Section 16-6H-12 State Academic Intervention Framework; Support and Intervention; School Improvement Teams; School Turnaround Options; Progress Reports.

(a) Beginning January 1, 2024, the department, through the Office of School Improvement, the Office of Mathematics Improvement, any other sections within the department, and regional and national experts in school turnaround, shall develop a State Academic Intervention framework that shall define a coherent, sustained, evidence-based system of intensive school turnaround assistance and support with the goal of improving student achievement in schools persistently in full support status in mathematics, reading, or both. This shall include clear metrics for entering and exiting state academic intervention. The Elementary Math Task Force and Literacy Task Force shall review and provide feedback on the proposed State Academic Intervention framework. The State Board of Education shall grant the final approval. (b) Beginning August 1, 2026, any full support school, as defined in this chapter or the Alabama Literacy Act, that has not attained specified levels of academic progress in mathematics, reading, or both, as established in the State Academic Intervention framework, shall enter into state academic intervention. (c) A full support school shall have three years of support before qualifying for state academic intervention. (d) The Director of the Office of Mathematics Improvement and the Office of School Improvement shall develop a policy of state academic intervention for any school identified, for a minimum of three non-consecutive years, as a full support school for mathematics, reading, or both. (e) The department, through the Office of School Improvement, the Office of Mathematics Improvement, and any other sections within the department shall work in coordination with each local education agency to identify a school improvement team for each full support school that qualifies for state academic intervention, as provided in subsection (b). (f) The department, through the Office of School Improvement, the Office of Mathematics Improvement, and any other sections within the department shall clearly define the powers and duties of each school improvement team. (g) A school improvement team shall do all of the following: (1) Conduct a comprehensive on-site evaluation to determine any causes for low student performance and lack of progress of the school. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, consultations with the local superintendent of education, the local board of education, the school principal, parents, other school personnel, and any other individual who possesses pertinent information and knowledge about the school. (2) Assist in the development of an intensive school turnaround plan focused on student achievement, which may include areas beyond mathematics or reading, to facilitate the imperative of overall school improvement. An intensive school turnaround plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: Recommendations relating to the reallocation of resources and technical assistance, including from external partners; changes in school procedures or operations; professional learning focused on continuous improvement and student achievement for instructional and administrative staff; intervention for individual administrators or teachers; instructional strategies based on evidence based research; waivers from state laws or rules; adoption of policies and practices to ensure all groups of students satisfy the proficiency level established by the state; extended instructional time for low-performing students; strategies for family engagement; incorporation of a teacher mentoring program; and other actions considered appropriate by the school improvement team. (3) Subject to final approval of the intensive school turnaround plan by the State Superintendent of Education, present the intensive school turnaround plan to the local board of education and the public. (4) Monitor the progress of the school in implementing the intensive school turnaround plan using formative and summative assessment data. (h) If a school does not satisfy specified levels of progress, as defined by the Office of School Improvement, after implementing an intensive school turnaround plan for four full academic years, the local board of education shall implement one of the following school turnaround options: (1) Mandate the complete reconstitution of the school, removing all personnel, appointing a new principal, and hiring new staff. Existing staff may apply for employment at the newly reconstituted school and shall be on paid administrative leave status until the staff for the reconstituted school has been employed by the new principal and approved by the local board of education. Placement on paid administrative leave status under this subdivision does not constitute a reportable action under state law. (2) Contract with an external receiver approved by the State Superintendent of Education. An external receiver may be a two-year or four-year public institution of higher education, a nonprofit entity, a charter management organization, or an individual with a demonstrated record of success in improving low-performing schools. The external receiver shall have full managerial and operational control over the school. An external receiver shall report directly to the local superintendent of education. At the request of the external receiver, the State Superintendent of Education may overturn any decision made by the local superintendent of education. (3) Pursue application for public charter school status pursuant to Chapter 6F. (i) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the State Superintendent of Education, through the Office of Mathematics Improvement, the Office of School Improvement, or any other section within the department from engaging in strategic planning and making recommendations to the local superintendent of education or local board of education regarding the operation of low-performing schools including, but not limited to, structural, governance model, grade configuration, curriculum and instructional materials, and personnel. (j) For any school under state academic intervention, on or before December 31, annually, the Office of School Improvement, the Office of Mathematics Improvement, and other relevant offices within the department shall report to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Board of Education, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee, the Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, the Chair of the House Education Policy Committee, the Chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the Senate on the progress of each full support school under state academic intervention.