll in alternative buildings under this division, unless the district can satisfy all demand for transportation with a lesser amount. If an amount equal to twenty per cent of the funds the district receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, is insufficient to satisfy all demand for transportation, the district shall grant priority over all other students to the lowest achieving students among the subgroup described in division (B)(3) of section 3302.01 of the Revised Code in providing transportation. Any district that does not receive funds under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, shall not be required to provide transportation to any student who enrolls in an alternative building under this division.
(2) For any school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for three consecutive school years, the district shall do both of the following:
(a) If the building receives funds under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, from the district, in accordance with section 3313.97 of the Revised Code, provide all students enrolled in the building the opportunity to enroll in an alternative building within the district that is not in school improvement status as defined by the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." Notwithstanding Chapter 3327. of the Revised Code, the district shall provide transportation for students who enroll in alternative buildings under this division to the extent required under division (E)(2) of this section.
(b) If the building receives funds under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, from the district, offer supplemental educational services to students who are enrolled in the building and who are in the subgroup described in division (B)(3) of section 3302.01 of the Revised Code.
The district shall spend a combined total of an amount equal to twenty per cent of the funds it receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, to provide transportation for students who enroll in alternative buildings under division (E)(1)(b) or (E)(2)(a) of this section and to pay the costs of the supplemental educational services provided to students under division (E)(2)(b) of this section, unless the district can satisfy all demand for transportation and pay the costs of supplemental educational services for those students who request them with a lesser amount. In allocating funds between the requirements of divisions (E)(1)(b) and (E)(2)(a) and (b) of this section, the district shall spend at least an amount equal to five per cent of the funds it receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, to provide transportation for students who enroll in alternative buildings under division (E)(1)(b) or (E)(2)(a) of this section, unless the district can satisfy all demand for transportation with a lesser amount, and at least an amount equal to five per cent of the funds it receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, to pay the costs of the supplemental educational services provided to students under division (E)(2)(b) of this section, unless the district can pay the costs of such services for all students requesting them with a lesser amount. If an amount equal to twenty per cent of the funds the district receives under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, is insufficient to satisfy all demand for transportation under divisions (E)(1)(b) and (E)(2)(a) of this section and to pay the costs of all of the supplemental educational services provided to students under division (E)(2)(b) of this section, the district shall grant priority over all other students in providing transportation and in paying the costs of supplemental educational services to the lowest achieving students among the subgroup described in division (B)(3) of section 3302.01 of the Revised Code.
Any district that does not receive funds under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339, shall not be required to provide transportation to any student who enrolls in an alternative building under division (E)(2)(a) of this section or to pay the costs of supplemental educational services provided to any student under division (E)(2)(b) of this section.
No student who enrolls in an alternative building under division (E)(2)(a) of this section shall be eligible for supplemental educational services under division (E)(2)(b) of this section.
(3) For any school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for four consecutive school years, the district shall continue to comply with division (E)(2) of this section and shall implement at least one of the following options with respect to the building:
(a) Institute a new curriculum that is consistent with the statewide academic standards adopted pursuant to division (A) of section 3301.079 of the Revised Code;
(b) Decrease the degree of authority the building has to manage its internal operations;
(c) Appoint an outside expert to make recommendations for improving the academic performance of the building. The district may request the department to establish a state intervention team for this purpose pursuant to division (G) of this section.
(d) Extend the length of the school day or year;
(e) Replace the building principal or other key personnel;
(f) Reorganize the administrative structure of the building.
(4) For any school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for five consecutive school years, the district shall continue to comply with division (E)(2) of this section and shall develop a plan during the next succeeding school year to improve the academic performance of the building, which shall include at least one of the following options:
(a) Reopen the school as a community school under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code;
(b) Replace personnel;
(c) Contract with a nonprofit or for-profit entity to operate the building;
(d) Turn operation of the building over to the department;
(e) Other significant restructuring of the building's governance.
(5) For any school building that fails to make adequate yearly progress for six consecutive school years, the district shall continue to comply with division (E)(2) of this section and shall implement the plan developed pursuant to division (E)(4) of this section.
(6) A district shall continue to comply with division (E)(1)(b) or (E)(2) of this section, whichever was most recently applicable, with respect to any building formerly subject to one of those divisions until the building makes adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years.
(F) This division applies only to school districts that have been identified for improvement by the department pursuant to the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." It does not apply to any such district after June 30, 2008.
(1) If a school district has been identified for improvement for one school year, the district shall provide a written description of the continuous improvement plan developed by the district pursuant to division (B) of this section to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the district. If the district does not have a continuous improvement plan, the district shall develop such a plan in accordance with division (B) of this section and provide a written description of the plan to the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the district.
(2) If a school district has been identified for improvement for two consecutive school years, the district shall continue to implement the continuous improvement plan developed by the district pursuant to division (B) or (F)(1) of this section.
(3) If a school district has been identified for improvement for three consecutive school years, the department shall take at least one of the following corrective actions with respect to the district:
(a) Withhold a portion of the funds the district is entitled to receive under Title I, Part A of the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965," 20 U.S.C. 6311 to 6339;
(b) Direct the district to replace key district personnel;
(c) Institute a new curriculum that is consistent with the statewide academic standards adopted pursuant to division (A) of section 3301.079 of the Revised Code;
(d) Establish alternative forms of governance for individual school buildings within the district;
(e) Appoint a trustee to manage the district in place of the district superintendent and board of education.
The department shall conduct individual audits of a sampling of districts subject to this division to determine compliance with the corrective actions taken by the department.
(4) If a school district has been identified for improvement for four consecutive school years, the department shall continue to monitor implementation of the corrective action taken under division (F)(3) of this section with respect to the district.
(5) If a school district has been identified for improvement for five consecutive school years, the department shall take at least one of the corrective actions identified in division (F)(3) of this section with respect to the district, provided that the corrective action the department takes is different from the corrective action previously taken under division (F)(3) of this section with respect to the district.
(G) The department may establish a state intervention team to evaluate all aspects of a school district or building, including management, curriculum, instructional methods, resource allocation, and scheduling. Any such intervention team shall be appointed by the department and shall include teachers and administrators recognized as outstanding in their fields. The intervention team shall make recommendations regarding methods for improving the performance of the district or building.
The department shall not approve a district's request for an intervention team under division (E)(3) of this section if the department cannot adequately fund the work of the team, unless the district agrees to pay for the expenses of the team.
(H) The department shall conduct individual audits of a sampling of community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code to determine compliance with this section.
(I) The state board shall adopt rules for implementing this section.