PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2016

PRINTER'S NO.  2096

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

HOUSE BILL

 

No.

1618

Session of

2009

  

  

INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, CLYMER, COHEN, BELFANTI, BISHOP, GRUCELA, HARKINS, LONGIETTI, MILNE, M. O'BRIEN, K. SMITH, YOUNGBLOOD, BRADFORD, BROWN, CALTAGIRONE, DONATUCCI, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEORGE, HENNESSEY, HESS, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, LENTZ, MANN, McGEEHAN, MUNDY, PASHINSKI, READSHAW, SIPTROTH, STURLA, VULAKOVICH, WATERS, MURT, MELIO AND McILVANE SMITH, JUNE 5, 2009

  

  

AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 10, 2009   

  

  

  

AN ACT

  

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Providing for data collection relating to dropouts by the

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Department of Education.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Chapter 1.  Preliminary Provisions

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Section 101.  Short title.

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Section 102.  Findings.

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Section 103.  Definitions.

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Chapter 3.  Data Collection

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Section 301.  Powers and duties.

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Section 302.  Data collection and reporting.

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Chapter 7.  Administration

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Section 701.  Reporting.

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Chapter 11.  Miscellaneous Provisions

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Section 1101.  Effective date.

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The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

 


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hereby enacts as follows:

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CHAPTER 1

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PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

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Section 101.  Short title.

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This act shall be known and may be cited as the Drop-out Data

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Collection Act.

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Section 102.  Findings.

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The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

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(1)  Significant discrepancies in school district

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reporting, drop-out statistics and graduation rate formulas

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exist nationwide.

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(2)  The United States Secretary of Education recently

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announced that the United States Department of Education will

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require all states to use a Federal formula for the

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calculation of drop-out and graduation rates.

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(3)  The Pennsylvania Department of Education's

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statistics between the 1995-1996 and 2005-2006 school years

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show that drop-out rates in this Commonwealth may have

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decreased Statewide, but serious questions exist regarding

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the uniformity in reporting, and therefore, the reliability

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of that data.

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Section 103.  Definitions.

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The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

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have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

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context clearly indicates otherwise:

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"Charter school."  The term shall have the same meaning as in

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section 1703-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),

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known as the Public School Code of 1949.

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"Cyber charter school."  The term shall have the same meaning

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as in section 1703-A of act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),

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known as the Public School Code of 1949.

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"Department."  The Department of Education of the

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Commonwealth.

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"Graduation gap."  The percentage of students who entered the

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ninth grade and did not graduate from the same high school in

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the same school district four years later.

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"School district."  The term shall have the same meaning as

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in section 102 of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),

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known as the Public School Code of 1949.

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"School entity."  The term shall have the same meaning as in

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section 1101-A of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),

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known as the Public School Code of 1949.

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CHAPTER 3

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DATA COLLECTION

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Section 301.  Powers and duties.

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The department shall have the following powers and duties:

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(1)  To create by the 2009-2010 2010-2011 school year a

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Statewide definition of "dropout," if none is provided by

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Federal statute, regulation or guideline and, in accordance

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with any Federal statute, regulation or guideline, report the

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graduation rates, drop-out rates and graduation-gap rates in

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this Commonwealth.

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(2)  To implement and maintain a high-quality data

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collection and reporting system that accurately accounts for

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all students when calculating high school graduation and

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drop-out rates in accordance with Federal regulations or

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guidelines. The reporting system shall include the

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calculation of graduation rates, drop-out rates and the

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graduation-gap rates in all school entities, charter schools

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and cyber charter schools.

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(3)  To serve as a clearinghouse of information, policies

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and strategies aimed at decreasing the number of dropouts. 

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(4)  To require school entities, charter schools and

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cyber charter schools to report student drop-out information

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to the department using the department's data collection

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system.

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Section 302.  Data collection and reporting.

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(a)  Categories.--Pursuant to section 301, data collected by

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the department on drop-out rates, graduation rates and

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graduation-gap rates shall be disaggregated in the following

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categories:

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(1)  Limited English proficiency.

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(2)  Low income.

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(3)  Special education.

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(4)  Gifted education.

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(5)  Race/ethnicity.

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(6)  School entity.

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(7)  Charter school or cyber charter school.

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(8)  Gender.

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(9)  Geographic area.

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(10)  Other categories as determined by the department.

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(b)  Availability.--The department shall ensure that the data

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collection and reporting system be accurate, uniform and

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accessible to school entities, charter schools, cyber charter

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schools and Commonwealth residents via the department's publicly

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accessible Internet website.

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CHAPTER 7

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ADMINISTRATION

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Section 701.  Reporting.

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Beginning in the 2010-2011 2011-2012 school year and each

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school year thereafter, the department shall annually prepare a

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report and provide a copy of the report to the Education

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Committee of the Senate and the Education Committee of the House

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of Representatives and shall post a copy of the report on the

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department's publicly accessible Internet website by September 1

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of each year, that contains, at a minimum, the following:

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(1)  All drop-out rates, graduation rates and graduation-

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gap rates reported by school entities, charter schools and

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cyber charter schools, including school-level data,

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disaggregated by the factors used to identify an at-risk

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student and the following classifications:

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(i)  Limited English proficiency.

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(ii)  Low income.

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(iii)  Special education.

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(iv)  Gifted education.

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(v)  Race/ethnicity.

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(vi)  Gender.

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(vii)  School entity.

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(viii)  Geographic area.

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(2)  Highest grade level completed and age prior to

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dropping out.

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(b)  Uniform reporting.--School entities, charter schools and

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cyber charter schools shall use the definitions and formulas

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established by the department if no Federal statute, regulation

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or guideline exists when reporting the graduation rates,

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drop-out rates and graduation-gap rates to the department.

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School entities, charter schools and cyber charter schools shall

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report these rates annually, as required by the department, on a

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form to be developed and provided by the department.

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(c)  Guidelines and standards.--The department may develop

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any guidelines or standards necessary to implement the

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requirements of this act.

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CHAPTER 11

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MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

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Section 1101.  Effective date.

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This act shall take effect July 1, 2009, or immediately,

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whichever is later.

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