Assigned to ED AS PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1208
dropout recovery programs; revisions
Purpose
Authorizes an alternative school within a school district (district school) or an alternative
charter school with a unique entity number that is not an Arizona Online Instruction (AOI) provider
to offer a dropout recovery program (DRP) and narrows the prohibition on AOI providers
operating a DRP to apply to an AOI online course provider or an online school. Modifies DRP
eligibility, administration and reporting requirements.
Background
A school district or charter school that provides high school instruction and is not also an
AOI provider may offer a DRP to assist students who left the education system achieve a high
school diploma in an alternative setting. The State Board of Education (SBE) must prescribe
standards that require a DRP to: 1) provide curriculum aligned to academic standards, required
standardized tests and support for students; and 2) meet the state graduation requirements. A school
district or charter school may contract with an educational management organization (EMO) that
meets prescribed requirements to provide a DRP and may provide curricula online. Schools that
operate a DRP are classified as alternative schools.
For the purposes of calculating average daily membership (ADM), a DRP student is in
attendance if: 1) in the first month, the student completes DRP orientation; 2) the student makes
satisfactory monthly progress in teacher-facilitated courses for the current or previous month; or
3) meets the expectations for DRP reentry. A student who does not make satisfactory progress for
two or more consecutive months may not be counted in ADM. Satisfactory monthly progress:
1) is progress measurable monthly that, if continued for 12 months would result in the same amount
of academic credit awarded to the student as would be awarded to a student in a traditional
education program who completes a full school year; and 2) includes a lesser required amount of
progress for the first two months that the student participates in the program (A.R.S. §§ 15-241
and 15-901.06; ADE).
An alternative school is a school whose mission is to serve a specific population of at-risk
students that will benefit from an alternative school setting. At least 70 percent of the school's
enrolled students must be in at least one of the prescribed population categories (ADE).
If modifying the qualifications of schools who may offer a DRP or the definition of
satisfactory monthly progress results in a change to ADM calculated for DRP providers, there may
be change in Basic State Aid costs to the state General Fund.
FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1208
Page 2
Provisions
1. Authorizes each alternative district school and each alternative charter school, rather than a
school district or charter school, that provides high school instruction to offer a DRP.
2. Narrows the prohibition on an AOI provider operating a DRP to apply only to an AOI:
a) online school which is a school that is selected to participate in AOI and provides at least
four online academic courses or at least one online course for the equivalent of at least five
hours each day for 180 school days; or
b) online course provider which is a school other than an online school that is selected to
participate in AOI and provides at least one SBE-approved online academic course.
3. Specifies that, if the school is not an AOI online course provider or online school, an alternative
district school or an alternative charter school with a unique entity number may provide a DRP.
4. Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to create and maintain a list of
alternative district schools and alternative charter schools that offer a DRP and the EMO, if
any, that provides DRP services to each school.
5. Requires ADE to update the DRP schools and EMOs list on a quarterly basis.
6. Requires a school district or an alternative charter school, 30 days before an alternative district
school or an alternative charter school begin DRP operations, to:
a) notify ADE that the school meets the prescribed DRP criteria; and
b) if applicable, identify the EMO contracted to operate a DRP in the notice.
7. Directs ADE, within 30 days after receiving the school's notice, to determine whether the DRP
criteria are met and notify the school district or alternative charter school of the determination.
8. Provides the school district or alternative charter school 30 days to respond and appeal ADE's
decision.
9. Allows an alternative school or alternative charter school that receives ADE-approval to start
DRP operations 30 days after the school's initial notice to ADE.
10. Directs an alternative district school or alternative charter school that offers a DRP (DRP
provider) to notify ADE within 30 days after entering or terminating a contract with an EMO
for DRP services.
11. Adds, to the elements that must be included in a DRP student's written learning plan, whether
the student will receive wraparound services or support services, including social work, trauma
or food and housing security coaching sessions, that count toward the student's satisfactory
monthly progress.
12. Specifies that teacher-facilitated courses may be synchronous or asynchronous for determining
average daily membership generated by a DRP student making satisfactory monthly progress.
FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1208
Page 3
13. Requires, by July 31, each school and EMO that provides a DRP to annually report to ADE,
in the form and manner ADE prescribes:
a) the total number of students who, during the fiscal year, are continuously enrolled for at
least 80 school days and earn either at least four and one-half credits or all the remaining
credits that the student needs for graduation; and
b) for students enrolled in the DRP by January 31 of the fiscal year who either graduated
before January 31 or were enrolled in the DRP on January 31 and needed three or fewer
credits to satisfy graduation requirements, including no more than one credit in
mathematics:
i. the total number of students;
ii. the percentage of students who graduated in the fiscal year; and
iii. the percentage of students who earned at least one college and career readiness
indicator point.
14. Requires ADE’s annual report to the Governor and Legislature to:
a) be submitted by November 1 and posted on ADE’s website; and
b) include compiled information submitted by DRP providers, rather than DRP outcomes
including the number of participating students and the number of participating students
who graduate.
15. Redefines eligible pupil as eligible student and modifies the definition by:
a) removing the criteria that the student must be eligible for placement in an alternative
school; and
b) reducing, from 30 to 10, the number of days the student has been withdrawn from a school
district or charter school.
16. Specifies, in the definition of satisfactory monthly progress, that the purpose of the two-month
period of lesser progress is to establish wraparound or support services according to the
student's written learning plan.
17. Makes technical and conforming changes.
18. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Reverts the amount of time during which a DRP student's satisfactory monthly progress may
include a lesser amount of progress to only the first two months the student participates in the
DRP, rather two months each year.
2. Specifies that the purpose of the two-month period of lesser progress is to establish wraparound
or support services according to the student's written learning plan.
3. Specifies that teacher-facilitated courses may be synchronous or asynchronous for determining
average daily membership generated by a DRP student making satisfactory monthly progress.
4. Replaces the information prescribed for a DRP provider's annual report to ADE.
5. Delays, from October 1 to November 1, the due date for the ADE-compiled annual DRP report. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1208
Page 4
6. Removes the requirement that ADE must submit a copy of the compiled annual DRP report to
the Secretary of State.
7. Makes technical and conforming changes.
Senate Action
APPROP 2/2/23 W/D
ED 2/2/23 DP 6-1-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 22, 2023
LB/slp