§3138.1. Remedial Education Commission; creation; purpose; membership; duties; reporting; termination

A.(1) The legislature finds that the state must greatly increase the number of its citizens who hold a postsecondary education credential by creating an environment that increases the desire to learn and continuously gain knowledge.

(2) The legislature further finds that more citizens must not only earn a high school diploma but also must successfully access and navigate the postsecondary education system throughout their lives in order to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be productive workers and engaged citizens.

(3) The legislature further finds that in order to achieve a more educated citizenry, the expectations of college readiness must be clearly communicated to educators, prospective students enrolled in high school, and the students' parents.

(4) The legislature further finds that there exists a large population of adults that could benefit from completion of postsecondary education and that many of these nontraditional adult students have specific remediation needs.

(5) The legislature further finds that the use of data concerning successful strategies for identifying and remediating students at significant transition points could assist public elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary education institutions in identifying students who need additional educational services and assistance and in providing for such services at the most appropriate junctures using the most cost-effective methods.

(6) The legislature further finds that it is in the best interest of the state's public education system and the students of the state to create a commission to review the relevant data and recommend best practices and strategies for identifying and assisting students to ensure that they are successful throughout their academic careers, no matter the point of entry.

B. There is hereby created the Remedial Education Commission, referred to in this Section as the "commission", for the purposes of studying and reviewing the data on educational services provided in public elementary and secondary schools and remedial education provided at public postsecondary education institutions, of recommending best practices and strategies to be used by public elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary education institutions in providing such educational services, and of recommending any necessary statutory and regulatory changes to the legislature, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Board of Regents related to the study.

C. The membership of the commission shall be as follows:

(1) The commissioner of higher education or his designee.

(2) The state superintendent of education or his designee.

(3) The president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or his designee.

(4) The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System or his designee.

(5) The chairman of the House Committee on Education or his designee.

(6) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Education or his designee.

(7) Repealed by Acts 2013, No. 327, §2.

(8) The following persons to be appointed by the commissioner of higher education:

(a) A representative from a public postsecondary four-year institution.

(b) A representative from a public postsecondary two-year institution.

(c) A representative from the Louisiana Association for Developmental Education with experience in intervention education services and remedial education as a researcher or practitioner.

(d) A nontraditional adult student attending a public postsecondary education institution.

(e) A representative from the Board of Regents with responsibilities in implementing remedial education.

(9) The following persons to be appointed by the state superintendent of education:

(a) A middle or high school teacher employed in a public school located in an urban area of the state.

(b) A middle or high school teacher employed in a public school located in a rural area of the state.

(c) A parent of a student enrolled in a public middle or high school.

(10) A member of the Louisiana School Boards Association to be appointed by the association's president.

D. All legislative members of the commission shall receive the same per diem and travel allowance for attending meetings of the commission as is normally provided for meetings of legislative committees. Other members of the commission shall serve without compensation.

E. The commission is a joint collaboration between the Board of Regents and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Board of Regents and the state Department of Education shall designate staff to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities.

F. The commissioner of higher education shall convene the commission for its first meeting by September 15, 2011, at which meeting the members of the commission shall select a chairman and a vice chairman. The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman as often as deemed necessary to carry out its duties and shall establish a meeting schedule and time line for completion of its duties.

G. The commission shall study and make recommendations on at least the following:

(1) The data and research on intervention education services and remedial education and the identification of best practices and strategies for recognizing students in need of such services and for providing such services at the appropriate juncture at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education levels.

(2) K-12 to postsecondary education transition issues including the alignment of high school graduation requirements and course curriculum with college expectations.

(3) The need for clear entrance and exit standards for all remedial courses and the transferability of credit for such courses to all public postsecondary education institutions in the state.

(4) Strategies and data for reducing the need for remediation of high school graduates, offering more dual credit opportunities for high school students, and increasing the college-going rate of adults.

(5) The capacity of the community and technical colleges to provide all remedial education services and, if it is found that the community and technical colleges lack the capacity to be the sole provider of such services, that there are adequate transition plans in place until the capacity is reached.

(6) The role of distance learning and other innovative alternatives to traditional instruction and delivery methods for remedial education.

(7) The success of students engaged in remedial education programs at public postsecondary education institutions in terms of their retention and graduation rates as compared to those students not placed in remedial education.

(8) The creation of a formalized professional development program and communication system where remedial education faculty from both secondary and postsecondary education regularly meet to gain knowledge in best practices and trends in the instruction and delivery of remedial education and to share changes in expectations and maintain communication.

H. The commission shall be authorized to request and receive education data and other related data and information produced by any public entity and such entity shall respond to the request in a timely manner. All requested data and information shall be submitted in a standardized format as determined by the commission.

I. The commission shall submit a written report of its study findings and recommendations to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education by not later than sixty days prior to the convening of the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana. Such report also shall include recommendations for any changes to laws, rules, or guidelines that the commission deems necessary in order to strengthen the ability of the public schools and public postsecondary education institutions in identifying and assisting students as they strive to college readiness and achieve academic success.

J. The commission shall terminate on June 30, 2012.

Acts 2011, No. 187, §1, eff. June 24, 2011; Acts 2013, No. 327, §2.