An Act To Ensure Statewide School Accountability and Improvement
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1510
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: JOHNSON, LANGLEY, McCLELLAN, POULIOT, CUSHING, THIBODEAU
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1055, 20-A MRSA §4504, 20-A MRSA §5203, 20-A MRSA §5204, 20-A MRSA §6210, 20-A MRSA §6210-A

Legislative Document 
No. 1510 
H.P. 1085 
House of Representatives, May 7, 2013 
An Act To Ensure Statewide School Accountability and 
Improvement 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative JOHNSON of Greenville.  (GOVERNOR'S BILL) 
Cosponsored by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock and 
Representatives: McCLELLAN of Raymond, POULIOT of Augusta, Senators: CUSHING of 
Penobscot, THIBODEAU of Waldo. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1055, sub-§2, ¶¶B and C, as amended by PL 2001, c. 
588, §16, are further amended to read: 
B.  Visiting each school at least the minimum number of times each term required by 
the school board or union committee as established by the policy adopted under 
section 1053; and 
C.  Annually, reporting to the commissioner on the progress of the comprehensive 
education plan required under section 4502, subsection 6.; and 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §1055, sub-§2, ¶D is enacted to read: 
D.  Participating in the creation and implementation of any school improvement plan 
required in section 6210. 
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §4504, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: 
1-A.  Failure to achieve or maintain basic school approval.  A school or school 
administrative unit that does not comply with basic school approval standards in rule and 
this Title may be subject to the penalties set forth in section 6801-A.  Before imposing a 
penalty, the commissioner shall provide notice of noncompliance and allow the school or 
school administrative unit to develop and implement a corrective action plan. 
Sec. 4.  20-A MRSA §5203, sub-§6 is enacted to read: 
6.  Nonapproved public school.  A student who resides in the attendance area of a 
school that has lost basic school approval under section 6210-A may attend any public 
school or private school approved for receipt of public funds.  The school administrative 
unit in which the student's parents reside shall pay the tuition and transportation costs. 
Sec. 5.  20-A MRSA §5204, sub-§7 is enacted to read: 
7.  Nonapproved public school.  A student who resides in the attendance area of a 
school that has lost basic school approval under section 6210-A may attend any public 
school or private school approved for receipt of public funds.  The school administrative 
unit in which the student's parents reside shall pay the tuition and transportation costs. 
Sec. 6.  20-A MRSA §6210, as amended by PL 2007, c. 259, §7, is further 
amended to read: 
§6210.  School assistance 
The commissioner shall provide assistance to a school administrative unit when 
student performance in a school in the school administrative unit, or when a review of the 
comprehensive education plan conducted under section 4504, subsection 2, indicates that 
assistance is needed.  This assistance must be based on a thorough review of the 
comprehensive education plan, as required in section 4502, subsection 1, and the 
evidence of student performance provided by the school administrative unit's state and 
local assessment assessments and evaluation of the unit and its schools to identify aspects 
of the educational system that need improvement in order to improve student 
achievement.  This may Assistance must include assignment of an assistance team by the 
commissioner to work with the school administrative unit over a period of not less than 
one year to develop and implement a school improvement plan, as described in section 
6210-A, targeted to address those aspects of the educational system identified as potential 
causes for lack of growth in student achievement or other deficiencies identified by the 
commissioner. 
Sec. 7.  20-A MRSA §6210-A is enacted to read: 
§6210-A.  School improvement plan 
A school improvement plan required in section 6210 must be approved by the 
department and must meet the standards of this section. 
1.  Measurable objectives.  The school improvement plan must set specific, 
measurable objectives for substantive and continuous improvement in student outcomes. 
2.  Optional elements.  The school improvement plan may require one or more of the 
following elements: 
A.  The set aside of state funds provided under chapter 606-B to be used for specific 
purposes as laid out in the school improvement plan; and 
B.  Implementation of turnaround strategies that may include, but are not limited to: 
(1)  Providing strong leadership by reviewing performance of the principal and 
replacing the current principal if that principal is not capable of leading 
turnaround efforts and increasing operational flexibility in scheduling, staffing, 
curriculum and budget; 
(2)  Ensuring that teachers are effective by reviewing the quality of staff and 
retaining those determined to be effective and who will be able to succeed in the 
turnaround effort and by providing job-embedded ongoing professional 
development informed by the teacher evaluation and support systems and tied to 
teacher and student needs; 
(3)  Redesigning the school day, week or year to include additional time for 
student learning and teacher collaboration; 
(4)  Strengthening the school's instructional program based on student needs and 
ensuring that the instructional program is research-based, rigorous and aligned 
with the system of learning results; 
(5)  Using data to inform instruction and for continuous improvement, including  
providing time for collaboration on the use of data; 
(6)  Establishing a school environment that improves school safety and discipline 
and addressing other nonacademic factors that affect student achievement such as 
students' social, emotional and health needs; and 
(7)  Providing ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement. 
3.  Failure to show progress after 2 years.  If the school or administrative school 
unit fails to show progress toward meeting the objectives set forth in a school 
improvement plan after 2 years of implementation, the department shall review and revise 
the school improvement plan. Revisions may require the school or school administrative 
unit to implement strategies in addition to those set forth in subsection 2. 
4.  Withdrawal of basic school approval.  Failure of a school administrative unit or 
the schools within the unit to participate in development of the school improvement plan, 
or failure to implement a school improvement plan, may lead to withdrawal by the 
department of basic school approval under chapter 206, subchapter 1 and department rule. 
SUMMARY 
Under current federal law, a struggling school is only identified and given help to 
improve if the school is funded under Title I of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001.  This bill creates a process for the Commissioner of Education to hold all schools 
accountable for student achievement and to work with schools to improve, regardless of 
whether they are so-called Title I schools. 
The bill creates a statewide school accountability system by strengthening the 
existing school approval law.  Under existing law, the commissioner is authorized to 
determine whether schools meet basic school approval standards, including the standard 
requiring all units to prepare and implement a comprehensive education plan aligned with 
the system of learning results, focused on the learning of all students and oriented to 
continuous improvement.  This bill requires a school administrative unit that is identified 
as needing assistance to create a school improvement plan to correct any aspects of the 
school that do not comply with school approval standards in statute and rule.  The bill 
sets forth specific strategies that may be included in a school improvement plan and calls 
for additional strategies if the school fails to improve after 2 years.  It also provides 
school choice for students whose school loses basic school approval.