123rd MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 2174		LR 3390(01)
	An Act Regarding Curriculum Requirements and Standards for Awarding a High School Diploma
	Fiscal Note for Original Bill
	Sponsor: Rep. Norton of Bangor
	Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
State Mandate - Unfunded
State Mandates
	Required Activity				Unit Affected	Costs
	Requiring a secondary school to provide evidence of the following represents a State mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine: 1) that it is providing a comprehensive program of instruction; 2)  that it is implementing coordinated programs that support the academic and social needs of students as they transition into and out of school;  3)  that time is provided for teachers to work collaboratively to design high-quality curricula, instruction and assessments, including integrated and applied learning, differentiated instruction, and using assessments for learning to improve day-to-day classroom instruction.				School	Significant
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	Additional mandated requirements related to the certification of the instructional program require a secondary school to provide evidence that: 1) students have open and equitable access to demonstrate achievement of the learning results through either separate or integrated study programs; 2) it provides open and equitable access to a range of opportunities including on-line courses, after-school and summer programs, internships, apprenticeships, career and technical education, service learning, dual-enrollment courses, advanced courses and local and state-sponsored early college programs; 3) students are provided learning experiences that result in applying knowledge and skills in new or unpredictable situations; 4) the school provides a carefully coordinated effort to differentiate instruction within learning environments that are challenging and that are designed to meet the education needs of individual students;
	5) students are provided with multiple assessment opportunities to demonstrate their achievement of the diploma  requirements on assessments required by the school administrative unit and the state; and 6) that there is a plan that integrates technology into curriculum, instruction and assessment.
	The cost to school administrative units to implement these changes can not be determined at this time.  The Department of Education has indicated that current funding for schools provided through the General Purpose Aid for Local Schools program is sufficient to fund the additional costs to implement these requirements.  However, pursuant to 30-A MRSA, §5685, sub-§3(B), the State is prohibited from meeting its obligation to provide required state mandate funds by requiring a local unit of government to spend funds previously appropriated to that local unit of government.