House File 272 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY SALMON, FISHER, WILLS,
HEARTSILL, HOLT,
SHEETS, WATTS, and
LANDON
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the Iowa core curriculum and core content
2 standards applicable to students in kindergarten through
3 grade twelve and including effective date provisions.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
1 2 subparagraphs (2) and (3), Code 2015, are amended to read as
1 3 follows:
1 4 (2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (1), for the school year
1 5 beginning July 1, 2016, and each succeeding school year, the
1 6 rules shall provide that all students enrolled in school
1 7 districts in grades three through eleven shall be administered
1 8 an assessment during the last quarter of the school year that
1 9 at a minimum assesses the core academic indicators identified
1 10 in this paragraph "b"; is aligned with the Iowa common core
1 11 standards in both content and rigor; accurately describes
1 12 student achievement and growth for purposes of the school, the
1 13 school district, and state accountability systems; and provides
1 14 valid, reliable, and fair measures of student progress toward
1 15 college or career readiness.
1 16 (3) The director shall establish an assessment task force
1 17 to review and make recommendations for a statewide assessment
1 18 of student progress on the core academic indicators identified
1 19 pursuant to this paragraph "b". The task force shall recommend
1 20 a statewide assessment that is aligned to the Iowa common core
1 21 standards and is, at a minimum, valid, reliable, tested, and
1 22 piloted in Iowa. In addition, in developing recommendations,
1 23 the task force shall consider the costs to school districts and
1 24 the state in providing and administering such an assessment and
1 25 the technical support necessary to implement the assessment.
1 26 The task force shall submit its recommendations in a report
1 27 to the director, the state board, and the general assembly by
1 28 January 1, 2015. The task force shall assist with the final
1 29 development and implementation of the assessment administered
1 30 pursuant to subparagraph (2). The task force members shall
1 31 include but not be limited to teachers, school administrators,
1 32 business leaders, representatives of state agencies, and
1 33 members of the general public. This subparagraph is repealed
1 34 July 1, 2020.
1 35 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph c, Code
2 1 2015, is amended to read as follows:
2 2 c. A requirement that all school districts and accredited
2 3 nonpublic schools annually report to the department and the
2 4 local community the district=wide progress made in attaining
2 5 student achievement goals on the academic and other core
2 6 indicators and the district=wide progress made in attaining
2 7 locally established student learning goals. The school
2 8 districts and accredited nonpublic schools shall demonstrate
2 9 the use of multiple assessment measures in determining student
2 10 achievement levels. The school districts and accredited
2 11 nonpublic schools shall also report the number of students
2 12 who graduate; the number of students who drop out of school;
2 13 the number of students who are tested and the percentage of
2 14 students who are so tested annually; and the percentage of
2 15 students who graduated during the prior school year and who
2 16 completed a core curriculum. The board shall develop and
2 17 adopt uniform definitions consistent with the federal No Child
2 18 Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107=110 and any federal
2 19 regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Act. The school
2 20 districts and accredited nonpublic schools may report on other
2 21 locally determined factors influencing student achievement.
2 22 The school districts and accredited nonpublic schools shall
2 23 also report to the local community their results by individual
2 24 attendance center.
2 25 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a,
2 26 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2015, is amended to read as
2 27 follows:
2 28 Adopt rules that establish a core curriculum and high school
2 29 graduation requirements for all students in school districts
2 30 and accredited nonpublic schools that include at a minimum
2 31 satisfactory completion of four years of English and language
2 32 arts, three years of mathematics, three years of science, and
2 33 three years of social studies. Schools are encouraged to
2 34 include in locally developed standards the skills and knowledge
2 35 students need to be successful in the twenty=first century,
3 1 including but not limited to civic literacy, health literacy,
3 2 technology literacy, financial literacy, and employability
3 3 skills.
3 4 Sec. 4. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a,
3 5 subparagraph (3), Code 2015, is amended by striking the
3 6 subparagraph.
3 7 Sec. 5. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph b, Code
3 8 2015, is amended by striking the paragraph.
