A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT ESTABLISHING a remediation PILOT PROject at south piedmont community college.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  A four‑year remediation Pilot Project is established at South Piedmont Community College. The purpose of the Pilot Project is to implement a program that will (i) increase high school graduation rates and community college completion rates in Union and Anson Counties and (ii) serve as a model for the rest of the State.
SECTION 1.(b)  The Pilot Project shall consist of two components:
(1)	Identification and remediation of high school students who do not meet community college entrance requirements. This component shall be implemented as follows:
a.	South Piedmont Community College shall administer a college competency examination to a representative population of high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Union County Public Schools, the Anson County Schools, or both.
b.	Students who are determined by the examination to be deficient in mathematics, English, or reading skills shall have the opportunity to be enrolled during their junior or senior years in community college remediation courses in lieu of other high school graduation completion electives.
Participating students shall be included in the average daily membership of the local school administrative unit and the budget FTE of South Piedmont Community College.
c.	Students successfully completing community college remediation courses may continue their education under the Career and College Promise program.
d.	South Piedmont Community College shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (i) on the implementation of this component of the Pilot Project by February 15, 2016, and (ii) on its impact on the college readiness of participating students annually by September 15, 2016, through September 15, 2020.
e.	No State funds shall be used to develop and administer the college competency examination or to determine the impact of the Pilot Project on college readiness.
f.	During the Pilot Project, students electing to participate in this program shall not be calculated in the local school administrative unit's graduation or dropout rates or in the South Piedmont Community College performance funding metrics. These students shall be regarded as transfer students from the local school administrative unit to South Piedmont Community College.
(2)	Authorization for high school students who are at high risk of dropping out of school to complete high school at South Piedmont Community College. This component shall be implemented as follows:
a.	South Piedmont Community College and the each participating local school administrative unit shall sign a memorandum of understanding for a recovery program for students at high risk of dropping out of school to complete high school in an alternative setting. Under this memorandum of understanding, students with no serious disciplinary experience who are at high risk of dropping out of school may, with the consent of the local school administrative unit and South Piedmont Community College, earn a high school diploma at South Piedmont Community College.
b.	The participating students and their parents shall sign a contract with the high school and college agreeing to the terms and conditions of the program.
c.	South Piedmont Community College shall generate budget FTE for these students.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2015.