DE SB27

Establishes Academic Excellence Start-Up Grants through the Delaware Department of Education to fund new programs or renew existing programs that serve students capable of accelerated academic work.

Grants are awarded for a single year with a rebuttable assumption of renewal for an additional year based on available funding and are not intended to supplant existing program funding.

Grant eligibility requires programs to target accelerated students, demonstrate curriculum quality and instructor qualifications, ensure program sustainability, and include assessment methods for measuring student academic growth.

Preferences are given to programs offered during the traditional school day or with after-school transportation, programs incorporating successful existing models, programs minimizing non-classroom costs, and programs explicitly encouraging participation from diverse backgrounds including students with disabilities.

Programs may include visual and performing arts and other fields enumerated in 14 Del.C. § 3101(6), provided they incorporate academic work in writing, reading, science, math, engineering, or other areas specifically incorporating these academic fields.