3 9 Sec. 6. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph c, Code
3 10 2015, is amended to read as follows:
3 11 c. Neither the state board nor the department shall require
3 12 school districts or accredited nonpublic schools to adopt a
3 13 specific textbook, textbook series, or specific instructional
3 14 methodology, or acquire specific textbooks, curriculum
3 15 materials, or educational products from a specific vendor
3 16 in order to meet the core curriculum requirements of this
3 17 subsection or the core content standards adopted pursuant to
3 18 subsection 28.
3 19 Sec. 7. Section 256.7, subsection 26, Code 2015, is amended
3 20 by adding the following new paragraph:
3 21 NEW PARAGRAPH. d. Adopt rules prohibiting the department
3 22 from adopting and implementing statewide core curriculum
3 23 standards. School districts and accredited nonpublic schools
3 24 are strongly encouraged to set high expectations in locally
3 25 developed core content standards.
3 26 Sec. 8. Section 256.7, subsection 28, Code 2015, is amended
3 27 to read as follows:
3 28 28. Adopt a set of core content assessment standards
3 29 applicable to all students in kindergarten through grade twelve
3 30 in every school district and accredited nonpublic school. For
3 31 purposes of this subsection, "core content assessment standards"
3 32 includes reading, mathematics, and science. The core content
3 33 assessment standards shall be identical to the core content
3 34 standards included in Iowa's approved 2006 standards and
3 35 assessment system under Tit. I of the federal Elementary and
4 1 Secondary Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. {6301 et seq., as
4 2 amended by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub.
4 3 L. No. 107=110. School districts and accredited nonpublic
4 4 schools shall include, at a minimum, the core content standards
4 5 adopted pursuant to this subsection in any set of locally
4 6 developed content standards. School districts and accredited
4 7 nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to set higher
4 8 expectations in local standards. As changes in federal law or
4 9 regulation occur, the state board is authorized to amend the
4 10 core content standards as appropriate.
4 11 Sec. 9. Section 256.7, Code 2015, is amended by adding the
4 12 following new subsection:
4 13 NEW SUBSECTION. 33. Adopt rules prohibiting the department
4 14 from adopting and implementing the next generation science
4 15 standards.
4 16 Sec. 10. Section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph a, Code
4 17 2015, is amended to read as follows:
4 18 a. Develop and distribute, in collaboration with the area
4 19 education agencies, core curriculum technical assistance and
4 20 implementation strategies that school districts and accredited
4 21 nonpublic schools shall utilize, including but not limited to
4 22 the development and delivery of formative and end=of=course
4 23 model assessments classroom teachers may use to measure student
4 24 progress on the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section
4 25 256.7, subsection 26. The department shall, in collaboration
4 26 with the advisory group convened in accordance with paragraph
4 27 "b" and educational assessment providers, identify and make
4 28 available to school districts end=of=course and additional
4 29 model end=of=course and additional assessments to align with
4 30 the expectations included in the Iowa core curriculum. The
4 31 model assessments shall be suitable to meet the multiple
4 32 assessment measures requirement specified in section 256.7,
4 33 subsection 21, paragraph "c".
4 34 Sec. 11. Section 256.9, subsection 54, Code 2015, is amended
4 35 by striking the subsection.
5 1 Sec. 12. Section 256.40, subsection 2, paragraph e, Code
5 2 2015, is amended to read as follows:
5 3 e. Integrate services provided through the program with
5 4 other career exploration=related activities such as the student
5 5 core curriculum graduation plan and the career information and
5 6 decision=making system developed and administered under section
5 7 279.61, where appropriate.
5 8 Sec. 13. Section 256.42, subsection 6, Code 2015, is amended
5 9 to read as follows:
5 10 6. Coursework offered under the initiative shall be
5 11 rigorous and high quality, and the department shall annually
5 12 evaluate the quality of the courses and ensure that coursework
5 13 is aligned with the state's Iowa core curriculum and core
5 14 content requirements and standards, as well as national
5 15 standards of quality for online courses issued by an
5 16 internationally recognized association for kindergarten through
5 17 grade twelve online learning.
