A320

ASSEMBLY, No. 320

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblyman PASCRELL

An Act establishing the local early education assistance program, and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares the following:

a. It is the responsibility of the State of New Jersey to provide a thorough and efficient education to all students; that a significant improvement in the educational performance of our children must be achieved if the citizens of New Jersey are to realize their individual and collective potential; that the foundations for improved educational performance must be established in a child's early years; that the State should encourage and assist local efforts to expand and improve the practice and programs in preschool and elementary education; and, that it is particularly important to improve the programs serving students who are "at-risk" of academic failure.

b. Research shows that all children, regardless of their socio-economic background, have the capacity to learn; that school districts can protect children from falling behind the developmental norm and reduce the risks of academic failure by implementing coordinated and articulated developmental programs for grades prekindergarten through six that have been found to be demonstrably effective; that the improvement of performance requires that local schools have access to information and training about such effective practices; and, that the best way to disseminate demonstrably effective practices is through firsthand contact between those who have put them into practice and those who are potential users.

c. Therefore, the State should establish procedures for identifying and disseminating to teachers and administrators significant information derived from successful applications of educational research and similar projects, and should encourage, where appropriate, the adoption of promising educational practices and coordinated and articulated developmental programs for grades

prekindergarten through six developed, in whole or in part, in other districts.

2. a. A local early education assistance program, hereinafter referred to as L.E.A.P., for the prekindergarten through sixth grade is established in the Department of Education. This program shall assist districts in establishing coordinated and articulated developmental programs for grades prekindergarten through six. District programs may be phased in over several years pursuant to a plan submitted by the district and approved by the commissioner.

b. District programs shall include significant structural or curricular changes, such as:

(1) team teaching;

(2) teaching basic and higher order skills through science, social studies, mathematics, literature, foreign language, the arts and physical education;

(3) extending the school day, week or year;

(4) creative use of computers in subject area instruction;

(5) mechanisms to encourage participation of parents, other family members and the community in the educational process;

(6) class groupings across grade levels;

(7) increased personalized attention for students, through smaller class size, greater use of classroom aides, and other mechanisms; and

(8) such other changes as have been determined to be demonstrably effective.

c. District programs shall include, among other components:

(1) a coordinated and articulated program from prekindergarten through grade six;

(2) a school-based planning process in which teachers and parents will play a major role in the establishment of the program;

(3) expansion of inservice training for teachers and other staff members, including inservice training prior to the initiation of the program in the classroom;

(4) curricular review and modification, if appropriate;

(5) a mechanism through which teachers and other educational personnel, including personnel employed in the prekindergarten program, shall participate directly in the formulation, implementation and revision of the program;

(6) a mechanism to coordinate the educational program with appropriate support services provided within the community by public agencies and nonprofit private organizations; and

(7) a plan for providing future articulation between the district's L.E.A.P activities and the high school curriculum.

3. To assist districts in the establishment of these programs, the department shall identify school districts that have exemplary programs or exemplary program components in early education and shall award grants to at least five districts with exemplary programs to permit those districts to serve as training and demonstration sites. As used in this act, exemplary programs are programs that have been found to be successful with children at risk of academic failure and contain one or more of the following elements:

a. teaching basic and higher orders skills through science, social studies, mathematics, literature, foreign language, the arts, and physical education;

b. structural changes in the school such as team teaching, school-based management or class groupings across grade levels.

c. creative use of technology in subject area instruction;

d. developmental approaches to instruction that increase the opportunities for success, build self-esteem through achievement and increase the personal attention given to students;

e. collaboration among agencies serving children and their families that offer more cost-effective service delivery;

f. extensions of the school day, week, or year;

g. mechanisms to increase participation of parents, other family members, and the community in the education process;

h. mechanisms that strengthen the bonds between the child and the school;

i. mechanisms through which teachers and other educational personnel shall participate directly in the formulation, implementation and revision of the educational program; and

j. other appropriate elements identified by the Commissioner of Education.

