Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 262 (2017GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Adams, J. S.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/28/2017

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• repeals provisions describing UPSTART as a pilot program, including provisions that would have repealed the UPSTART program;
• requires the State Board of Education to issue a request for two-year pilot proposals from certain educational technology providers;
• requires a contractor to work with the Department of Workforce Services and the State Board of Education to solicit certain families to participate in UPSTART; Ĥ→ [ and ] 17a
• authorizes a contractor to request certain information to verify an individual's 17b income; and ←Ĥ
• makes technical corrections.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Mon, Mar 6, 2017 at 3:36 PM by ryoung.
This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Mar 9, 2017 at 10:03 PM by ryoung.
UPSTART AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: J. Stuart Adams
House Sponsor:
 Bradley G. Last
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions related to the UPSTART program.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ repeals provisions describing UPSTART as a pilot program, including provisions
that would have repealed the UPSTART program;
▸ requires the State Board of Education to issue a request for two-year pilot proposals
from certain educational technology providers;
▸ requires a contractor to work with the Department of Workforce Services and the
State Board of Education to solicit certain families to participate in UPSTART; 
Ĥ→ [
and
]
17a 
▸ authorizes a contractor to request certain information to verify an individual's
17b 
income; and
 ←Ĥ
▸ makes technical corrections.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53A-1a-1001
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 102
53A-1a-1002
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 102
53A-1a-1003
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 397
53A-1a-1004
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 102
63I-2-253
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapters 128, 229, 236, 271, and
318
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53A-1a-1001
 is amended to read:
53A-1a-1001.
Definitions.
As used in this part:
(1) "Contractor" means the educational technology provider selected by the State Board
of Education under Section 
53A-1a-1002
.
(2) "Low income" means an income below 185% of the federal poverty guideline.
(3) "Preschool children" means children who are:
(a) age four or five; and
(b) have not entered kindergarten.
(4) "UPSTART" means the [
pilot
] project established by Section 
53A-1a-1002
 that
uses a home-based educational technology program to develop school readiness skills of
preschool children.
Section 2. Section 
53A-1a-1002
 is amended to read:
53A-1a-1002.
UPSTART program to develop school readiness skills of preschool
children.
(1) UPSTART, a [
pilot
] project that uses a home-based educational technology
program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children, is established within the
public education system.
(2) UPSTART is created to:
(a) evaluate the effectiveness of giving preschool children access, at home, to
interactive individualized instruction delivered by computers and the Internet to prepare them
academically for success in school; and
(b) test the feasibility of scaling a home-based curriculum in reading, math, and science
delivered by computers and the Internet to all preschool children in Utah.
(3) 
(a)
 The State Board of Education shall contract with an educational technology
provider, selected through a request for proposals process, for the delivery of a home-based
educational technology program for preschool children that meets the requirements of
Subsection (4).
(b) (i) The State Board of Education shall, on or before July 1, 2019, issue a request for
proposals for two-year pilot proposals from one or more educational technology providers that
do not have an existing contract under this part with the state for the delivery of a home-based
educational technology program for preschool children that meets the requirements of
Subsection (4).
(ii) After the two-year pilots described in Subsection (3)(b)(i), the State Board of
Education may enter into a contract with one or more educational technology providers that
have participated in a Utah pilot.
(c) Every five years after July 1, 2021, the State Board of Education may issue a new
request for proposals described in this section.
(4) A home-based educational technology program for preschool children shall meet
the following standards:
(a) the contractor shall provide computer-assisted instruction for preschool children on
a home computer connected by the Internet to a centralized file storage facility;
(b) the contractor shall:
(i) provide technical support to families for the installation and operation of the
instructional software; and
(ii) provide for the installation of computer and Internet access in homes of low income
families that cannot afford the equipment and service;
(c) the contractor shall have the capability of doing the following through the Internet:
(i) communicating with parents;
(ii) updating the instructional software;
(iii) validating user access;
(iv) collecting usage data;
(v) storing research data; and
(vi) producing reports for parents, schools, and the Legislature;
(d) the program shall include the following components:
(i) computer-assisted, individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and science;
(ii) a multisensory reading tutoring program; and
(iii) a validated computer adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of
trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who
cannot read;
(e) the contractor shall have the capability to quickly and efficiently modify, improve,
and support the product;
(f) the contractor shall work in cooperation with school district personnel who will
provide administrative and technical support of the program as provided in Section
53A-1a-1003
;
(g) the contractor shall solicit families to participate in the program as provided in
Section 
53A-1a-1004
; and
(h) in implementing the home-based educational technology program, the contractor
shall seek the advise and expertise of early childhood education professionals within the Utah
System of Higher Education on issues such as:
(i) soliciting families to participate in the program;
(ii) providing training to families; and
(iii) motivating families to regularly use the instructional software.
(5) 
(a)
 The contract shall provide funding for a home-based educational technology
program for preschool children [
for one year with an option to extend the contract for
additional years or to expand the program to a greater number of preschool children
], subject to
the appropriation of money by the Legislature for UPSTART.
(b) An appropriation for a request for proposals described in Subsection (3)(b)(i) shall
be separate from an appropriation described in Subsection (5)(a).
