2016 Arizona Revised Statutes
Title 15 - Education
§ 15-249.06 College credit by examination incentive program; incentive bonuses; report; program termination

15-249.06. College credit by examination incentive program; incentive bonuses; report; program termination

A. The college credit by examination incentive program is established within the department of education to provide an incentive bonus to teachers, school districts and charter schools for students who obtain a passing score on a qualifying examination for college credit while in high school.

B. The Arizona board of regents shall maintain a list of qualifying examinations that a high school student may take in order to receive college credit in mathematics, English language arts or science from any university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents and the passing scores required on those examinations in order to receive college credit. On or before September 1 of each year, the Arizona board of regents shall provide the list of qualifying examinations and passing scores to the department of education and shall submit this list to the joint legislative budget committee for review.

C. Beginning in fiscal year 2017-2018, the department of education shall pay an incentive bonus to school districts and charter schools for each student in grades nine through twelve who receives a passing score during the previous fiscal year on a qualifying examination identified by the Arizona board of regents pursuant to subsection B of this section. A student who receives a passing score on a qualifying examination and who is enrolled in a school where fifty percent or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches shall generate for the school district or charter school a bonus of four hundred fifty dollars per passing score on a qualifying examination. A student who receives a passing score on a qualifying examination and who is enrolled in a school where less than fifty percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches shall generate for the school district or charter school a bonus of three hundred dollars per passing score on a qualifying examination. If the statewide sum of per student bonuses awarded pursuant to this subsection exceeds the amount of available monies appropriated for incentive bonuses, the bonus monies shall be reduced proportionally to cover all eligible bonus awards.

D. A school district or charter school that receives an incentive bonus pursuant to this section shall distribute at least fifty percent of the bonus monies to the associated classroom teacher for each student who passes a qualifying examination. Bonus monies awarded to a teacher pursuant to this subsection shall be in addition to any regular wage, compensation or other bonus the teacher receives or is scheduled to receive. The remainder of any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school shall be used for teacher professional development or student instructional support or materials. Any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school pursuant to this subsection shall be separately accounted for in the school district's or charter school's annual financial report.

E. Incentive bonuses distributed to and any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school pursuant to this section are not subject to collective bargaining.

F. On or before December 15, 2018 and on or before December 15 of each year thereafter, the department of education shall submit to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the governor and the secretary of state a report on all of the following:

1. The number of students who took a qualifying examination at each school.

2. The number of students who received a passing score on a qualifying examination and the number of incentive bonus awards distributed.

3. The number and types of qualifying examinations taken by students.

G. Incentive bonuses distributed to and any bonus monies received by a teacher are not compensation as defined in section 38-711.

H. The program established by this section ends on July 1, 2026 pursuant to section 41-3102.