Bill Text: IA SF2341 | 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. (Formerly SSB 3119.)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-05 - Subcommittee: Jacobsen, R. Smith and Wheeler. H.J. 460. [SF2341 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-SF2341-Introduced.html

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Senate File 2341 - Introduced




                                 SENATE FILE       
                                 BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

                                 (SUCCESSOR TO SSB
                                     3119)

                                      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 5706SV (1) 87
    kh/jh

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 256.9, Code 2018, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  60.  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 2018, is amended to read as
  1  7 follows:
  1  8    259A.1  Assessment of competency.
  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 demonstrated
  1 12  to qualified individuals who successfully pass the civics
  1 13 examination as set forth in section 280.9A, and demonstrate
  1 14  competence in all of the following core areas: reading,
  1 15 language arts, literacy, mathematics, science, and social
  1 16 studies.
  1 17    Sec. 3.  Section 280.9A, subsection 1, Code 2018, is amended
  1 18 to read as follows:
  1 19    1.  The board of directors of each local public school
  1 20 district and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school
  1 21 shall require that all students in grades nine through twelve
  1 22 successfully complete or pass, as applicable, as a condition of
  1 23 graduation, instruction all of the following:
  1 24    a.  Instruction in American history and the governments of
  1 25 Iowa and the United States, including instruction in voting
  1 26 statutes and procedures, voter registration requirements,
  1 27 the use of paper ballots and voting systems in the election
  1 28 process, and the method of acquiring and casting an absentee
  1 29 ballot.
  1 30    b.  A civics examination that shall be the same as, and shall
  1 31 include all questions used in, the latest available civics
  1 32 examination administered by the United States citizenship
  1 33 and immigration services.  The proctored examination shall
  1 34 be completed without ancillary materials and only students
  1 35 who score a proficiency of sixty percent or higher shall
  2  1 be considered to have successfully passed the examination.
  2  2 Alternative assessment measures approved by the department of
  2  3 education pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 60, may be
  2  4 administered to children requiring special education as defined
  2  5 in section 256B.2, subsection 1, and to students identified
  2  6 as limited English proficient pursuant to section 280.4.
  2  7 Each student shall be provided with an opportunity to take
  2  8 the civics examination at least one time per school calendar
  2  9 year. A student may take the test at any time after enrolling
  2 10 in grade seven and may repeat the test as often as necessary
  2 11 to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade seven or
  2 12 eight passes the civics examination, the student has met the
  2 13 graduation requirement applicable to this paragraph "b". A
  2 14 fee shall not be imposed or collected in connection with this
  2 15 paragraph "b".
  2 16    Sec. 4.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to school years
  2 17 beginning on or after July 1, 2019.
  2 18    Sec. 5.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance
  2 19 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
  2 20 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
  2 21 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
  2 22 received by the school district under section 257.16.  This
  2 23 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
  2 24 to meet all of the state funding=related requirements of
  2 25 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
  2 26 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
  2 27 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
  2 28 districts.
  2 29                           EXPLANATION
  2 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 31 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 32    This bill requires students enrolled in school districts
  2 33 and accredited nonpublic schools to successfully pass as a
  2 34 condition of graduation a proctored, or supervised, civics
  2 35 examination that is the same as the latest available civics
  3  1 examination administered by the United States citizenship
  3  2 and immigration services.  Individuals seeking a high school
  3  3 equivalency diploma must also pass such an examination.
  3  4 Students are prohibited from using ancillary materials during
  3  5 the examination and must achieve a score of at least 60 percent
  3  6 to successfully pass the examination.
  3  7    Each student must be given an opportunity to take the test
  3  8 at least once every school year, beginning in grade seven,
  3  9 and each student may take the test, at no cost, as often as
  3 10 necessary to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade
  3 11 seven or eight passes the civics examination, the student has
  3 12 met the graduation requirement.
  3 13    The director of the department of education is tasked with
  3 14 approving alternative assessment measures that school districts
  3 15 and accredited nonpublic schools may administer to children
  3 16 requiring special education and to English language learners.
  3 17    The bill applies to school years beginning on or after July
  3 18 1, 2019.
  3 19    The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
  3 20 section 25B.3.  The bill requires that the state cost of
  3 21 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
  3 22 district from state school foundation aid received by the
  3 23 school district under Code section 257.16.  The specification
  3 24 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
  3 25 funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.  The
  3 26 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
  3 27 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
  3 28 mandates included in the bill.
       LSB 5706SV (1) 87
       kh/jh