REFERENCE TITLE: appropriation; online early learning

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-fourth Legislature

First Regular Session

2019

 

 

 

HB 2518

 

Introduced by

Representative Udall

 

 

AN ACT

 

appropriating monies to the department of education.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Appropriation; department of education; online early learning program; definition; program termination

A.  The sum of $500,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2019-2020 to the department of education to conduct an online early learning program for children who are four years of age.

B.  The department shall award a contract on a competitive basis to administer the online early learning program to a service provider that is a 501(c)(3) organization and that can demonstrate past success conducting an online early learning program through independent, valid and reliable evaluations.

C.  The department shall require the service provider to submit a quarterly report containing the following:

1.  The number of families volunteering to participate in the program.

2.  The number of families selected to participate in the program.

3.  The number of families requesting a computer or home internet service.

4.  The number of families that are provided a computer or home internet service.

5.  The families' frequency of using the instructional software provided by the program.

6.  Parental feedback on the program.

7.  Student performance on prekindergarten and kindergarten readiness assessments.

D.  For the purposes of this section, "online early learning program" means a program that meets all of the following criteria:

1.  Is designed to improve a child's transition into elementary education and contains content in reading, math and science.

2.  Is aligned with nationally recognized early learning standards.

3.  Is provided in the student's home and consists of at least forty-five instructional hours.

4.  Provides for installing a computer or home internet service, or both, for low‑income families participating in the project that do not have a computer or home internet service.

5.  Includes a parental engagement and involvement component, with support models provided in English, Spanish and other languages as needed.

6.  Includes an evaluation component with measures for student growth over the course of the program.

E.  The online early learning program established by this section ends on July 1, 2021 pursuant to section 41-3102, Arizona Revised Statutes.