Assigned to ED FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2118
schools; alternative education; revisions
Purpose
Authorizes a school district governing board (governing board) or charter school governing
body (governing body) to meet instructional time requirements for an alternative education
program or alternative school (alternative program or school) through instructional time models as
statutorily outlined (instructional time models) and modifies administrative student funding
procedures in specified circumstances. Replaces one Arizona State Board for Charter Schools
(ASBCS) public member with an operator of an alternative charter school.
Background
A governing board may contract with a public body or private person to provide alternative
education programs and must prescribe procedures to verify a student's daily attendance in an
alternative education program that meets course of study standards. Alternative education is the
modification of the school course of study and adoption of teaching methods, materials and
techniques to educationally provide for students in grades 6 through 12 who are unable to profit
from the regular school course of study and environment (A.R.S. §§ 15-796 and 15-797).
Under the State Board of Education (SBE) definition, alternative schools must have a sole
and clearly-stated mission to serve a specific population of at-risk students that will benefit from
an alternative school setting. The school must offer a high school diploma, administer the state
assessment and at least 70 percent of enrolled students must be in one of the following categories:
1) have a documented history of disruptive behavior issues; 2) have dropped out of school and are
now returning; 3) are in poor academic standing as demonstrated by being at least one year behind
on grade level performance or academic credits; 4) are primary caregivers or are financially
responsible for dependents and may require a flexible school schedule; 5) are adjudicated; or
6) are wards of the state in need of an alternative school setting (ADE).
A governing board or a governing body may meet statutory instructional time requirements
by adopting instructional time models that provide instruction: 1) in any day, week and course
length; 2) through direct instruction or project-based, independent or mastery-based learning; and
3) through a combination of in-person and remote instruction, subject to restrictions. The school
may reallocate instructional time per course to other courses on a per-student basis, stagger student
schedules and offer instructional options on the weekend or in the evenings (A.R.S. § 15-901.08).
The Student Accountability Information System (SAIS) is statutorily-established to enable
school districts, career technical education districts and charter schools to transmit student level
data and school finance data to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) for ADE and the SBE
to fulfill statutory obligations (A.R.S. § 15-1041). FACT SHEET
H.B. 2118
Page 2
If specifying that alternative programs or schools may use instructional time models and
modifying student funding procedures as outlined results in a change in state aid for alternative
programs or schools, there may be a fiscal impact to the state General Fund.
Provisions
1. Authorizes a governing board or governing body to adopt instructional time models as
statutorily-outlined to meet alternative program and school minimum annual instructional time
requirements.
2. Allows an alternative program or school to deliver the annual required instructional time or
instructional hours on any day of the week.
3. Allows an alternative program or school to enroll and begin receiving funding for a student
without a withdrawal form from the student's previous school if:
a) the withdrawal is verified in SAIS; and
b) the alternative program or school retains electronic documentation validating the
withdrawal.
4. Allows an alternative program or school to continue to enroll a currently-enrolled student
whose previous school incorrectly coded the student in SAIS as a graduate.
5. Directs ADE, on notification that a student incorrectly coded as a graduate is enrolled in an
alternative program or school, to allocate funding for the student beginning on the date of the
student's enrollment in the alternative program or school.
6. Replaces one ABCS public member with a member who is an operator of an alternative charter
school recognized by ADE as a school whose sole and clearly stated mission is to serve specific
populations of at-risk students.
7. Specifies that the ABCS alternative charter school operator member is appointed by the
Governor.
8. Specifies that alternative education includes the use of instructional time models.
9. Defines student accountability information system.
10. Makes technical and conforming changes.
11. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
ED 2/8/22 DPA 9-1-0-0
APPROP 2/15/22 W/D
3
rd
Read 2/23/22 44-15-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 4, 2022
LB/slp