5 18 Sec. 14. Section 257.11, subsection 9, Code 2015, is amended
5 19 to read as follows:
5 20 9. Shared classes and curriculum standards. A school
5 21 district shall ensure that any course made available to a
5 22 student through any sharing agreement between the school
5 23 district and a community college or any other entity providing
5 24 course programming pursuant to this section to students
5 25 enrolled in the school district meets the expectations
5 26 contained in the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section
5 27 256.7, subsection 26. The school district shall ensure that
5 28 any course that has the capacity to generate college credit
5 29 shall be equivalent to college=level work.
5 30 Sec. 15. Section 258.4, subsection 8, Code 2015, is amended
5 31 to read as follows:
5 32 8. Establish a minimum set of competencies and core
5 33 curriculum for approval of a vocational program sequence that
5 34 addresses the following: new and emerging technologies;
5 35 job=seeking, job=keeping, and other employment skills,
6 1 including self=employment and entrepreneurial skills, that
6 2 reflect current industry standards, leadership skills,
6 3 entrepreneurial, and labor=market needs; and the strengthening
6 4 of basic academic skills.
6 5 Sec. 16. Section 260C.14, subsection 22, paragraph b, Code
6 6 2015, is amended to read as follows:
6 7 b. Collaborate with the state board of regents to meet
6 8 the requirements specified in section 262.9, subsection 33,
6 9 including but not limited to developing a systematic process
6 10 for expanding academic discipline and meetings between the
6 11 community college faculty and faculty of the institutions
6 12 of higher education governed by the state board of regents,
6 13 developing criteria to prioritize core curriculum areas,
6 14 promoting greater awareness of articulation=related activities,
6 15 facilitating additional opportunities for individual
6 16 institutions to pursue program articulation agreements for
6 17 career and technical educational programs, and developing
6 18 and implementing a process to examine a minimum of eight
6 19 new associate of applied science degree programs for which
6 20 articulation agreements would serve students' continued
6 21 academic success in those degree programs.
6 22 Sec. 17. Section 261E.4, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended
6 23 to read as follows:
6 24 4. A school district shall establish prerequisite
6 25 coursework for each advanced placement course offered and shall
6 26 describe the prerequisites in the course registration handbook,
6 27 which shall be provided to every junior high school or middle
6 28 school student prior to the development of a core curriculum
6 29 graduation plan pursuant to section 279.61.
6 30 Sec. 18. Section 261E.6, subsection 2, Code 2015, is amended
6 31 to read as follows:
6 32 2. Notification. The availability and requirements of this
6 33 program shall be included in each school district's student
6 34 registration handbook. Information about the program shall be
6 35 provided to the student and the student's parent or guardian
7 1 prior to the development of the student's core curriculum
7 2 graduation plan under section 279.61. The school district
7 3 shall establish a process by which students may indicate
7 4 interest in and apply for enrollment in the program.
7 5 Sec. 19. Section 261E.8, subsection 1, Code 2015, is amended
7 6 to read as follows:
7 7 1. A district=to=community college sharing or concurrent
7 8 enrollment program is established to be administered by the
7 9 department to promote rigorous academic or career and technical
7 10 pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high
7 11 school students to enroll part=time in eligible nonsectarian
7 12 courses at or through community colleges established under
7 13 chapter 260C. The program shall be made available to all
7 14 resident students in grades nine through twelve. Notice of
7 15 the availability of the program shall be included in a school
7 16 district's student registration handbook and the handbook shall
7 17 identify which courses, if successfully completed, generate
7 18 college credit under the program. A student and the student's
7 19 parent or legal guardian shall also be made aware of this
7 20 program as a part of the development of the student's core
7 21 curriculum graduation plan in accordance with section 279.61.
7 22 Sec. 20. Section 261E.9, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code
7 23 2015, is amended to read as follows:
7 24 b. A regional academy may include in its curriculum virtual
7 25 or internet=based coursework and courses delivered via the Iowa
7 26 communications network, career and technical courses, core
7 27 curriculum coursework, courses required pursuant to section
7 28 256.7, subsection 26, or section 256.11, subsections 4 and 5,
7 29 and asynchronous learning networks.
