§4002.4. State board; powers and duties relative to course providers

A.(1) The state board shall create a process for authorizing course providers that shall determine whether each proposed course provider complies with the law and rules, whether the proposal is valid, complete, financially well-structured, and educationally sound, whether it provides a plan for collecting data in accordance with R.S. 17:3911, and whether it offers potential for fulfilling the purposes of this Part. The state board shall provide for an independent evaluation of the proposal by a third party with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise.

(2) The process shall provide for an agreement between the state and board and the course provider that shall include, at a minimum, a plan for implementing or providing the following:

(a) Administration of state assessments to eligible funded students, as required by the school and district accountability system.

(b) The parishes or local school systems in which the course provider will operate.

(c) Proposed courses offered, alignment of the courses by the course provider with the requirements of R.S. 17:24.4, and the designated length of each course offered.

(d) Alignment of the courses offered by the course provider with any type of approved Louisiana diploma, including those provided in R.S. 17:183.2, 183.3, and 236.1.

(e) Assurances that the course provider shall, to the best of its ability, collaborate and coordinate with a local school system in which a eligible funded student or eligible participating student is enrolled full time.

B.(1) The initial authorization of the course provider shall be for a period of three years. After the second year of the initial authorization period, the state board shall conduct a thorough review of the course provider's activities and the academic performance of the students enrolled in courses offered by the course provider in accordance with the school and district accountability system. If the performance of the students enrolled in courses offered by the course provider pursuant to the school and district accountability system does not meet performance standards set by the state board, the state board shall place the course provider on probation.

(2) After the initial three-year authorization period, the state board may reauthorize the course provider for additional periods of not less than three years nor more than five years after thorough review of the course provider's activities and the achievement of students enrolled in courses offered by the course provider.

(3) The state board shall monitor and evaluate the course provider in accordance with performance expectations set forth by the state board in which student achievement is the predominant criterion.

(4) The state board shall create a process for common course numbering of all courses listed in the course catalogue and for determining whether courses are in compliance with R.S. 17:24.4. For courses offered by postsecondary education institutions that are authorized course providers, the state board shall consult with the Board of Regents.

C. The state board shall create and maintain a reciprocal teacher certification process for teachers who reside in other states but who are employed by authorized course providers and teach virtual education courses to satisfy the state certification requirements pursuant to R.S. 17:7.1.

D.(1) The state board shall create a course catalogue for all courses offered, by parish, and shall timely update the catalogue prior to the beginning of each school year.

(2) The state board shall include any course offered for dual enrollment by a Louisiana public institution of postsecondary education in the course catalogue, with no requirement for course approval by the board or the state Department of Education, provided the course meets the Carnegie unit requirements for high school graduation.

Acts 2012, No. 2, §1; Acts 2014, No. 482, §1, eff. June 5, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 297, §1.