HF 428 (LSB 2340YH (7) 86)

HOUSE FILE 428

BY  WINCKLER, RUFF, ABDUL-SAMAD, GAINES, HANSON, STAED, and STECKMAN

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to establishment of an attendance center performance scoring system by the department of education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  256.34  Attendance center performance scoring system.
   1.  For the purpose of this section, “achievement growth” means a valid and reliable measurement of academic progress over an academic year that exceeds the normative peer reference group’s rate of academic progress during the same academic year. 
   2.  The department shall develop an attendance center performance scoring system that calculates aggregate growth as well as aggregate proficiency of students which when combined with other academic indicators results in an overall school performance score for each attendance center and for the entire school district. This information must be posted on the department’s internet site with information for each attendance center listed separately. 
   3.  The department shall develop criteria and a process for school districts to use to establish specific performance goals and to evaluate the performance of each attendance center operated by the school district in order to arrive at an overall school performance score for each attendance center as well as for the entire school district. The criteria shall include but not be limited to student achievement growth, parent involvement, student attendance, employee turnover, and community activities and involvement. 
   4.  The department shall develop a student achievement growth indicator that acknowledges attendance centers whose annual rates of student achievement growth are higher than the statewide average annual rate of student achievement growth. The criteria for student achievement growth shall recognize an attendance center or school district whose students, in one academic year, achieve two or more academic years of academic progress in comparison with the normative peer reference group. Additionally, a closing gap score shall be calculated as another measure to determine subgroup performance and to rank and classify attendance centers. Other academic indicators shall be defined as criterion-referenced variables and shall include but not be limited to graduation rates and college-readiness rates. Additional indicators of achievement and progress may include post-graduation data, suspension and expulsion rates, levels of student engagement, parent satisfaction, parent engagement, and staff working conditions.
   5.  The overall school performance score may be used to do the following:
   a.  Determine the level of support and specialized assistance which must be provided to schools scoring at the lowest performance levels statewide.
   b.  Recognize and share the best practices of schools scoring at the highest performance levels statewide. 
   6.  By June 30, 2015, the department shall provide technical support and services to school districts for purposes of aligning the attendance center performance scoring system outcomes with the accreditation standards and process established under section 256.11. The department shall release the attendance center performance scoring system’s scores and ranking data to the school districts beginning September 1, 2016, and annually by September 1 thereafter. The department shall release the attendance center performance scoring system’s scores and ranking data to the public no sooner than October 1, 2016, and annually by October 1 thereafter. 
    Sec. 2.  2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 121, section 73, is amended by striking the section.
    Sec. 3.  PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS BY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.  From July 1, 2015, through August 31, 2016, the department shall provide professional development to school district instructional staff relating to Iowa’s differentiated accountability model. At a minimum, the professional development opportunities shall include definitions of the metrics included in the attendance center performance scoring system’s rankings, resources and suggested best instructional practices for school districts in the lower half of the rankings, and assistance with communication templates and strategies school districts may use to explain to the community in clear and concise terms for a diverse audience the rankings and their significance in identifying areas for improvement at attendance centers and in school districts.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill directs the department of education to develop an attendance center performance scoring system that calculates aggregate growth as well as aggregate proficiency of students which when combined with other academic indicators results in an overall school performance score for each attendance center and for the entire school district, to publish the results on the department’s internet site, and by June 30, 2015, to provide technical support and services to school districts for purposes of aligning the attendance center performance scoring system outcomes with the accreditation standards and process established under Code section 256.11.
   The department shall develop criteria and a process for school districts to use to establish specific performance goals and to evaluate the performance of each attendance center operated by the school district in order to arrive at an overall school performance score for each attendance center as well as for the entire school district. The criteria shall include but not be limited to student achievement growth, parent involvement, student attendance, employee turnover, and community activities and involvement.
   The department shall develop a student achievement growth indicator and criteria that acknowledge attendance centers whose annual rates of student achievement growth are higher than the statewide average annual rate of student achievement growth, and a closing gap score shall be calculated as another measure to determine subgroup performance and to rank and classify attendance centers. Other academic indicators shall be defined as criterion-referenced variables and shall include but not be limited to graduation rates and college-readiness rates. Additional indicators of achievement and progress may include post-graduation data, suspension and expulsion rates, levels of student engagement, parent satisfaction, parent engagement, and staff working conditions.
   The overall school performance score may be used to determine the level of support and specialized assistance which must be provided to schools scoring at the lowest performance levels statewide, and to recognize and share the best practices of schools scoring at the highest performance levels statewide. 
   The department shall release the attendance center scores and ranking data to districts beginning September 1, 2016, and annually by September 1 thereafter. The department shall release the attendance center scores and ranking data to the public annually no sooner than October 1, 2016, and annually by October 1 thereafter. 
   The department is directed to provide, from July 1, 2015, through August 31, 2016, professional development to school district instructional staff relating to Iowa’s differentiated accountability model. At a minimum, the professional development opportunities shall include definitions of the metrics included in the attendance center rankings resources and suggested best instructional practices for districts in the lower half of the rankings, and assistance with communication templates and strategies school districts may use to explain to the community in clear and concise terms for a diverse audience the rankings and their significance in identifying areas for improvement at attendance centers and in school districts. 
   The bill strikes a provision established in session law in 2013 directing the department to develop and establish attendance center performance rankings and to submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the state board of education, the governor, and the general assembly by July 1, 2014.