RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 294 (SB 234) 2021 Regular Session McMath
New law requires public schools, for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, to provide
expanded academic support to each student in grades four through eight who failed to
achieve mastery on any statewide assessment administered pursuant to the state's school and
district accountability system during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.
New law requires each city, parish, or other local public school board to develop an
education plan and supporting budget to provide expanded academic support to students
using federal funds provided for educational relief relative to COVID-19.
New law requires such plans to be submitted to the state Department of Education (DOE)
by September 30, 2021, for review and approval.
New law allows a student identified as needing expanded academic support to be provided
accelerated instruction or prioritized placement in a class taught by a teacher labeled as
"highly effective" pursuant to the state's teacher evaluation system, if a highly effective
teacher is available in the school.
New law requires that accelerated instruction provided to a student shall:
(1)Include targeted instruction.
(2)Be provided in addition to the normal instruction provided to a student.
(3)Be provided for not less than 30 total hours.
(4)Be designed to assist the student in achieving grade level performance.
(5)Be taught using high-quality instructional materials that are fully aligned with state
content standards and that are designed for supplemental instruction.
(6)Be provided to a student individually or in a group of not more than twelve students,
unless the parent or legal guardian of each student in the group authorizes a larger
group.
(7)Be provided by a person with training in using the instructional materials and who
receives ongoing oversight.
(8)Be provided by the same person, to the extent possible.
(9)Be provided in accordance with guidelines on research-based best practices and
effective accelerated instruction strategies developed by the DOE.
New law requires that an accelerated learning committee be established for each student
identified as needing accelerated instruction composed of the student's parent or legal
guardian, teacher of record, and the school principal or his designee.
New law provides that a student's accelerated learning committee shall develop an
educational plan for the student that provides the accelerated instruction needed to enable the
student to perform on grade level by the end of the subsequent school year and provides for
instructional time and learning materials.
New law requires the accelerated learning committee to determine, at the end of each school
year, whether the student needs additional expanded academic support including accelerated
instruction, summer learning programs, or other resources to meet the student's academic
needs.
New law requires each city, parish, or other local public school board to provide a report by
June 1 of 2022 and 2023, to the DOE on the number of students identified as needing
expanded academic support, the number of students provided each type of academic support,
and the number who failed to achieve mastery on any statewide assessment administered pursuant to the state's school and district accountability system during the 2021-2022 school
year continuing to need additional academic support.
New law requires the DOE to submit a report to the Senate and House committees on
education by July 1, 2022 and 2023, summarizing the information received by the school
boards by school, by school system, and statewide.
New law prohibits the determination of whether students need additional expanded academic
supports to be used in evaluating teacher performance or determining school or district
accountability scores or letter grades.
New law provides that no state funds or obligated federal funds shall be used to implement
new law.
Effective August 1, 2021.
(Adds R.S. 17:100.13 and 3996(B)(59))