Student Right to Learn Act Exposed

The Student Right to Learn Act was adopted by ALEC's Education Task Force at the States and Nation Policy Summit in December, 1999, approved by the ALEC Board of Directors in January, 2000. ALEC has attempted to distance itself from this piece of legislation after the launch of ALECexposed.org in 2011, but it has done nothing to get it repealed in the states where it previously pushed for it to be made into law.

ALEC Bill Text

Summary

This bill requires all students to be educated in a core liberal arts curriculum and bases school accreditation on the measurement of academic improvement by each individual student.

Model Legislation

Section 1. {Short title}This Act may be cited as the Student Right to Learn Act.

Section 2. {Curriculum}

(A) All students shall be afforded intellectual challenge and shall be educated in a liberal arts curriculum consisting of essential, academic knowledge in order to provide each student with the foundational preparedness to reach such student’s individual potential, and enable such student to continue his education at a liberal arts university or institution, should the student so choose.

(B) The State Board of Education shall identify the components of a core academic curriculum from the various learning disciplines, including, but not limited to: math, science, language arts, literature, history, social studies and the fine arts.

Section 3. {Accreditation}

High academic standards of learning and assessments shall be constructed upon a foundation of academic competencies, and accreditation shall be based on the measurement of academic improvement by each individual student. That improvement shall be calculated by measuring the average of the cumulative achievement of the sum of students in a given class. Each student shall be given progressively challenging tests, administered in subsequent years so as to establish a baseline and means for measuring actual academic achievement.

Section 4. {Reporting of data}

Each school year, the education agency shall prepare and distribute to each school district and the public a report card for each school. The school report cards must be based on the most current data available disaggregated by student groups and easily understandable by the public. School performance must be compared to previous school and district performance, current district performance, state established standards, and comparable school group performance.

Section 5. {Severaability clause}

Section 6. {Repealer clause}

Section 7. {Effective Date}

Adopted by the Education Task Force at the States and Nation Policy Summit, December 1999.

Approved by the ALEC Board of Directors January 2000.