GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 598*

Short Title:	School Performance Goal Pilot Prog.	(Public)
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Sponsors:	Representatives Alexander, C. Wilson; Cunningham, Earle, Easterling, Gulley, McMahan, and Saunders.
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Referred to:	Education.
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March 25, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM TO TEST AND EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL-BASED ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS FOR THE ABCS PROGRAM.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  The State Board of Education shall establish a pilot program in three to eight local school administrative units to test and evaluate alternative school-based accountability standards for incentive awards under the ABCs Program.  The State Board shall select local school administrative units to participate in the pilot program that are located geographically throughout the State, have different demographic profiles, and volunteer to participate in the program.
Under the pilot program, the State Board of Education may, upon the request of a local board of education, waive State laws, rules, and policies pertaining to incentive awards for personnel in schools that meet or exceed their projected levels of improvement in student performance to permit the unit to: 
(1)	Set student performance standards that are more rigorous than State standards for the receipt of incentive awards; and/or
(2)	Condition receipt of incentive awards at a given school on successfully improving the performance of students within designated subpopulations of the school.
In all cases, the performance standards for incentive awards in the pilot units shall be at least as high as the State standards that would otherwise apply.
In determining whether to grant the requested waiver in a pilot unit, the State Board shall consider the State's experience with the ABCs Program under current State laws, rules, and policies, the likelihood that granting the waiver will improve student performance in the pilot unit, the likelihood that the experience of schools in the pilot program will be helpful in enhancing the statewide program, and other factors the State Board deems appropriate.
The Department of Public Instruction shall evaluate the pilot units on an annual basis and recommend to the State Board of Education whether the pilot program should be continued or terminated in each unit.  The State Board of Education may, in its discretion, terminate the pilot program in a pilot unit at any time.  The State Board of Education shall also terminate the pilot program in a pilot unit at the request of that pilot unit.  If the pilot program is terminated in a local school administrative unit, employees of that unit are eligible to receive incentive awards under the statewide program.
The State Board of Education shall evaluate the pilot  program and report its findings on the pilot program and its recommendations on whether to expand or modify the pilot program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to October 1, 2000, and annually thereafter.
Section 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and expires with the payment of incentive awards for the 2004-2005 school year.  Incentive awards shall be paid under the pilot program only if the General Assembly appropriates funds for incentive awards.