2014 Missouri Revised Statutes
TITLE XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES (160-186)
Chapter 160 Schools--General Provisions
Section 160.542 (Repealed L. 2012 H.B. 1608 § A)

160.542. 1. There is hereby established within the department of elementary and secondary education, the "Research-based Reform Program", to be administered by the commissioner of education. The program shall consist of grant awards made to public schools from funds appropriated by the general assembly, demonstrating a commitment to undertake whole-school reforms that research has shown to be effective in improving student performance and sustaining measurable improvement after implementation. Grants shall require a matching contribution from the school district in which the school is located and shall run for up to three years. Funding for the second year shall be contingent upon each school's performance in setting up the chosen program, and funding for the third year shall be contingent upon second-year performance.

2. The state board of education shall promulgate rules for the initial approval, second- and third-year funding of grants made under the program. The rules shall contain a method for determining the amount of the matching funds required from the district in which the grantee school is located. Such rules shall include a list of research-based reform programs that the state board of education determines can be reliably replicated under urban, suburban and rural conditions. The list shall be coordinated with the federal Comprehensive School Reform Initiative to enable Missouri schools to be eligible for the moneys made available by the federal program. The department shall develop a method to evaluate the effectiveness of each school's implementation of the chosen research-based program for purposes of granting or denying second-year funding.

3. The grant program shall provide sufficient technical assistance to ensure that small schools that lack personnel with expertise in applying for grants are not prevented from applying. Added priority shall be given to schools which have been designated as academically deficient pursuant to section 160.538. Added priority shall be given to groups of schools that form consortia for the purpose of applying for the grant funds as a means of encouraging schools in isolated areas to participate. However, nothing in this subsection shall be construed as prohibiting consortia in more densely populated areas of the state from seeking such priority on grants under this program.

4. The commissioner of education shall develop a procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of the program described in this section. Such evaluation shall be conducted annually with the results of the evaluation provided to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president pro tempore of the senate.

5. No rule or portion of a rule promulgated pursuant to the authority of this section shall become effective unless it has been promulgated pursuant to the provisions of chapter 536.