Senate File 16 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY ZAUN
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the Iowa core curriculum and core content
2 standards for school districts and accredited nonpublic
3 schools.
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 This subparagraph is repealed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.
2 34 Sec. 4. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a,
2 35 subparagraph (3), Code 2015, is amended by striking the
3 1 subparagraph.
3 2 Sec. 5. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraphs b and c,
3 3 Code 2015, are amended by striking the paragraphs.
3 4 Sec. 6. Section 256.7, subsection 28, Code 2015, is amended
3 5 to read as follows:
3 6 28. Adopt a set of core content assessment standards
3 7 applicable to all students in kindergarten through grade twelve
3 8 in every school district and accredited nonpublic school.
3 9 For purposes of this subsection, "core content "assessment
3 10 standards" includes reading, mathematics, and science. The core
3 11 content assessment standards shall be identical to the core
3 12 content assessment standards included in Iowa's approved 2006
3 13 standards and assessment system under Tit. I of the federal
3 14 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. {6301
3 15 et seq., as amended by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of
3 16 2001, Pub. L. No. 107=110. School districts and accredited
3 17 nonpublic schools shall include, at a minimum, the core content
3 18 assessment standards adopted pursuant to this subsection in any
3 19 set of locally developed content standards. School districts
3 20 and accredited nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to set
3 21 higher expectations in local standards. As changes in federal
3 22 law or regulation occur, the state board is authorized to amend
3 23 the core content assessment standards as appropriate.
3 24 Sec. 7. Section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph a, Code
3 25 2015, is amended to read as follows:
3 26 a. Develop and distribute, in collaboration with the area
3 27 education agencies, core curriculum technical assistance and
3 28 implementation strategies that school districts and accredited
3 29 nonpublic schools shall utilize, including but not limited to
3 30 the development and delivery of formative and end=of=course
3 31 model assessments classroom teachers may use to measure student
3 32 progress on the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section
3 33 256.7, subsection 26. The department shall, in collaboration
3 34 with the advisory group convened in accordance with paragraph
3 35 "b" and educational assessment providers, identify and make
4 1 available to school districts end=of=course and additional
4 2 model end=of=course and additional assessments to align with
4 3 the expectations included in the Iowa core curriculum. The
4 4 model assessments shall be suitable to meet the multiple
4 5 assessment measures requirement specified in section 256.7,
4 6 subsection 21, paragraph "c".
4 7 Sec. 8. Section 256.9, subsection 54, Code 2015, is amended
4 8 by striking the subsection.
4 9 Sec. 9. Section 256.40, subsection 2, paragraph e, Code
4 10 2015, is amended to read as follows:
4 11 e. Integrate services provided through the program with
4 12 other career exploration=related activities such as the student
4 13 core curriculum graduation plan and the career information and
4 14 decision=making system developed and administered under section
4 15 279.61, where appropriate.
4 16 Sec. 10. Section 256.42, subsection 6, Code 2015, is amended
4 17 to read as follows:
4 18 6. Coursework offered under the initiative shall be
4 19 rigorous and high quality, and the department shall annually
4 20 evaluate the quality of the courses and ensure that coursework
4 21 is aligned with the state's core curriculum and core content
4 22 requirements and assessment standards adopted pursuant to
4 23 section 256.7, subsection 28, as well as national standards
4 24 of quality for online courses issued by an internationally
4 25 recognized association for kindergarten through grade twelve
4 26 online learning.
4 27 Sec. 11. Section 257.11, subsection 9, Code 2015, is amended
4 28 to read as follows:
4 29 9. Shared classes and curriculum standards. A school
4 30 district shall ensure that any course made available to a
4 31 student through any sharing agreement between the school
4 32 district and a community college or any other entity providing
4 33 course programming pursuant to this section to students
4 34 enrolled in the school district meets the expectations
4 35 contained in the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section
5 1 256.7, subsection 26. The school district shall ensure that
5 2 any course that has the capacity to generate college credit
5 3 shall be equivalent to college=level work.
5 4 Sec. 12. Section 258.4, subsection 8, Code 2015, is amended
5 5 to read as follows:
5 6 8. Establish a minimum set of competencies and core
5 7 curriculum for approval of a vocational program sequence that
5 8 addresses the following: new and emerging technologies;
5 9 job=seeking, job=keeping, and other employment skills,
5 10 including self=employment and entrepreneurial skills, that
5 11 reflect current industry standards, leadership skills,
5 12 entrepreneurial, and labor=market needs; and the strengthening
5 13 of basic academic skills.
5 14 Sec. 13. Section 260C.14, subsection 22, paragraph b, Code
5 15 2015, is amended to read as follows:
5 16 b. Collaborate with the state board of regents to meet
5 17 the requirements specified in section 262.9, subsection 33,
5 18 including but not limited to developing a systematic process
5 19 for expanding academic discipline and meetings between the
5 20 community college faculty and faculty of the institutions
5 21 of higher education governed by the state board of regents,
5 22 developing criteria to prioritize core curriculum areas,
5 23 promoting greater awareness of articulation=related activities,
5 24 facilitating additional opportunities for individual
5 25 institutions to pursue program articulation agreements for
5 26 career and technical educational programs, and developing
5 27 and implementing a process to examine a minimum of eight
5 28 new associate of applied science degree programs for which
5 29 articulation agreements would serve students' continued
5 30 academic success in those degree programs.
