Effective 28 Aug 2017

160.2705. Establishment of adult high schools, where — bid process — academic requirements, diplomas. — 1. The department of elementary and secondary education shall authorize before January 1, 2018, a Missouri-based nonprofit organization meeting the criteria under subsection 2 of this section to establish and operate four adult high schools, with:

(1) One adult high school to be located in a city not within a county;

(2) One adult high school to be located in a county of the third classification without a township form of government and with more than forty-one thousand but fewer than forty-five thousand inhabitants or a county contiguous to that county;

(3) One adult high school to be located in a county of the first classification with more than two hundred sixty thousand but fewer than three hundred thousand inhabitants or a county contiguous to that county; and

(4) One adult high school to be located in a county of the first classification with more than one hundred fifty thousand but fewer than two hundred thousand inhabitants.

2. The department of elementary and secondary education shall grant the authorization described under subsection 1 of this section based on a bid process conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations governing purchasing through the office of administration. The successful bidder shall:

(1) Demonstrate the ability to establish, within twenty-one months of the receipt of the authorization, four adult high schools offering high school diplomas, an industry certification program or programs, and on-site child care for children of the students attending the high schools;

(2) Commit at least two million dollars in investment for the purpose of establishing the necessary infrastructure to operate four adult high schools;

(3) Demonstrate substantial and positive experience in providing services, including industry certifications and job placement services, to adults twenty-one years of age or older whose educational and training opportunities have been limited by educational disadvantages, disabilities, homelessness, criminal history, or similar circumstances;

(4) Establish a partnership with a state-supported postsecondary education institution or more than one such partnership, if a partnership or partnerships are necessary in order to meet the requirements for an adult high school;

(5) Establish a comprehensive plan that sets forth how the adult high schools will help address the need for a sufficiently trained workforce in the surrounding region for each adult high school;

(6) Establish partnerships and strategies for engaging the community and business leaders in carrying out the goals of each adult high school;

(7) Establish the ability to meet quality standards through certified teachers and programs that support each student in his or her goal to find a more rewarding job;

(8) Establish a plan for assisting students in overcoming barriers to educational success including, but not limited to, educational disadvantages, homelessness, criminal history, disability, including learning disability such as dyslexia, and similar circumstances;

(9) Establish a process for determining outcomes of the adult high school, including outcomes related to a student's ability to find a more rewarding job through the attainment of a high school diploma and job training and certification; and

(10) Bids shall not include an administrative fee greater than ten percent.

3. (1) The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish academic requirements for students to obtain high school diplomas.

(2) Requirements for a high school diploma shall be based on an adult student's prior high school achievement and the remaining credits and coursework that would be necessary for the student to receive a high school diploma if he or she were in a traditional high school setting. The adult student shall meet the requirements with the same level of academic rigor as would otherwise be necessary to attain such credits.

(3) The adult high school authorized under this section shall award high school diplomas to students who successfully meet the established academic requirements. The adult high school authorized under this section shall confer the diploma as though the student earned the diploma at a traditional high school. The diploma shall have no differentiating marks, titles, or other symbols.

(4) Students at adult high schools may complete required coursework at their own pace and as available through the adult high school. They shall not be required to satisfy any specific number of class minutes. The adult high school may also make classes available to students online as may be appropriate. However, students shall not complete the majority of instruction of the school's curriculum online or through remote instruction.

(5) The department of elementary and secondary education shall not create additional regulations or burdens on the adult high school or the students attending the adult high schools beyond certifying necessary credits and ensuring that students have sufficiently mastered the subject matter to make them eligible for credit.

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(L. 2017 H.B. 93)