Reversing COVID-related Learning Loss

The act directs the department of education (department) to identify educational products, strategies, and services that have demonstrated effectiveness in identifying and reversing student learning loss that has been caused by the suspension of in-person learning. The department must create and maintain a resource bank of examples of educational products, explanations of and instructions for implementing strategies and educational services, and models of professional development programs related to using the products and implementing the strategies and services. School districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools (local education providers) may submit information to the department concerning products, strategies, and services that they have used with success, and the department must include them in the resource bank. The department must also provide information concerning public or private nonprofit entities that local education providers may work with in providing student support. The act also directs the department, to the extent possible within existing resources, to provide technical assistance to local education providers upon request.The act recognizes the amount of federal COVID-relief money that the department is expected to receive and encourages the department to use as much as possible of the amount received to fund learning recovery initiatives. The act requires the department to prepare a report concerning the department's use of the federal money received and submit the report to the education committees of the general assembly and post the report on the department's website.The act directs the board of cooperative services that administers the statewide supplemental online and blended learning program (administering BOCES) to partner with local education providers for delivery of supplemental online learning recovery courses for students in elementary and secondary schools. The administering BOCES and local education providers are also directed to partner with nonprofit entities and community-based organizations to expand the availability of, and students' access to, supplemental online learning recovery courses. The administering BOCES and the local education providers must provide information concerning the availability of the learning recovery courses and other supplemental online courses.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)