Oklahoma § 70-1210.303 - Duties and responsibilities of Department of

§ 70-1210.303. Duties and responsibilities of Department of

Education.

A. In administering this act the Department of Education shall

provide:

1. The necessary State Department of Education staff with a

primary responsibility for:

a.

developing educational programs for gifted and

talented children,

b.

assuring appropriate assessment and evaluation

procedures for use by school districts of this state,

and

c.

enforcing compliance with the provisions of Sections

1210.301 through 1210.308 of this title by school

districts;

2. The procedures for educational screening, needs analysis and

prescriptive programming for gifted and talented children by

Regional Education Service Center personnel and others approved by

the Department;

3. In-service training for selected teachers, administrators,

college personnel, parents and interested lay persons;

4. Assistance in the development of new programs and the

projection of program alternatives for the eventual provision of

high quality programs for all identified gifted and talented

children;

5. Recommendations to the State Board of Education concerning

qualifications of teachers for gifted and talented children;

6. Recommendations for degree programs and short course

seminars for the preparation of teaching personnel for gifted and

talented children;

7. Selected procedural safeguards for all potentially

identifiable and identified gifted and talented children;

8. Auditing of gifted and talented education programs in

twenty-five (25) districts selected at random each year to determine

compliance with the provisions of Sections 1210.301 through 1210.308

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools

of this title as well as program monitoring and auditing for

districts with extraordinary numbers of identified students,

identified students who as a group are not representative of racial

and socioeconomic demographics of district student population,

unusual budget reports, inappropriate implementation policies or

questionable gifted child programming; and

9. Any other programs, services, supplies or facilities

necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

B. State Aid to a district shall be reduced by an amount equal

to twice the amount of that portion of State Aid generated by the

gifted and talented weight for each student the district has

identified as gifted and talented for purposes of Section 18-201 of

this title and for whom, upon audit by the State Department of

Education, the district has not demonstrated that the depth,

breadth, and pace of the curriculum have been and continue to be in

compliance with the provisions of Sections 1210.301 through 1210.308

of this title. The penalty prescribed in this section shall be

enforced by reducing State Aid to the district during the next

school year following the audit or completion of an appeal in the

amount of the penalty. A district shall be subject to loss of State

Aid pursuant to this subsection only upon verification of the

district's failure to provide appropriate programs and services for

identified gifted and talented students through an audit by the

State Department of Education. The State Board of Education shall

promulgate rules establishing a procedure by which districts against

which a penalty is assessed may appeal to the Board.

Laws 1980, c. 211, § 4, eff. July 1, 1981; Laws 1981, c. 278, § 3,

eff. July 1, 1981; Laws 1985, c. 329, § 21, emerg. eff. July 30,

1985; Laws 1994, c. 359, § 3, eff. July 1, 1994.