Effective 5/14/2019
53F-4-402. UPSTART program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children.
53F-4-402. UPSTART program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children.
- (1) UPSTART, a project that uses a home-based educational technology program to develop school readiness skills of preschool children, is established within the public education system.
- (2) UPSTART is created to:
- (a) evaluate the effectiveness of giving preschool children access, at home, to interactive individualized instruction delivered by computers and the Internet to prepare them academically for success in school; and
- (b) test the feasibility of scaling a home-based curriculum in reading, math, and science delivered by computers and the Internet to all preschool children in Utah.
- (3)
- (a) The state board shall contract with an educational technology provider, selected through a request for proposals process, for the delivery of a home-based educational technology program for preschool children that meets the requirements of Subsection (4).
- (b) Every five years, the state board may issue a new request for proposals described in this section.
- (4) A home-based educational technology program for preschool children shall meet the following standards:
- (a) the contractor shall provide computer-assisted instruction for preschool children on a home computer connected by the Internet to a centralized file storage facility;
- (b) the contractor shall:
- (i) provide technical support to families for the installation and operation of the instructional software; and
- (ii) provide for the installation of computer and Internet access in homes of qualifying participants described in Subsection 53F-4-404(3)(d);
- (c) the contractor shall have the capability of doing the following through the Internet:
- (i) communicating with parents;
- (ii) updating the instructional software;
- (iii) validating user access;
- (iv) collecting usage data;
- (v) storing research data; and
- (vi) producing reports for parents, schools, and the Legislature;
- (d) the program shall include the following components:
- (i) computer-assisted, individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and science;
- (ii) a multisensory reading tutoring program; and
- (iii) a validated computer adaptive reading test that does not require the presence of trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who cannot read;
- (e) the contractor shall have the capability to quickly and efficiently modify, improve, and support the product;
- (f) the contractor shall work in cooperation with public preschool or private preschool provider personnel who will provide administrative and technical support of the program as provided in Section 53F-4-403;
- (g) the contractor shall solicit families to participate in the program as provided in Section 53F-4-404; and
- (h) in implementing the home-based educational technology program, the contractor shall seek the advice and expertise of early childhood education professionals within the Utah System of Higher Education on issues such as:
- (i) soliciting families to participate in the program;
- (ii) providing training to families; and
- (iii) motivating families to regularly use the instructional software.
- (5) The contract shall provide funding for a home-based educational technology program for preschool children, subject to the appropriation of money by the Legislature for UPSTART.
- (6) The state board shall evaluate a proposal based on:
- (a) whether the home-based educational technology program meets the standards specified in Subsection (4);
- (b) the results of an independent evaluation of the home-based educational technology program;
- (c) the experience of the home-based educational technology program provider; and
- (d) the per pupil cost of the home-based educational technology program.
Amended by Chapter 186, 2019 General Session
Amended by Chapter 342, 2019 General Session