The exam will continue to be administered to students through 2004 and exam results will be entered on students transcripts and diplomas. A school may not issue a high school diploma to a student unless the student passes the exam in reading, English, and mathematics. Students who fail the exam must be retested at least once during a school year on the portions of the exam that the student has not passed, except, at an IEP team s determination, students with disabilities. A student who passes any portion of the test may not retake that portion. A late high school transfer student does not need to take the exam if the student meets all other state and local graduation requirements and has passed a competency examination in another state.
Districts remain eligible to claim reimbursement for transportation of gifted students.
The revised statute requires state boarding schools and statewide correspondence schools that enroll children with disabilities from outside their districts to provide special education and related services to these students. Appeals of hearing officer decisions will be made to superior court rather than the department. The revised statute limits district responsibility for providing special education services to children voluntarily enrolled in private schools to match the requirements contained in IDEA 97. Several hundred thousand dollars are also included to fix the Wrangell-Petersburg problem by allowing the two districts to count their secondary and elementary schools as separate facilities for funding purposes. Applicants also must pay fees required by the department and need to pass the state s competency teacher examination within one year after certificate was issued.