Bill Text: IA HF2139 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to successful progression for early readers and to intensive summer reading programs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-03 - Subcommittee, Highfill, Fry, and Mascher. H.J. 160. [HF2139 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-HF2139-Introduced.html

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House File 2139 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  MASCHER

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to successful progression for early readers and
  2    to intensive summer reading programs.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 5480YH (4) 86
    kh/rj

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 31, paragraph a, Code
  1  2 2016, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    a.  By July 1, 2013, adopt Adopt by rule guidelines for
  1  4 school district implementation of section 279.68, including but
  1  5 not limited to basic levels of reading proficiency on approved
  1  6 locally determined or statewide assessments and identification
  1  7 of tools that school districts may use in evaluating and
  1  8 reevaluating any student who may be or who is determined
  1  9 to be deficient in reading, including but not limited to
  1 10 initial assessments and subsequent assessments, alternative
  1 11 assessments, and portfolio reviews. The state board shall
  1 12 adopt standards that provide a reasonable expectation that a
  1 13 student's progress toward reading proficiency under section
  1 14 279.68 is sufficient to master appropriate grade four level
  1 15 reading skills prior to the student's promotion to grade four.
  1 16    Sec. 2.  Section 279.68, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
  1 17 2016, is amended to read as follows:
  1 18    c.  Beginning May 1, 2017, unless the school district is
  1 19 granted a waiver pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph "e",
  1 20 if the student's reading deficiency is not remedied by the
  1 21 end of grade three, as demonstrated by scoring on a locally
  1 22 determined or statewide assessment as provided in section
  1 23 256.7, subsection 31, the school district shall notify the
  1 24 student's parent or guardian in writing that the parent or
  1 25 guardian may enroll the student in an intensive summer reading
  1 26 program offered in accordance with subsection 2, paragraph "e".
  1 27 If the parent or guardian does not enroll the student in the
  1 28 intensive summer reading program and the student is ineligible
  1 29 for the good cause exemption under subsection 5, the student
  1 30 shall be retained in grade three pursuant to subsection 3. If,
  1 31 even though the student is exempt from participating in an
  1 32 intensive summer reading program for good cause, shown pursuant
  1 33 to subsection 5, or completes the intensive summer reading
  1 34 program but is not reading proficient upon completion of the
  1 35 program, the student may be promoted to grade four, but the.
  2  1 The school district shall continue to provide the student with
  2  2 intensive reading instruction until the student is proficient
  2  3 in reading as demonstrated by scoring on locally determined or
  2  4 statewide assessments.
  2  5    Sec. 3.  Section 279.68, subsection 1, Code 2016, is amended
  2  6 by adding the following new paragraph:
  2  7    NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  If funds are appropriated by the
  2  8 general assembly specifically for purposes of implementing
  2  9 this paragraph and subsection 2, paragraph "e", unless the
  2 10 school district is granted a waiver pursuant to subsection
  2 11 2, paragraph "e", beginning May 1, 2018, the school district
  2 12 shall notify, in writing, the parent or guardian of a student
  2 13 enrolled in kindergarten through grade two whose reading
  2 14 deficiency is not remedied by the end of the school year, as
  2 15 demonstrated by scoring on a locally determined or statewide
  2 16 assessment as provided in section 256.7, subsection 31, that
  2 17 the parent or guardian may enroll the student in an intensive
  2 18 summer reading program offered in accordance with subsection
  2 19 2, paragraph "e".
  2 20    Sec. 4.  Section 279.68, subsection 2, paragraph e, Code
  2 21 2016, is amended to read as follows:
  2 22    e.  Offer each summer, beginning in the summer of 2017 for
  2 23 students in grade three and, subject to an appropriation of
  2 24 sufficient funds by the general assembly for such purpose,
  2 25 beginning in the summer of 2018 for students in kindergarten
  2 26 through grade two, unless the school district receives a waiver
  2 27 from this requirement either of these requirements from the
  2 28 department of education for the summer of 2017, an intensive
  2 29 summer literacy reading program for students assessed as
  2 30 exhibiting a substantial deficiency in reading.  The department
  2 31 may waive the requirement for an intensive summer reading
  2 32 program for grade three students for the summer of 2017 and may
  2 33 waive the requirement for an intensive summer reading program
  2 34 for students in kindergarten through grade two for the summer
  2 35 of 2018. The program shall meet the criteria and follow the
  3  1 guidelines established pursuant to section 256.9, subsection
  3  2 53, paragraph "c", subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (g).
  3  3    Sec. 5.  Section 279.68, subsection 3, Code 2016, is amended
  3  4 by striking the subsection.
  3  5    Sec. 6.  Section 279.68, subsection 5, paragraph a,
  3  6 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2016, is amended to read as
  3  7 follows:
  3  8    The school district shall exempt students from the retention
  3  9 and intensive summer reading program requirements provisions
  3 10  of subsection 1, paragraph "c", for good cause. Good cause
  3 11 exemptions shall be limited to the following:
  3 12    Sec. 7.  Section 279.68, subsection 5, paragraph a,
  3 13 subparagraph (5), Code 2016, is amended by striking the
  3 14 subparagraph.
  3 15    Sec. 8.  Section 279.68, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code
  3 16 2016, is amended by striking the paragraph.
  3 17                           EXPLANATION
  3 18 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  3 19 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  3 20    This bill modifies provisions that require school districts
  3 21 to retain in the third grade certain students, and adds a
  3 22 provision to require school districts to offer, under certain
  3 23 conditions, an intensive summer reading program for students in
  3 24 kindergarten through grade three whose reading is deficient.
  3 25    The bill eliminates a requirement that school districts
  3 26 retain a student in grade three if the student has been
  3 27 identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading,
  3 28 the student's parent or guardian did not enroll the student
  3 29 in an intensive summer reading program, and the student does
  3 30 not qualify for a good cause exemption.  A current provision
  3 31 that requires the state board of education to adopt standards
  3 32 regarding a student's progress toward reading proficiency
  3 33 is modified to eliminate language relating to a student's
  3 34 promotion to grade four.  For consistency, the bill also
  3 35 changes a reference from "intensive summer literacy program" to
  4  1 "intensive summer reading program".
  4  2    Under the bill, when the school district notifies a parent or
  4  3 guardian that the parent or guardian may enroll the student in
  4  4 an intensive summer reading program, the notification must be
  4  5 in writing.  Students continue to be exempt from participating
  4  6 in an intensive summer reading program for good cause, the
  4  7 qualifications for which are listed in Code section 279.68(5).
  4  8    The bill requires school districts to provide intensive
  4  9 summer reading programs, beginning in the summer of 2018,
  4 10 for students who are enrolled in kindergarten through grade
  4 11 two, but only if the general assembly appropriates funds for
  4 12 the programs.  The department of education may waive the
  4 13 requirement for a school district.  For any year in which the
  4 14 general assembly appropriates funds for such programs, if a
  4 15 school district does not obtain a waiver and if the reading
  4 16 deficiency of a student enrolled in kindergarten through grade
  4 17 two is not remedied by the end of the school year, the school
  4 18 district must notify the student's parent or guardian in
  4 19 writing that the parent or guardian may enroll the student in
  4 20 an intensive summer reading program.
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       kh/rj