Missouri Senate

Perfected

PROCESS AND SCORING GUIDE AND FREE FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must develop a process and scoring guide that rewards districts by providing additional performance points on the school improvement program for providing free full-day kindergarten to students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch, students who are receiving special educational services under an IEP, and students who are identified by school staff as at risk. (Section 160.047)

AGE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATED PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS: If a school district operates a pre-kindergarten program a child will be eligible for admission if the child reaches the age of three before the first day of August of the school year beginning in that calendar year. (Sections 160.053, 160.054 & 160.055)

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AGE RELATING TO QUALITY RATING SYSTEM: This act changes the definition of "early childhood education" as it relates to a quality rating system. Currently, early childhood education refers to children from birth to kindergarten. This act changes it to birth to age three. (Section 161.216)

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS: This act would allow a school district or a charter school that operates an early childhood education program to receive state funding through the foundation formula for students between the ages of three and five who are eligible for free and reduced lunch. To be eligible, the district or charter school must provide full-day kindergarten and meet standards established by the State Board of Education. However, the total number of three and four year olds for which the district may receive funding must not exceed four percent of the total number of pupils eligible for free and reduced lunch between ages three and eighteen who are included in the district's or charter school's average daily attendance.

This section will become applicable in the 2014-2015 school year for districts that have been declared unaccredited and are unaccredited as of July 1, 2014. For any district that becomes unaccredited after July 1, 2014, this section will be applicable immediately upon the loss of accreditation. For any district that becomes provisionally accredited after July 1, 2014, this section will become applicable beginning in the 2015-2016 school year or immediately upon the declaration of provisionally accredited, whichever occurs later. For all other districts, this section becomes effective in the school year after the school year in which the foundation formula is fully funded and would remain in effect in any succeeding year.

This act does not require school attendance beyond what is required under the state's compulsory attendance law and does not change or modify the state's kindergarten attendance age statutes.

This section is similar to SB 538 (2014) and SCS/SB 133 (2013). (Section 163.018)

MICHAEL RUFF