PART III. STEVE CARTER EDUCATION PROGRAM

§4032.1. Steve Carter Education Program; establishment; student eligibility; service provider eligibility and approval; administration; payment amounts and uses; notifications; reports; funding

            A. The Steve Carter Education Program, referred to in this Part as the "program", is hereby established for the purpose of providing funds for supplemental educational services for eligible students.

            B. A public school student who falls into one of the following categories is eligible to participate in the program:

            (1) The student is in kindergarten or the first, second, or third grade and is determined to read below grade level or be at risk for reading or mathematics difficulties according to the results of a literacy or mathematics assessment approved by the state Department of Education.

            (2) The student is in the fourth through twelfth grade and scored below mastery in English language arts or mathematics on the state assessment administered the prior school year.

            (3) The student's eligibility cannot be determined according to the measures provided in Paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Subsection due to the lack of a department-approved literacy or mathematics assessment or state assessment results, but the student is recommended by his English language arts or mathematics teacher for participation in the program due to the student's academic difficulties.

            C. The state Department of Education shall administer and provide for the implementation of the program pursuant to rules and regulations developed and adopted for such purpose by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

            D. In administering the program, the department shall:

            (1) Evaluate students' eligibility for the program.

            (2) Develop an application process for students and providers and accept applications.

            (3) Evaluate and publish a list of approved providers of supplemental educational services including but not limited to those with expertise in early literacy or mathematics to determine their initial and continued eligibility for program payments.

            (4) Establish minimum criteria by which approved providers shall be evaluated to ensure program effectiveness in improving students' reading and mathematics abilities, including but not limited to performance on department-approved literacy and mathematics assessments and the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program state assessment and the results of a parental satisfaction survey. Providers that fail to demonstrate improvement in students' reading or mathematics abilities for two consecutive years shall be deemed ineligible to participate in the program.

            (5) Remit payments to such providers for services rendered to students in the program, with the lowest-performing economically disadvantaged students given the highest priority.

            (6) Notify the governing authority of each public school of the application process, requirements, and deadlines for parents and legal guardians.

            E. By not later than September thirtieth of each year, or as soon as practicable if a student's reading or mathematics deficiency is identified after this date, each public school governing authority shall notify the parent or legal guardian of each student who is eligible to participate in the program of the process for applying for the program and other information provided by the department pursuant to Paragraph (D)(6) of this Section.

            F.(1) The department shall remit payment for services provided, up to a maximum of one thousand five hundred dollars per student per school year. A participating student may receive tutoring services in both reading and mathematics, but the total for all services shall not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars. Program money may be used for any of the following eligible purposes that are designed to improve reading, literacy, or mathematics skills:

            (a) Books for home use chosen from a list developed by the department, including electronic or digital books and subscriptions to online book clubs; however, such costs shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars per school year.

            (b) Instructional materials and curriculum, including but not limited to online materials, that have been reviewed in accordance with R.S. 17:351.1 and have been determined to fully align with state academic content standards.

            (c)(i) Tutoring services provided by a person who is trained in the state standards for English language arts or mathematics and who meets one of the following criteria:

            (aa) The person holds a valid teaching certificate in elementary education, reading, or mathematics or holds an associate or baccalaureate degree.

            (bb) The person is employed as a paraprofessional by a public school governing authority.

            (cc) The person is a student pursuing a degree at a postsecondary education institution.

            (ii) In addition to the requirements provided in Item (i) of this Subparagraph, a person providing tutoring services in reading shall have successfully completed a department-approved science of reading training.

            (d) Summer education programs.

            (e) After-school education programs.

            (2) The department shall remit payments to approved providers on behalf of eligible students.

            (3) Any expenses above the limit established in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be the responsibility of the student's parent or legal guardian.

            (4) The department shall develop a procedure for verification that students in the program received the services for which payments were made.

            G. The department shall submit a report to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education by not later than April thirtieth of each year regarding the implementation of the program. The report shall include, at a minimum, the following information for that year:

            (1) The total number of students on whose behalf payments were remitted.

            (2) The public schools in which such students are enrolled and the number of students on whose behalf payments were remitted in each school.

            (3) The total dollar amount of payments remitted to approved providers.

            (4) A list of the approved providers to which payments were remitted and the supplemental educational services provided to each student.

            (5) Information relative to the performance of each provider and overall program performance with respect to improving participants' reading and mathematics abilities as provided in Paragraph (D)(4) of this Section.

            H. Implementation of the program is subject to the appropriation of funds or the availability of any local funds for the purposes of this Part. The department may use any federal or state funds appropriated for the purpose of increasing early literacy, improving students' mathematics abilities, or supporting academic achievement among public school students to make program payments.

            Acts 2021, No. 415, §1; Acts 2024, No 649, §1, eff. July 1, 2024.