The bill establishes a new chapter in Title 16 of the General Laws, titled "CHAPTER 117: PILOT PROGRAM FOR VIRTUAL REALITY LEARNING PLATFORM." It mandates the appropriation of $250,000 starting in fiscal year 2026 to fund a pilot program aimed at implementing transformative and innovative instructional strategies for math and science courses through the use of virtual reality technology. The Department of Education is tasked with issuing a request for proposals for an experiential learning platform that has demonstrated significant improvement in algebra 1 benchmarks, as verified by a third-party evaluation. The selected program will focus on providing tactile, multimodal learning experiences for students in grades six through twelve, immersing them in real-world problems to foster career exposure and relevance.

Additionally, the appropriated funds will be utilized to train and coach middle and high school mathematics teachers in effectively integrating virtual reality technology into their lessons, particularly in districts identified by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education as needing increased student engagement and achievement in mathematics. The request for proposal process must be completed by August 1, 2025, and the chosen provider is required to submit a third-party written report to the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, detailing the program's impact on student engagement and achievement prior to the start of the next full school year following the beginning of the pilot program. The act will take effect upon passage.