Senate File 36 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY McKINLEY
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a value=added assessment system to calculate
2 annually the academic growth of students enrolled in school
3 districts at grade levels three through eleven.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1663XS 83
6 kh/nh/24
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.24 VALUE=ADDED ASSESSMENT
1 2 SYSTEM.
1 3 1. A value=added assessment system shall be established by
1 4 the department to provide for multivariate longitudinal
1 5 analysis of annual student test scores to determine the
1 6 influence of a school district's educational program on
1 7 student academic growth and to guide school district
1 8 improvement efforts. The department shall select a value=
1 9 added assessment system provider through a request for
1 10 proposals process. The system provider selected by the
1 11 department shall offer a value=added assessment system to
1 12 calculate annually the academic growth of each student
1 13 enrolled in grade levels three through eleven and tested in
1 14 accordance with this section, and shall, at a minimum, meet
1 15 all of the following criteria:
1 16 a. Use a mixed=model statistical analysis that has the
1 17 ability to use all achievement test data for each student,
1 18 including the data for students with missing test scores, that
1 19 does not adjust downward expectations for student progress
1 20 based on race, poverty, or gender, and that will provide the
1 21 best linear unbiased predictions of school or other
1 22 educational entity effects to minimize the impact of
1 23 fortuitous accumulation of random errors.
1 24 b. Have the ability to work with test data from a variety
1 25 of sources, including data that are not vertically scaled, and
1 26 to provide support for school districts utilizing the system.
1 27 c. Have the capacity to receive and report results
1 28 electronically and provide support for districts utilizing the
1 29 system.
1 30 d. Have the ability to create for each school district a
1 31 chart that reports grade=equivalent scores for grades three
1 32 through eight and gains between consecutive pairs of grades
1 33 for each attendance center, and that provides for a district=
1 34 wide study of grade=equivalent scores.
1 35 2. Annually, each school district that administers the
2 1 Iowa test of basic skills or the Iowa test of educational
2 2 development shall, within thirty days of receiving the test
2 3 scores, submit the test scores for each attendance center
2 4 within the school district and each grade level tested, from
2 5 grades three through eleven, to the system provider selected
2 6 pursuant to subsection 1. School districts may submit
2 7 additional assessment data for analysis and inclusion in
2 8 reports provided to school districts pursuant to subsection 3,
2 9 to the extent that the assessment meets the criteria for valid
2 10 academic progress interpretation specified by the system
2 11 provider.
2 12 3. The system provider shall provide analysis to school
2 13 districts submitting test scores pursuant to subsection 2, and
2 14 to the department of education. The analysis shall include
2 15 but not be limited to attendance=center=level test results for
2 16 the Iowa test of basic skills in the areas of reading and
2 17 mathematics and other core academic areas when possible. The
2 18 analysis shall also include but not be limited to the number
2 19 of students tested, the number of test results used to compute
2 20 the averages, the average standard score, the corresponding
2 21 grade equivalent=score, the average stanine score for the
2 22 group, the normal curve equivalent of average standard scores,
2 23 and percentile ranks based on student norms, as well as
2 24 measures of student progress. The system provider shall
2 25 create a chart for each school district in accordance with the
2 26 criteria set forth in subsection 1, paragraphs "a" through
2 27 "d".
2 28 4. Each school district shall have complete access to and
2 29 full utilization of its own value=added assessment reports and
2 30 charts generated by the system provider at the student level
2 31 for the purpose of measuring student achievement at different
2 32 educational entity levels.
2 33 5. Student academic growth determined pursuant to this
2 34 section shall not be used in teacher evaluation and shall not
2 35 be published if individual teacher effects can be surmised.
3 1 6. Information about student academic growth may be used
3 2 by the school district, including school board members,
3 3 administration, and staff, for defining student and district
3 4 learning goals and professional development related to student
3 5 learning goals across the school district. A school district
3 6 may submit its academic growth measures in the annual report
3 7 submitted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 21, and may
3 8 reference in the report state level norms for purposes of
3 9 demonstrating school district performance. However, unless a
3 10 school district chooses to submit its academic measures in the
3 11 annual report submitted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection
3 12 21, such measures are not public records for the purposes of
3 13 chapter 22.
