Bill Text: NJ A3121 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Commissioner of Education to establish matching grant program for certain school districts and schools using federal funds to increase instructional time and accelerate learning.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A3121 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A3121-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CRAIG J. COUGHLIN
District 19 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Sauickie
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Education to establish matching grant program for certain school districts and schools using federal funds to increase instructional time and accelerate learning.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning learning loss in school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a matching grant program to support school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects that use a portion of their eligible funds to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning through the implementation of high-quality, evidence-based interventions and programs that address the academic, social, and emotional needs of students in the district according to the provisions of this section. Eligible funds under this section shall be a school district, charter school, or renaissance school project's local educational agency subgrant from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund allocated pursuant to the formula under section 2001(d)(1) of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, excluding any amount required to be reserved by the district or school to address learning loss and the other purposes enumerated in section 2001(e)(1) of that act. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school project shall be eligible to apply for funds under the grant program only if, among all students in the district or school to whom a State assessment was administered, the sum of the percent of students in the "did not yet meet expectations" and the "partially met expectations" categories in the English language arts or mathematics subject areas increased according to the most recently administered State assessments for which data is available, compared to the corresponding sum in the 2018-2019 school year.
b. The purpose of the matching grant program shall be to assist school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects in implementing interventions and programs that supplement traditional classroom instruction and that respond to interrupted learning time and learning loss among students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A district or school that receives a matching grant under the program shall use the grant to augment the eligible funds dedicated to interventions and programs including:
(1) comprehensive before-school, after-school, and out-of-school learning programs;
(2) summer learning academies or summer enrichment programs;
(3) during-school or out-of-school time tutoring programs, including one-on-one tutoring and high-impact or high-dosage tutoring;
(4) hiring additional staff that would increase student access to additional learning opportunities or provide more individualized instruction to students;
(5) project-based learning or work-based learning opportunities and programs;
(6) increasing student access to postsecondary opportunities, including dual enrollment programs, early college high school programs, and career pathway programs that integrate academic coursework, career and technical education, work-based learning, and support services; and
(7) any other intervention or program that the commissioner deems necessary to supplement traditional classroom instruction and respond to interrupted learning time and learning loss among students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
c. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school project seeking funds under the grant program shall submit an application to the commissioner. In addition to any other information deemed necessary by the commissioner, the application shall include:
(1) a description of the manner in which the district or school will use its eligible funds to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning and in what ways the district's intervention or program is high-quality in nature;
(2) a description of the need to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning, including an analysis of relevant assessment data and other information concerning the extent of interrupted learning or learning loss experienced by students in the district as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
(3) evidence that the district or school's intervention or program will lead to positive student outcomes and reduce the level of learning loss among the student population at-large and any student subgroups, including available evidence that a similar intervention or program has been effective in other school districts or states;
(4) an explanation concerning how the intervention or program will support students in not only meeting grade-level expectations but also in preparing them for further education;
(5) a description of the specific student subgroups on which the district's intervention or program focuses, if any, and the effect that the intervention or program will have in addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic, social, and emotional needs of students in the subgroups;
(6) a description of any grade levels or subject areas on which the district is seeking to focus its intervention or program;
(7) details concerning any partnerships into which the district or school will enter with community-based organizations or other entities for the purposes of implementing its intervention or program;
(8) an explanation of the measures on which the district or school will measure the success of its intervention or program;
(9) the amount of eligible funds that is dedicated to the intervention or program to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning; and
(10) an updated Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds if the district or school chooses to make substantial changes to its previously submitted plan as a result of the matching grant opportunity established pursuant to this section.
d. If the commissioner approves the application, the school district, charter school, or renaissance school project shall receive a matching grant equal to 50 percent of the amount of the district or school's eligible funds that is dedicated to the intervention or program to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning as specified in its application pursuant to paragraph (9) of subsection c. of this section.
e. The aggregate amount of funds provided to school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects pursuant to the grant program shall not exceed $200,000,000. The grants provided pursuant to this section shall, to the extent permitted by federal law, be funded from the monies received by the State under the federal "American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act," Pub.L.117-2.
f. No later than July 30 of each school year in which matching grants are distributed pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall submit to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the grant program in increasing student achievement and reducing the level of interrupted learning or learning loss in each school district that receives a matching grant.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a matching grant program to support school districts that use a portion of their eligible funds to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning. Eligible funds as defined in the bill are moneys under a school district, charter school, or renaissance school project's local educational agency subgrant from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act ESSER Fund, excluding any amount required by the provisions of the ARP Act to be spent on evidence-based learning loss interventions. A district or school would be eligible to apply for funds under the grant program only if the percentage of students in the district or school who are not meeting or partially meeting grade-level expectation increased compared to the 2018-2019 school year. The aggregate amount of funds provided to school districts, charter schools, or renaissance school projects under the bill would not exceed $200 million. Under the bill, the program would be funded from the monies received by the State under the federal ARP Act.
A school district, charter school, or renaissance school project seeking funds under the program is required to submit an application to the commissioner that is to include certain information enumerated in the bill. If the commissioner approves the application, the school district will receive a matching grant equal to 50 percent of the amount of the district's local educational agency federal allotment under the ARP Act that is dedicated to the intervention or program to increase student instructional time and accelerate student learning which has been specified in its application.
