AB 739

Under the Achievement Gap Reduction program, a school board receives aid for

low-income pupils who are enrolled in a participating grade at a participating school

if the participating school complies with an AGR contract between the Department

of Public Instruction and the school board. Current law requires that an AGR

contract include, among other things, that the school board will implement one or

more of the following strategies in the participating grades at a participating school:

1. Reduce class sizes to no more than 18 pupils, or 30 pupils if the classroom has

at least two regular classroom teachers, and provide professional development for

teachers related to small group instruction.

2. Provide data-driven instructional coaching for teachers.

3. Provide data-informed one-to-one tutoring for pupils at risk of difficulty

with math or reading.

This bill eliminates the option for a school board to implement one or more of

the strategies described above and instead requires that, under an AGR contract, a

school board must reduce class size to no more than 18 pupils, or 30 pupils if the

classroom has at least two regular classroom teachers, and provide professional

development for teachers related to small group instruction. Additionally, the bill

creates a process for a school board to obtain a waiver from this requirement during

the first three years of an AGR contract if the school board makes a good faith effort

to implement the small class size strategy.

Finally, under current law, a “participating grade” is defined as five-year-old

kindergarten to third grade at a school that is subject to an AGR contract. Under the

bill, four-year-old kindergarten is also a participating grade.