3 14 7. The department may use student academic progress data
3 15 to determine school improvement and technical assistance needs
3 16 of school districts, and to identify school districts
3 17 achieving exceptional gains. Beginning January 15, 2010, and
3 18 by January 15 of each succeeding year, the department shall
3 19 submit an annual progress report regarding the use of student
3 20 academic growth information in the school improvement
3 21 processes to the general assembly and shall publish the
3 22 progress report on its internet website.
3 23 8. The department is encouraged to advocate that the
3 24 United States department of education allow reporting of
3 25 student academic progress as an additional valid measure of
3 26 school performance, as an alternative for meeting federal safe
3 27 harbor provisions, and for establishing statewide progress
3 28 under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L.
3 29 No. 107=110, and any federal regulations adopted pursuant to
3 30 the federal Act.
3 31 9. A school district shall use the value=added assessment
3 32 system established by the department pursuant to subsection 1
3 33 not later than the school year ending June 30, 2011. However,
3 34 the director of educational services of an area education
3 35 agency may grant a request made by a board of directors of a
4 1 school district located within the boundaries of the area
4 2 education agency stating its desire to use an alternative
4 3 system to compute and report value=added scores that is
4 4 statistically valid and reliable.
4 5 Sec. 2. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
4 6 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
4 7 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
4 8 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
4 9 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
4 10 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
4 11 to meet all of the state funding=related requirements of
4 12 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
4 13 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by
4 14 and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
4 15 districts.
4 16 EXPLANATION
4 17 This bill requires the department of education to establish
4 18 a value=added assessment system to provide for multivariate
4 19 longitudinal analysis of annual student test scores to
4 20 determine the influence of a school district's educational
4 21 program on student academic growth and to guide school
4 22 district improvement efforts. The department of education is
4 23 directed to select a value=added assessment system provider,
4 24 based on criteria set forth in the bill, through a request for
4 25 proposals process. School districts are required to use the
4 26 system not later than the 2010=2011 school year, but may
4 27 request from the district's area education agency
4 28 authorization to use an alternative system.
4 29 Each school district that administers the Iowa test of
4 30 basic skills and the Iowa test of educational development must
4 31 submit the test scores for each attendance center within the
4 32 school district and each grade level tested, from grades three
4 33 through 11, to the system provider within 30 days of receiving
4 34 the test scores. School districts may submit additional
4 35 assessment data for analysis if the data meets the criteria
5 1 for valid academic progress interpretation specified by the
5 2 system provider.
5 3 The system provider must provide analysis to each school
5 4 district and the department of education, and must also chart
5 5 data, using criteria set forth in the bill, for each school
5 6 district.
5 7 Each school district must have complete access to and full
5 8 utilization of its own value=added assessment reports and
5 9 charts. Student academic growth data shall not be used in
5 10 teacher evaluation and shall not be published if individual
5 11 teacher effects can be surmised.
5 12 School districts may use the data for defining student and
5 13 district learning goals and professional development related
5 14 to student learning goals across the school district.
5 15 However, unless a school district chooses to submit its
5 16 academic measures in the annual report submitted to the
5 17 department and the local community, the measures are not
5 18 public records.
5 19 The department may use the data to determine school
5 20 improvement and technical assistance needs of school districts
5 21 and to identify school districts achieving exceptional gains.
5 22 The department is directed to submit an annual progress report
5 23 regarding the use of student academic growth information in
5 24 the school improvement processes to the house and senate
5 25 education committees and must publish the progress report on
5 26 its internet website.
5 27 The department is encouraged to advocate that the United
5 28 States department of education allow reporting of student
5 29 academic progress for purposes of complying with the federal
5 30 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
5 31 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
5 32 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any
5 33 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
5 34 district from state school foundation aid received by the
5 35 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
6 1 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state
6 2 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.
6 3 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate
6 4 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any
6 5 state mandates included in the bill.
6 6 LSB 1663XS 83
6 7 kh/nh/24