Bill Text: IA HF220 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to administration of a civics examination students must pass as a condition of high school graduation and for issuance of a high school equivalency diploma and including applicability provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 13-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-28 - Committee report, recommending passage. [HF220 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF220-Introduced.html

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House File 220 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  HEARTSILL, SHEETS,
                                     HINSON, WHEELER,
                                     CARLIN, WATTS, HOLT,
                                     GASSMAN, FISHER,
                                     MOMMSEN, HANUSA,
                                     BAUDLER, and KOESTER

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to administration of a civics examination
  2    students must pass as a condition of high school graduation
  3    and for issuance of a high school equivalency diploma and
  4    including applicability provisions.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 1300YH (6) 87
    kh/sc

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 256.9, Code 2017, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  61.  Approve alternative assessment
  1  4 measures pursuant to section 280.9A, subsection 1, paragraph
  1  5 "b".
  1  6    Sec. 2.  Section 259A.1, Code 2017, is amended to read as
  1  7 follows:
  1  8    259A.1  Tests.
  1  9    The department of education shall cause to be made available
  1 10 for qualified individuals a high school equivalency diploma.
  1 11 The diploma shall be issued on the basis of satisfactory
  1 12 competence as shown by tests covering all of the following:
  1 13  reading, language arts, literacy, mathematics, science, and
  1 14 social studies, and as shown by successfully passing a civics
  1 15 examination as set forth in section 280.9A.
  1 16    Sec. 3.  Section 280.9A, subsection 1, Code 2017, is amended
  1 17 to read as follows:
  1 18    1.  The board of directors of each local public school
  1 19 district and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school
  1 20 shall require that all students in grades nine through twelve
  1 21 successfully complete or pass, as applicable, as a condition of
  1 22 graduation, instruction the following:
  1 23    a.  Instruction in American history and the governments of
  1 24 Iowa and the United States, including instruction in voting
  1 25 statutes and procedures, voter registration requirements,
  1 26 the use of paper ballots and voting systems in the election
  1 27 process, and the method of acquiring and casting an absentee
  1 28 ballot.
  1 29    b.  A civics examination that shall be the same as, and shall
  1 30 include all questions used in, the latest available civics
  1 31 examination administered by the United States citizenship
  1 32 and immigration services.  The proctored examination shall
  1 33 be completed without ancillary materials and only students
  1 34 who score a proficiency of sixty percent or higher shall
  1 35 be considered to have successfully passed the examination.
  2  1 Alternative assessment measures approved by the department of
  2  2 education pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 66, may be
  2  3 administered to children requiring special education as defined
  2  4 in section 256B.2, subsection 1, and to students identified
  2  5 as limited English proficient pursuant to section 280.4.
  2  6 Each student shall be provided with an opportunity to take
  2  7 the civics examination at least one time per school calendar
  2  8 year. A student may take the test at any time after enrolling
  2  9 in grade seven and may repeat the test as often as necessary
  2 10 to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade seven or
  2 11 eight passes the civics examination, the student has met the
  2 12 graduation requirement applicable to this paragraph "b". A
  2 13 fee shall not be imposed or collected in connection with this
  2 14 paragraph "b".
  2 15    Sec. 4.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to school years
  2 16 beginning on or after July 1, 2018.
  2 17    Sec. 5.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance
  2 18 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
  2 19 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
  2 20 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
  2 21 received by the school district under section 257.16.  This
  2 22 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
  2 23 to meet all of the state funding=related requirements of
  2 24 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
  2 25 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
  2 26 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
  2 27 districts.
  2 28                           EXPLANATION
  2 29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 30 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 31    This bill requires students enrolled in school districts
  2 32 and accredited nonpublic schools to successfully pass as a
  2 33 condition of graduation a proctored, or supervised, civics
  2 34 examination that is the same as the latest available civics
  2 35 examination administered by the United States citizenship
  3  1 and immigration services.  Individuals seeking a high school
  3  2 equivalency diploma must also pass such an examination.
  3  3 Students are prohibited from using ancillary materials during
  3  4 the examination and must achieve a score of at least 60 percent
  3  5 to successfully pass the examination.
  3  6    Each student must be given an opportunity to take the test
  3  7 at least once every school year, beginning in grade seven,
  3  8 and each student may take the test, at no cost, as often as
  3  9 necessary to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade
  3 10 seven or eight passes the civics examination, the student has
  3 11 met the graduation requirement.
  3 12    The director of the department of education is tasked with
  3 13 approving alternative assessment measures that school districts
  3 14 and accredited nonpublic schools may administer to children
  3 15 requiring special education and to English language learners.
  3 16    The bill applies to school years beginning on or after July
  3 17 1, 2018.
  3 18    The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
  3 19 section 25B.3.  The bill requires that the state cost of
  3 20 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
  3 21 district from state school foundation aid received by the
  3 22 school district under Code section 257.16.  The specification
  3 23 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
  3 24 funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.  The
  3 25 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
  3 26 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
  3 27 mandates included in the bill.
       LSB 1300YH (6) 87
       kh/sc