5 31 Sec. 14. Section 261E.4, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended
5 32 to read as follows:
5 33 4. A school district shall establish prerequisite
5 34 coursework for each advanced placement course offered and shall
5 35 describe the prerequisites in the course registration handbook,
6 1 which shall be provided to every junior high school or middle
6 2 school student prior to the development of a core curriculum
6 3 graduation plan pursuant to section 279.61.
6 4 Sec. 15. Section 261E.6, subsection 2, Code 2015, is amended
6 5 to read as follows:
6 6 2. Notification. The availability and requirements of this
6 7 program shall be included in each school district's student
6 8 registration handbook. Information about the program shall be
6 9 provided to the student and the student's parent or guardian
6 10 prior to the development of the student's core curriculum
6 11 graduation plan under section 279.61. The school district
6 12 shall establish a process by which students may indicate
6 13 interest in and apply for enrollment in the program.
6 14 Sec. 16. Section 261E.8, subsection 1, Code 2015, is amended
6 15 to read as follows:
6 16 1. A district=to=community college sharing or concurrent
6 17 enrollment program is established to be administered by the
6 18 department to promote rigorous academic or career and technical
6 19 pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high
6 20 school students to enroll part=time in eligible nonsectarian
6 21 courses at or through community colleges established under
6 22 chapter 260C. The program shall be made available to all
6 23 resident students in grades nine through twelve. Notice of
6 24 the availability of the program shall be included in a school
6 25 district's student registration handbook and the handbook shall
6 26 identify which courses, if successfully completed, generate
6 27 college credit under the program. A student and the student's
6 28 parent or legal guardian shall also be made aware of this
6 29 program as a part of the development of the student's core
6 30 curriculum graduation plan in accordance with section 279.61.
6 31 Sec. 17. Section 261E.9, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code
6 32 2015, is amended to read as follows:
6 33 b. A regional academy may include in its curriculum virtual
6 34 or internet=based coursework and courses delivered via the Iowa
6 35 communications network, career and technical courses, core
7 1 curriculum coursework, courses required pursuant to section
7 2 256.7, subsection 26, or section 256.11, subsections 4 and 5,
7 3 and asynchronous learning networks.
7 4 Sec. 18. Section 261E.9, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended
7 5 to read as follows:
7 6 4. Information regarding regional academies shall be
7 7 provided to a student and the student's parent or guardian
7 8 prior to the development of the student's core curriculum
7 9 graduation plan under section 279.61.
7 10 Sec. 19. Section 261E.10, subsection 4, Code 2015, is
7 11 amended to read as follows:
7 12 4. Information regarding career academies shall be provided
7 13 by the school district to a student and the student's parent
7 14 or guardian prior to the development of the student's core
7 15 curriculum graduation plan under section 279.61.
7 16 Sec. 20. Section 262.9, subsection 33, paragraph c, Code
7 17 2015, is amended by striking the paragraph.
7 18 Sec. 21. Section 279.61, Code 2015, is amended to read as
7 19 follows:
7 20 279.61 Student plan for progress toward university admissions
7 21 == report.
7 22 1. For the school year beginning July 1, 2008, and each
7 23 succeeding school year, the The board of directors of each
7 24 school district shall cooperate with each student enrolled
7 25 in grade eight to develop for the student a core curriculum
7 26 plan to guide the student toward the goal of successfully
7 27 completing, at a minimum, the core curriculum developed high
7 28 school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of
7 29 education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, by the
7 30 time the student graduates from high school. The plan shall
7 31 include career options and shall identify the coursework
7 32 needed in grades nine through twelve to support the student's
7 33 postsecondary education and career options. Additionally, the
7 34 plan shall include a timeline for each student to successfully
7 35 complete, prior to graduation, all components of the
8 1 state=designated career information and decision=making system
8 2 administered by the department in accordance with section 118
8 3 of the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
8 4 Improvement Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109=270. The student's
8 5 parent or guardian shall sign the core curriculum graduation
8 6 plan developed with the student and the signed plan shall be
8 7 included in the student's cumulative records.
8 8 2. For the school year beginning July 1, 2008, and each
8 9 succeeding school year, the The board of directors of each
8 10 school district shall report annually to each student enrolled
8 11 in grades nine through twelve in the school district, and, if
8 12 the student is under the age of eighteen, to each student's
8 13 parent or guardian, the student's progress toward meeting the
8 14 goal of successfully completing the core curriculum and high
8 15 school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of
8 16 education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26.
8 17 Sec. 22. Section 280.3, subsection 3, Code 2015, is amended
8 18 by striking the subsection.
8 19 EXPLANATION
8 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
8 21 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
8 22 This bill eliminates requirements and references to the
8 23 (Iowa) core curriculum and to core content standards, but
8 24 continues to direct the state board of education to adopt high
8 25 school graduation requirements and assessment standards.
8 26 Provisions directing school districts to cooperate with
8 27 each eighth grade student on a core curriculum plan to meet
8 28 core curriculum requirements are amended to replace "core
8 29 curriculum plan" with "graduation plan" and "core curriculum
8 30 requirements" with "high school graduation requirements". The
8 31 term "core content standards", which was used to describe the
8 32 assessment standards adopted by the state board, is replaced
8 33 with the term "assessment standards". The assessment standards
8 34 will remain applicable to all students in kindergarten through
8 35 grade 12 in every school district and accredited nonpublic
9 1 school. Corresponding changes are made throughout the Code,
9 2 and obsolete language is eliminated.
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