[
(6) (a) The State Board of Education shall issue a request for proposals for a
home-based educational technology program for preschool children that takes effect upon the
expiration of the pilot project on July 1, 2019, provided that the Legislature reauthorizes and
funds the program.
]
[
(b)
] 
(6)
 The State Board of Education shall evaluate a proposal based on:
[
(i)
] 
(a)
 whether the home-based educational technology program meets the standards
specified in Subsection (4);
[
(ii)
] 
(b)
 the results of an independent evaluation of the home-based educational
technology program;
[
(iii)
] 
(c)
 the experience of the home-based educational technology program provider;
and
[
(iv)
] 
(d)
 the per pupil cost of the home-based educational technology program.
Section 3. Section 
53A-1a-1003
 is amended to read:
53A-1a-1003.
School district participation in UPSTART.
(1) A school district may participate in UPSTART if the local school board agrees to
work in cooperation with the contractor to provide administrative and technical support for [
the
pilot project
] 
UPSTART
.
(2) Family participants in UPSTART shall be solicited from school districts that
participate in UPSTART.
(3) A school district that participates in UPSTART shall:
(a) receive funding for:
(i) paraprofessional and technical support staff; and
(ii) travel, materials, and meeting costs of the program;
(b) participate in program training by the contractor; and
(c) agree to adopt standardized policies and procedures in implementing [
the pilot
project
] 
UPSTART
.
Section 4. Section 
53A-1a-1004
 is amended to read:
53A-1a-1004.
Family participation in UPSTART
Ĥ→ 
- Low income family
139a 
verification
 ←Ĥ
.
(1) The contractor shall
:
(a)
 solicit families to participate in UPSTART through a public information campaign
and referrals from participating school districts[
.
]
; and
(b) work with the Department of Workforce Services and the State Board of Education
to solicit participation from families of children experiencing intergenerational poverty, as
defined in Section 
35A-9-102
, to participate in UPSTART.
(2) (a) Preschool children who participate in UPSTART shall:
(i) be from families with diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds; [
and
]
(ii) reside in different regions of the state in both urban and rural areas[
.
]
; and
(iii) be given preference to participate if the preschool child's family resides in a rural
area with limited prekindergarten services.
(b) (i) If the number of families who would like to participate in UPSTART exceeds
the number of participants funded by the legislative appropriation, the contractor shall give
priority to preschool children from low income families and preschool children who are
English language learners.
(ii) At least 30% of the preschool children who participate in UPSTART shall be from
low income families.
(3) A low income family that cannot afford a computer and Internet service to operate
the instructional software may obtain a computer and peripheral equipment on loan and receive
free Internet service for the duration of the family's participation in [
the pilot project
]
UPSTART
.
(4) (a) The contractor shall make the home-based educational technology program
available to families at a cost agreed upon by the State Board of Education and the contractor if
the number of families who would like to participate in UPSTART exceeds the number of
participants funded by the legislative appropriation.
(b) The State Board of Education and the contractor shall annually post on their
websites information on purchasing a home-based educational technology program as provided
in Subsection (4)(a).
167a 
 Ĥ→ 
(5)(a) The contrator shall:
167b 
 (i) determine if a family is a low income family for purposes of this part; and
167c 
 (ii) use the same application form as described in Section 35A-9-401 or create an
167d 
application form that requires an individual to provide and certify the information necessary
167e 
for the contractor to make the determination described in Subsection (5)(a)(i).
167f 
 (b) The contractor may:
167g 
 (i) require an individual to submit supporting documentation; and
167h 
 (ii) create a deadline for an individual to submit an application, if necessary.
 ←Ĥ
Section 5. Section 
63I-2-253
 is amended to read:
63I-2-253.
 Repeal dates -- Titles 53, 53A, and 53B.
(1) Section 
53A-1-403.5
 is repealed July 1, 2017.
(2) Section 
53A-1-411
 is repealed July 1, 2017.
(3) Section 
53A-1-709
 is repealed July 1, 2020.
(4) Subsection 
53A-1a-513
(4) is repealed July 1, 2017. 
(5) Section 
53A-1a-513.5
 is repealed July 1, 2017.
[
(6) Title 53A, Chapter 1a, Part 10, UPSTART, is repealed July 1, 2019.
]
[
(7)
] 
(6)
 Title 53A, Chapter 8a, Part 8, Peer Assistance and Review Pilot Program, is
repealed July 1, 2017.
[
(8)
] 
(7)
 Sections 
53A-24-601
 and 
53A-24-602
 are repealed January 1, 2018.
[
(9)
] 
(8)
 (a) Subsections 
53B-2a-103
(2) and (4) are repealed July 1, 2019.
(b) When repealing Subsections 
53B-2a-103
(2) and (4), the Office of Legislative
Research and General Counsel shall, in addition to its authority under Subsection 
36-12-12
(3),
make necessary changes to subsection numbering and cross references.
[
(10)
] 
(9)
 Title 53B, Chapter 18, Part 14, Uintah Basin Air Quality Research Project, is
repealed July 1, 2023. 
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel