§ 6-44-302 — Definitions

As used in this subchapter: (1) "Academic skill intake assessment" means a criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and literacy skills with high reliability and validity as determined by third-party research that is administered in person or online; (2) "Accredited" means an entity that holds an active accreditation from: (A) One (1) of the following regional accrediting organizations in the United States: (i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education; (ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges; (iii) Higher Learning Commission; (iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; (v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; (vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges; (vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or (viii) Any successor entities or consolidation or merger of any of the regional accreditors in the United States; or (B) Cognia; (3) "Adult dropout recovery services" means any type of assistance provided to a student, including without limitation: (A) Sourcing, recruitment, and engagement; (B) Learning plan development; (C) Active teaching; and (D) Proactive coaching and mentoring; (4) "Approved program provider" means a public, nonprofit, or other entity that satisfies the requirements of § 6-44-304 ; (5) "Average cost per graduate" means the total amount of Arkansas Adult Diploma Program funding dispersed to an approved program provider for a cohort through the end of the measurement period divided by the total number of graduates from the cohort during the measurement period; (6) "Career advising services" means services designed to assist a student in obtaining employment, including without limitation resume development and mock interviews; (7) "Career pathways coursework" means one (1) or more courses that help a student enter into or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster; (8) "Coaching" means proactive communication between an approved program provider and a student related to the student's pace and progress throughout his or her learning plan; (9) "Cohort" means the group of students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of each program year; (10) "Employability skills certification" means a certificate earned by a student's demonstrating professional nontechnical skills through assessment, including without limitation the program standards of the United States Department of Labor's "Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success"; (11) "Graduate" means a student who has successfully completed all of the approved program provider requirements in order to obtain a high school diploma; (12) "Graduation rate" means the total number of graduates from a cohort who graduated during a measurement period divided by the total number of students included in the same cohort; (13) "Graduation requirements" means course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider; (14) (A) "High school diploma" means a diploma issued by an accredited institution. (B) A high school diploma issued under this subchapter is recognized as a secondary school diploma by this state; (15) "Learning plan" means a documented plan for courses or credits needed for each individual in order to complete the program and to fulfill the graduation requirements of an approved program provider; (16) "Measurement period" means the two-year period beginning July 1 of the year the cohort begins through June 30 of the subsequent state fiscal year; (17) "Mentoring" means a direct relationship between a coach and a student to facilitate the completion of the student's learning plan designed to prepare the student to succeed in the program and the student's future endeavors; (18) "Milestones" means the objective measures of progress for which payment is made to an approved program provider under this subchapter, including: (A) Earned units of high school credit; (B) Attainment of an employability skills certification; (C) Attainment of a workforce credential; and (D) Attainment of an accredited high school diploma; (19) "Request for qualifications" means a request for interested public, nonprofit, or other entities to submit evidence that the entity meets the qualifications established in § 6-44-304 , and if confirmed by the Department of Education, that the requestor is an approved program provider; (20) "Student" means a participant in the program who: (A) Is twenty-one (21) years of age or older; (B) Is a resident of this state; and (C) Has not earned a high school diploma; (21) "Transcript evaluation" means a documented summary of credits earned in previous public or private accredited high schools compared with the program and approved program provider graduation requirements; (22) "Unit of high school credit" means credit awarded based on a student's demonstration that he or she has successfully met the content expectation for the credit area as defined by subject area standards, expectations, or guidelines; and (23) "Workforce credential" means a third-party credential that is: (A) Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual's qualifications to advance along a career pathway; or (B) A credential that: (i) Verifies an individual's qualification or competence; and (ii) Is: (a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or (b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.

Legislative History

Added by Act 2023, No. 546,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023.