SB604

Senate Bill 604 amends the Arkansas Course Choice Program, which allows students in grades 6-12 to enroll in individual courses offered by outside entities when their public school does not provide them or carries a low performance rating. The bill updates definitions to include various educational providers and explicitly excludes public school districts and charter schools from being considered 'course providers' in that specific capacity, while allowing them to offer courses to eligible students under certain conditions. It mandates the State Board of Education to establish a rigorous authorization and review process for course providers, including third-party evaluations and performance-based oversight. The legislation outlines new requirements for course cataloging, transcript reporting, and the inclusion of aggregate student test scores in school performance reports. Additionally, the bill revises the funding structure, capping payments to course providers at a specific percentage of foundation funding per pupil and establishing a payment schedule tied to enrollment and course completion milestones.