SB329 Summary

• Amends Section 16-6D-4 of the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013 to revise the definition of "failing school" for scholarship program purposes.

• Removes the criterion regarding schools labeled as persistently low-performing by the State Department of Education in School Improvement Grant applications.

• Establishes that a school qualifies as failing if designated by the State Superintendent of Education or if it does not exclusively serve special populations and meets specific performance thresholds on standardized assessments.

• Sets performance criteria based on timeline: until June 1, 2017, schools listed three or more times in the lowest six percent on state standardized reading and math assessments qualify; after June 1, 2017, schools earning at least one "F" grade or three "D" grades on the school grading system qualify.

• Becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage and approval by the Governor.