Bill Text: IA HF2618 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to elementary literacy by modifying teacher preparation program requirements, requiring personalized reading plans for certain students, and providing parent and guardian discretion for their students to be retained at grade level. (Formerly HSB 650.) Effective date: 07/01/2024.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-07 - Signed by Governor. H.J. 05/07. [HF2618 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2023-HF2618-Introduced.html
House File 2618 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2618 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 650) A BILL FOR An Act relating to elementary literacy by modifying teacher 1 preparation program requirements, requiring personalized 2 reading plans for certain students, and providing parent and 3 guardian discretion for their students to be retained at 4 grade level. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 5182HV (2) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 2618 Section 1. Section 256.16, subsection 1, Code 2024, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . m. (1) Administer, prior to a student’s 3 completion of the approved practitioner preparation program, an 4 examination identical to the foundations of reading assessment 5 administered in 2012 as part of the Massachusetts tests 6 for educator licensure, or the most current version of such 7 assessment. To successfully complete the program, a student 8 must attain a score on the assessment that is at or above 9 the minimum passing score established by the department. In 10 establishing the minimum passing score for purposes of this 11 paragraph, the department shall consider the minimum passing 12 score recommended by the developer of the assessment and the 13 current teaching standards in this state. 14 (2) The higher education institution shall report to the 15 department no later than August 1 annually, in the form and 16 manner prescribed by the department, the percentage of students 17 whose scores on the assessment administered during the prior 18 school year were above, at, and below the passing score, and 19 shall report any services or opportunities to retake the 20 assessment the institution may make available to a student 21 who fails the assessment. The department shall compile the 22 reports submitted under this subparagraph and publish on the 23 department’s internet site the compiled reports related to 24 students enrolled in the practitioner preparation program who 25 plan to teach in kindergarten through grade six. 26 Sec. 2. Section 279.68, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended 27 by adding the following new paragraphs: 28 NEW PARAGRAPH . c. (1) Each school district shall provide 29 written notice to the parent or guardian of any student in 30 grade three who is not reading proficiently of the student’s 31 level of reading or reading readiness. The written notice 32 shall contain a description of the parent’s or guardian’s 33 authority to request that the student be retained in grade 34 three pursuant to subparagraph (2). 35 -1- LSB 5182HV (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 2618 (2) A school district shall not promote a student who is 1 not reading proficiently to grade four, and shall retain the 2 student in grade three for the subsequent school year, if the 3 student’s parent or guardian submits to the school district a 4 request that the student be retained in grade three pursuant to 5 subparagraph (1). 6 (3) Notwithstanding subparagraph (2), if during the 7 student’s grade three year, the administrator and the student’s 8 classroom teacher provide evidence to the student’s parent 9 or guardian that the student has made adequate progress and 10 is reading at grade level, as determined by the student’s 11 consistently proficient performance on valid and reliable 12 measures of reading ability, the student’s parent or guardian 13 may withdraw the request and the school district may promote 14 the student to grade four. 15 NEW PARAGRAPH . d. A school district shall provide to 16 students who are not reading proficiently at the start of 17 the student’s grade three school year with a personalized 18 reading plan. The school district shall continue to provide 19 personalized reading plans to students in grade three through 20 the end of grade six if necessary, until the student is reading 21 at grade level, as determined by the student’s consistently 22 proficient performance on valid and reliable measures of 23 reading ability. 24 Sec. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 25 3, shall not apply to this Act. 26 EXPLANATION 27 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 28 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 29 This bill relates to elementary literacy by modifying 30 teacher preparation program requirements, requiring 31 personalized reading plans for certain students, and providing 32 parent and guardian discretion for their students to be 33 retained at grade level. 34 The bill requires higher education institutions providing 35 -2- LSB 5182HV (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 2618 practitioner preparation programs to administer, prior to a 1 student’s completion of the program, an examination identical 2 to the foundations of reading assessment administered in 2012 3 as part of the Massachusetts tests for educator licensure, 4 or the most current version of such assessment. The bill 5 establishes that, to successfully complete the program, 6 a student must attain a score on the assessment that is 7 at or above the minimum passing score established by the 8 department. In establishing the minimum passing score, the 9 bill requires the department to consider the minimum passing 10 score recommended by the developer of the assessment and the 11 current teaching standards in this state. The bill requires 12 higher education institutions to report to the department 13 annually the scores students receive on the assessment and 14 any services or opportunities the institution makes available 15 to students who fail the assessment. Additionally, the bill 16 requires the department to compile these reports and publish 17 on the department’s internet site the compiled reports related 18 to students enrolled in the program who plan to teach in 19 kindergarten through grade six. 20 The bill requires a school district to provide written 21 notice to the parent or guardian of any student in grade 22 three who is not reading proficiently of the student’s level 23 of reading or reading readiness. The bill provides that the 24 written notice shall indicate that if the parent or guardian 25 submits a request that the student be retained in grade three, 26 the school district shall not promote the student to grade four 27 but shall retain the student at grade three for the subsequent 28 school year. However, the bill establishes that, if during the 29 student’s grade three year, the administrator and the student’s 30 classroom teacher provide evidence to the student’s parent or 31 guardian that the student has made adequate progress and is 32 reading at grade level, the student’s parent or guardian may 33 withdraw the request and the school district may promote the 34 student to grade four. 35 -3- LSB 5182HV (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 2618 The bill requires a school district to provide to students 1 who are not reading proficiently at the start of the student’s 2 grade three school year with a personalized reading plan. 3 The bill provides that the school district shall continue to 4 provide such plans to students in grade three through the end 5 of grade six if necessary. 6 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 7 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 25B.2, 8 subsection 3, which would relieve a political subdivision from 9 complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of 10 the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, 11 political subdivisions are required to comply with any state 12 mandate included in the bill. 13 -4- LSB 5182HV (2) 90 jda/jh 4/ 4
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