Senate Bill 19 amended to add math professional development, curriculum list and reporting changes

A legislative committee adopted amendments to Senate Bill 19 that add Department of Education and Workforce-requested requirements for professional development, a high-quality math curriculum list, and expanded reporting on curriculum use.

Vice Chair Blessing moved to amend SB 19 with amendment AM0990. The chair noted AM0990 is 77 pages long and that the only substantive change appears on page 74: it adds professional development on evidence-based strategies for math instruction and implementation of high-quality math core curriculum and materials to the list of permissible uses for DPIA funds. The committee agreed and the amendment was made part of the bill by unanimous general consent.

Blessing then moved amendment AM0987-1, which the sponsor explained added several requirements at the request of the Department of Education and Workforce. The amendment requires development of a professional development course focused on foundational math knowledge that integrates life skills; development of a pilot series of professional development programs for school leaders on evidence-based math instruction by Dec. 31, 2026; an update to the model acceleration policy to reflect recently enacted budget provisions about advanced math learning opportunities; guidelines to assist schools implementing math achievement improvement plans; and establishment of a list of high-quality core curriculum and instructional materials by April 15, 2026.

The amendment delays the bill's provisions regarding math improvement plans and math intervention services until the 2026-27 school year and requires that schools required to adopt math improvement plans use curriculum from the established list of high-quality curriculum. The amendment expands EMIS reporting regarding the use of math curriculum and instructional materials from K-8 to K-12 and qualifies a student for intervention services if the student demonstrates a skill level below "proficient" on a math diagnostic assessment. The amendment also included technical changes by the Legislative Service Commission to remove provisions already enacted in the main operating budget and to renumber code sections and cross references.

Ranking Member Ingram questioned a substantive change: the as-introduced language exempted students who achieved a final course letter grade of C or higher from certain assessments; the new amendment removed that exclusion, which Ingram said means those students would be included for the purposes of the intervention criteria. The sponsor stated the change was made at the Department of Education and Workforce's request and said the bill would be held in committee for additional work over the next weeks.

The committee granted the Legislative Service Commission authorization to harmonize the changes into a substitute bill. With those amendments adopted and LSC authorized to harmonize, the chair concluded the fourth hearing on Senate Bill 19 and adjourned the committee.

Discussion versus action

- Discussion: Ranking Member Ingram raised concern that removing the letter-grade exclusion would include students who earn a C, potentially shifting teacher time toward students already passing the course. That concern was noted on the record and the sponsor offered to continue working with Ingram on the language. - Direction: The bill sponsor indicated the committee will continue work on the bill in the coming weeks and the LSC was authorized to harmonize the amendments into a substitute bill. - Formal action: Both amendments (AM0990 and AM0987-1) were adopted by unanimous consent and incorporated into the bill; the committee concluded the hearing and authorized LSC to harmonize the substitute.