SB 177 aims to enhance academic support for students who have not achieved mastery in reading and math by expanding the provisions of accelerated instruction. The bill removes the previous limitation of applicability to specific school years and instead applies the support to each school year. It redefines accelerated instruction to require one-on-one or small group sessions with a maximum of five students, occurring at least three times a week for a minimum of thirty minutes. Additionally, the bill mandates the Louisiana Department of Education to publish a list of high-quality tutoring providers and exempts these providers from state procurement laws. Parents will also receive a written plan detailing the accelerated instruction and their role in the process.

The bill includes specific amendments, such as prohibiting the use of state funds or obligated federal funds for its implementation, a provision retained from present law. It further stipulates that if non-state and unobligated federal funds are unavailable, the state is not obligated to provide funding for the expanded academic support. The Conference Committee adopted certain House amendments for technical changes while rejecting others that would have made implementation contingent on the appropriation of federal funds. The bill is set to take effect on August 1, 2023.

Statutes affected:
SB177 Original:
SB177 Engrossed:
SB177 Reengrossed:
SB177 Enrolled:
SB177 Act :