An Act Concerning Town Academies and the System of Learning Results
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1386
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: CUMMINGS, MITCHELL, MUSE, TARDY, THOMPSON, VALENTINO, SCHNEIDER, WESTON
Amends: 20-A MRSA §2901, 20-A MRSA §6202-A, 20-A MRSA §6209

Legislative Document 
No. 1386 
H.P.963 
House of Representatives, March 22, 2005 
An Act Concerning Town Academies and the System of Learning 
Results 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative CUMMINGS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator MITCHELL of Kennebec and 
/J'l~ 111· 7JlP£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: MUSE of Fryeburg, TARDY of Newport, THOMPSON of China, 
VALENTINO of Saco, Senators: SCHNEIDER of Penobscot, WESTON of Waldo. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 20-A MRSA §I, sub-§39-A is enacted to read: 
39-A. 
Town academy. 
"Town academy" means a private school 
approved for tuition purposes under section 2951 that enrolls at 
least 60" publicly funded students and that is accredited by the 
New 
England Association of Schools 
and Colleges pursuant to 
section 2901, subsection 2, paragraph A. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §2901, sub-§2, 1IA, as enacted by PL 1981, c. 
693, §§5 and 8, is amended to read: 
A. 
Currently accredited by the New England Association of 
~e**e~es-aRa-SeeeRaaFY Schools and Colleges; or 
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §6202-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
712, §2, is further amended to read: 
4. 
Graduation 
decisions 
at 
town 
academies. 
By 
the 
2007-2008 school year, high school graduation for publicly funded 
students in nonaccredited private schools approved for tuition 
that enroll at least 
60% 
publicly 
funded 
students 
or 
town 
academies, as determined by the previous school year's October 
and April 
average enrollment, 
must 
be determined by student 
achievement of the standards of the system of learning results in 
English 
language 
arts, 
health 
and 
physical 
education, 
mathematics, 
science 
and 
technologYT 
and 
social 
studies, 
in 
addition to other requirements that may be established by the 
trustees. 
By the 2009-2010 school year, high school graduation 
for publicly funded students in pF,iyat.e--s-e-&991s town academies 
must be determined by student achievement of the standards of the 
system of learning results in all content areas of the system of 
learning 
results, 
in 
addition 
to 
other 
requirements 
as 
es~a9*~sAea approved by the trustees. 
The trustees of each town 
academy shall approve an assessment system that ensures students 
have acc;eu to courses. opportunities and services that enable 
the students to show growth in academic progress and achievement 
of standards of the system of learning results. 
The assessment 
system approved by the trustees under this subsection may use 
alternative methods of assessing a portfolio of each student's 
work, including, but not limited to. academic performance. common 
assessments 
of 
the 
student's 
work. 
standardized 
tests, 
standards based 
course 
design, 
community 
service 
and 
extracurricular activities. 
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §6209, first 11, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
454, §31, is further amended to read: 
The department in consultation with the state board shall 
establish and 
implement 
a 
comprehensive, 
statewide 
system of 
learning results, referred to in this section as the "system," no 
later than the 2002-03 school year. 
The system, based broadly 
upon guiding principles set forth in this section, must establish 
high academic standards at all grade levels in the areas of math; 
English; 
science 
and 
technology; 
social 
studies, 
including 
history, 
economics and civics; career preparation; visual and 
performing arts; 
health 
and physical 
education; 
and 
foreign 
languages. 
Only students in a public school, a town academy or a 
nonaccredited private school approved for tuition that enrolls at 
least 60% publicly funded students, as determined by the previous 
school year's October and April average enrollment, are required 
to 
participate 
in 
the 
system 
of 
learning 
results. 
The 
commissioner shall develop accommodation provisions for instances 
where course content conflicts with sincerely held religious 
beliefs and practices of a student's parent or guardian. 
The 
system must be adopted to accommodate exceptional students as 
defined in section 7001, subsection 2. 
Student achievement of 
the standards of the system in town academies must be determined 
in accordance with section 6202-A, subsection 4. 
Sec. 5. 20-A MRS"" §15671, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8. 
Students educated at private schools. 
The 
tuition 
charged for 
students at private schools is governed by 
the 
provisions of chapter 219. 
SUMMARY 
This bill does the following: 
1. 
Changes 
"New 
England 
Association 
of 
Colleges 
and 
Secondary Schools" to "New England Association of Schools and 
Colleges" to reflect its new name; 
2. 
Defines "town academy" as a private school approved for 
tui tion that enrolls at least 60% publicly funded students and 
that is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and 
Colleges; 
3. 
Clarifies the existing law concerning compliance 
by 
schools with the system of learning results by specifying what 
town academies must use for measuring compliance in lieu of the 
local assessment system used in public schools; and 
4. 
Adds a reference in the essential programs and services 
law to the current law governing the maximum allowable tuition 
rate that may be charged by private schools for students educated 
at public expense.