4. a. The commissioner shall establish a system for identifying exemplary programs in early education. The system for identification shall permit districts to be nominated or to nominate themselves for selection as an exemplary program. Nominations must identify specific school sites at which the exemplary programs operate. The identification process shall consider the soundness of the education theory, the effectiveness of the local implementation, and the existence of demonstrable results over time. Results to be examined shall include improvements in academic achievement, student attitudes and behaviors, and teacher attitudes and behaviors.

b. The commissioner shall establish a panel of individuals qualified to review evidence of effectiveness. The panel shall be composed of nine public members and shall include at least one teacher, at least one school board member, and other representatives from the public schools, higher education, and business. The commissioner shall work with the panel to establish criteria for selection of exemplary sites and a process for review of nominations. The panel shall meet twice a year to consider nominations for exemplary site status.

5. The commissioner shall encourage districts that are identified as exemplary sites to apply for grants to serve as training and dissemination sites for the improvement of early education. Grants shall be awarded annually on a competitive basis for the purpose of providing training and materials to other districts seeking to improve their early education programs. The training shall be conducted by teachers and administrators employed at the demonstration site. The grants shall also permit the selected districts to expand, improve, and evaluate their own programs. Grants shall be limited to $200,000 per district per year and shall be renewable for up to five years. No more than 25% of a grant may be used for expansion, improvement, or evaluation of the designated program. Renewal shall be based on the level of use of the training by other districts, evaluations by the districts that receive the training, and the number of districts that adopt the exemplary program.

6. In consultation with the Commission on Higher Education, the commissioner shall identify institutions of higher education that can assist districts in the establishment of coordinated and articulated developmental programs for grades prekindergarten through six.

7. The commissioner shall notify all school districts of the training, demonstration opportunities and other assistance available pursuant to this act and shall encourage districts to use these resources.

8. The commissioner shall annually determine the amount of funds needed for L.E.A.P. and shall request that this sum be appropriated by the Legislature.

9. The commissioner shall conduct or direct an evaluation of L.E.A.P. and shall issue a report to the Governor and Legislature by the end of the third year and every three years thereafter.

10. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act, P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

11. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a local early education assistance program (L.E.A.P.) in the Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to assist school districts in the establishment of coordinated and articulated developmental programs for grades prekindergarten through six. District programs may be phased in over several years pursuant to a plan submitted by the district and approved by the commissioner and are to include significant structural and curricular changes. District programs are to include, among other components, a school-based planning process; expansion of inservice training for teachers and other staff; curricular review and modification; and a mechanism to coordinate the educational program with appropriate support services provided within the community. The programs are to ensure a coordinated and articulated program from prekindergarten through grade six and a plan for providing future articulation between the district's L.E.A.P. activities and the high school curriculum.

To assist school districts in establishing these programs, the department is to identify districts that already have exemplary programs in early education and to award grants to at least five such districts to permit them to serve as training and demonstration sites. The commissioner is to establish a system for the identification of such exemplary programs which shall include a provision for districts to nominate themselves. The commissioner is also to establish a panel of individuals who are qualified to review evidence of the effectiveness of proposed exemplary programs and is to work with the panel to establish criteria for the review of nominations and the selection of exemplary sites. Districts that are selected as exemplary sites may apply for a grant of up to $200,000 per year, renewable for up to five years, awarded on a competitive basis. The grant shall be used to enable the grant district to provide training and materials to other districts. The grant district may use a part of the grant, not in excess of 25%, for the expansion, improvement, or evaluation of its own program. Renewal of the grant shall be based on the level of use of the training provided by the grant district, the evaluations of districts which receive the training, and the number of districts which adopt the exemplary program.

The bill directs the Commissioner of Education to notify all school districts of the training, demonstration opportunities, and other assistance available under the program. The commissioner must also conduct or direct an evaluation of the L.E.A.P. and issue a report to the Governor and the Legislature by the end of the program's third year and every three years thereafter.

Establishes a local elementary education assistance program for grades preK-6.