15-715. Special academic assistance to pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three

A. Each common and unified school district shall develop a plan to supplement the regular education program by providing special academic assistance to pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three. The purpose of the special academic assistance is to assist pupils in developing the minimum skills necessary for fourth grade work by the end of the third grade. Special academic assistance, at a minimum, shall focus on pupils who, because of innate factors, are not succeeding in the school environment as identified by parents, guardians or school personnel. These pupils may include, but are not limited to, those who do not qualify for special education services, who have measured intelligence quotients of between seventy and eighty-five or who exhibit characteristics of attention deficit disorder or learning patterns attributable to prenatal substance exposure. The plan shall include:

1. Procedures for use in identifying pupils in need of special academic assistance.

2. Special services for provision of special academic assistance through the regular program of instruction.

3. Procedures for involving parents in the program.

4. Evaluation procedures for use in assessing the progress of the pupils in the program.

B. Each common and unified school district shall implement its program of special academic assistance to pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three by the 1986-1987 school year.

C. The teacher of a pupil enrolled in a special academic assistance program shall review the pupil's academic achievement each regular reporting period. Parents shall be notified of the progress of their child in the special academic assistance program by the established reporting method of the school district.

D. The state board of education shall develop and provide the following to all common and unified school districts:

1. Competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the third grade as prescribed in section 15-701.

2. Model plans for special academic assistance programs which include all of the items specified in subsection A of this section.

E. The department of education shall provide technical assistance to school districts in developing and implementing their plan. The assistance shall include assistance with all of the items specified in subsection A of this section.