ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2492	By:	Billy, McDaniel (Jeannie), Sherrer, Nollan and Hoskin of the House

				and

		Paddack of the Senate

An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2011, Section 1210.541, as last amended by Section 16, Chapter 83, O.S.L. 2013 (70 O.S. Supp. 2013, Section 1210.541), which relates to student performance levels and cut scores; prohibiting Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability from making change to cut score effective in same academic year as change is approved; requiring Commission to include certain educators in panels that review and revise performance level descriptors; and providing an effective date.  

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     70 O.S. 2011, Section 1210.541, as last amended by Section 16, Chapter 83, O.S.L. 2013 (70 O.S. Supp. 2013, Section 1210.541), is amended to read as follows:
Section 1210.541  A.  The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability shall determine and adopt a series of student performance levels and the corresponding cut scores pursuant to the Oklahoma School Testing Program Act.
B.  The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability shall have the authority to set cut scores using any method which the State Board of Education was authorized to use in setting cut scores prior to July 1, 2013, provided that the Commission shall not be authorized to make a change to any cut score effective in the same academic year in which the change is approved.
C.  The performance levels shall be set by a method that indicates students are ready for the next grade, course, or level of education, as applicable.  The Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability shall establish panels of professional educators, including administrators serving in student assessment and academic capacities in the public schools of this state, to review and revise the performance level descriptors for each subject and grade level.  The Commission shall ensure that the criterion-referenced tests developed and administered by the State Board of Education pursuant to the Oklahoma School Testing Program Act in grades three through eight and the end-of-instruction tests administered at the secondary level are vertically aligned by content across grade levels to ensure consistency, continuity, alignment and clarity.  The Commission shall adopt performance levels that are labeled and defined as follows:
1.  Advanced, which shall indicate that students demonstrate superior performance on challenging subject matter;
2.  Proficient, which shall indicate that students demonstrate mastery over appropriate grade-level subject matter and that students are ready for the next grade, course, or level of education, as applicable;
3.  Limited knowledge, which shall indicate that students demonstrate partial mastery of the essential knowledge and skills appropriate to their grade level or course; and
4.  Unsatisfactory, which shall indicate that students have not performed at least at the limited knowledge level.
D.  The State Board of Education shall develop and implement in accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (ESEA), P.L. No. 107-110, also known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, an accountability system as provided for in 20 U.S.C., 6311 and any related federal regulations.  The accountability system shall be implemented beginning with the 2002-2003 school year and shall be based on the data as established pursuant to Section 3-150 of this title and as modified to meet the mandates of the ESEA.  For the 2002-2003 school year and every year thereafter the State Board of Education shall publish and ensure that each local education agency is provided with data annually by site and by district so that the local education agency can make determinations to identify schools for rewards and sanctions.  The State Board of Education shall establish a system of recognition, rewards, sanctions and technical assistance, as required by state law and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (ESEA).
E.  A school that is identified as in need of improvement by the State Board of Education pursuant to this section, because of failure to meet either an academic performance target or an attendance or graduation performance target, or both, and is identified as in need of improvement pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, shall utilize the assistance of a school support team or other similar team formed by the State Department of Education to provide support for schools in need of improvement, subject to school support team capacity.  The school support team shall review and analyze all facets of operation of the school including the design and operation of the instructional program.  The school support team shall assist the school in:
1.  Incorporating strategies based on scientifically based research that will strengthen the core academic subjects in the school and address the specific academic issues that caused the school to be identified for school improvement;
2.  Incorporating strategies to promote high quality professional development; and
3.  Training teachers to analyze classroom and school-level data and use the data to inform instruction.
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2014.
Passed the House of Representatives the 4th day of March, 2014.

	
	Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives

Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2014.

	
	Presiding Officer of the Senate