7 30 Sec. 21. Section 261E.9, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended
7 31 to read as follows:
7 32 4. Information regarding regional academies shall be
7 33 provided to a student and the student's parent or guardian
7 34 prior to the development of the student's core curriculum
7 35 graduation plan under section 279.61.
8 1 Sec. 22. Section 261E.10, subsection 4, Code 2015, is
8 2 amended to read as follows:
8 3 4. Information regarding career academies shall be provided
8 4 by the school district to a student and the student's parent
8 5 or guardian prior to the development of the student's core
8 6 curriculum graduation plan under section 279.61.
8 7 Sec. 23. Section 262.9, subsection 33, paragraph c, Code
8 8 2015, is amended by striking the paragraph.
8 9 Sec. 24. Section 279.61, Code 2015, is amended to read as
8 10 follows:
8 11 279.61 Student plan for progress toward university admissions
8 12 == report.
8 13 1. For the school year beginning July 1, 2008, and each
8 14 succeeding school year, the The board of directors of each
8 15 school district shall cooperate with each student enrolled
8 16 in grade eight to develop for the student a core curriculum
8 17 plan to guide the student toward the goal of successfully
8 18 completing, at a minimum, the core curriculum developed high
8 19 school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of
8 20 education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, by the
8 21 time the student graduates from high school. The plan shall
8 22 include career options and shall identify the coursework
8 23 needed in grades nine through twelve to support the student's
8 24 postsecondary education and career options. Additionally, the
8 25 plan shall include a timeline for each student to successfully
8 26 complete, prior to graduation, all components of the
8 27 state=designated career information and decision=making system
8 28 administered by the department in accordance with section 118
8 29 of the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
8 30 Improvement Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109=270. The student's
8 31 parent or guardian shall sign the core curriculum graduation
8 32 plan developed with the student and the signed plan shall be
8 33 included in the student's cumulative records.
8 34 2. For the school year beginning July 1, 2008, and each
8 35 succeeding school year, the The board of directors of each
9 1 school district shall report annually to each student enrolled
9 2 in grades nine through twelve in the school district, and, if
9 3 the student is under the age of eighteen, to each student's
9 4 parent or guardian, the student's progress toward meeting the
9 5 goal of successfully completing the core curriculum and high
9 6 school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of
9 7 education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26.
9 8 Sec. 25. Section 280.3, subsection 3, Code 2015, is amended
9 9 by striking the subsection.
9 10 Sec. 26. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed
9 11 of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
9 12 EXPLANATION
9 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
9 14 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
9 15 This bill eliminates requirements and references to the
9 16 (Iowa) core curriculum and to core content standards, but
9 17 continues to direct the state board of education to adopt high
9 18 school graduation requirements and assessment standards.
9 19 The bill requires the state board to adopt rules prohibiting
9 20 the department from adopting and implementing statewide core
9 21 curriculum standards. However, schools are strongly encouraged
9 22 to set high expectations in locally developed core content
9 23 standards and are also encouraged to include in locally
9 24 developed standards 21st century skills. The bill also directs
9 25 the state board of education to adopt rules prohibiting the
9 26 department of education from adopting and implementing the
9 27 next generation science standards as developed by the national
9 28 research council and cooperating states.
9 29 Provisions directing school districts to cooperate with each
9 30 eighth grade student on a core curriculum plan to meet core
9 31 curriculum requirements are amended to replace "core curriculum
9 32 plan" with "graduation plan" and "core curriculum requirements"
9 33 with "high school graduation requirements". The term "core
9 34 content standards", which was used to describe the assessment
9 35 standards adopted by the state board, is replaced with the term
10 1 "assessment standards". The assessment standards will remain
10 2 applicable to all students in kindergarten through grade 12 in
10 3 every school district and accredited nonpublic school.
10 4 The bill makes technical and corresponding changes to
10 5 provisions which contain references to the language stricken.
10 6 The bill takes effect upon enactment.
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