HF 61 (LSB 1857YH (2) 88)

HOUSE FILE 61

BY  WHEELER

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the Iowa core curriculum and content standards applicable to students in kindergarten through grade twelve and including effective date provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   Adopt rules that establish a core curriculum and, which school districts and accredited nonpublic schools may elect to use, in whole or in part, at the discretion of the school district or school. The state board shall also adopt high school graduation requirements for all students in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools that include at a minimum satisfactory completion of four years of English and language arts, three years of mathematics, three years of science, and three years of social studies.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256.7, subsection 26, Code 2019, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  Adopt rules prohibiting the department from adopting and implementing mandatory statewide core curriculum standards. School districts and accredited nonpublic schools may utilize the core adopted by the state board, but shall not be required to report locally developed standards to the department. The state board shall not adopt, approve, or require implementation of the next generation science standards by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools.
    Sec. 3.  Section 256.7, subsection 28, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   28.  Adopt a set of core content standards applicable to all students in kindergarten through grade twelve in every school district and accredited nonpublic school. For purposes of this subsection, “core content standards” includes reading, mathematics, and science. School districts and accredited nonpublic schools shall may include, at a minimum, any of the core content standards adopted pursuant to this subsection in any set of locally developed content standards. School districts and accredited nonpublic schools are strongly encouraged to set higher expectations in local locally developed content standards, but shall not be required to report locally developed content standards to the department. As changes in federal law or regulation occur, the state board is authorized to amend the core content standards as appropriate.
    Sec. 4.  Section 256.7, subsection 32, paragraph b, subparagraph (1), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   Adopt rules which require that educational instruction and course content delivered primarily over the internet be aligned with the Iowa core standards as applicable. Under such rules, a school district, which may develop and offer to students enrolled in the district educational instruction and course content for delivery primarily over the internet. A school district providing educational instruction and course content that are delivered primarily over the internet, shall annually submit to the department, in the manner prescribed by the department, data that includes but is not limited to the following:
    Sec. 5.  Section 256.9, subsection 49, paragraph a, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Develop and distribute, in collaboration with the area education agencies, core curriculum technical assistance and implementation strategies that school districts and accredited nonpublic schools shall may utilize, including but not limited to the development and delivery of formative and end-of-course model assessments classroom teachers may use to measure student progress on the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26. The department shall, in collaboration with the advisory group convened in accordance with paragraph “b” and educational assessment providers, identify and make available to school districts end-of-course and additional model end-of-course and additional assessments to align with the expectations included in the Iowa core curriculum. 
    Sec. 6.  Section 257.11, subsection 9, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   9.  Shared classes and curriculum standards.  A school district shall ensure that any course made available to a student through any sharing agreement between the school district and a community college or any other entity providing course programming pursuant to this section to students enrolled in the school district meets the expectations contained in the core curriculum adopted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26. The school district shall ensure that any course that has the capacity to generate college credit shall be equivalent to college-level work.
    Sec. 7.  Section 279.61, subsection 1, paragraph a, subparagraph (1), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   (1)  Prepare the student for successful completion of the core curriculum developed high school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, by the time the student graduates from high school. 
    Sec. 8.  Section 279.61, subsection 2, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The board of directors of each school district shall report annually to each student enrolled in grades nine through twelve in the school district, and, if the student is under the age of eighteen, to each student’s parent or guardian, the student’s progress toward meeting the goal of successfully completing the core curriculum and high school graduation requirements adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, and toward achieving the goals of the student’s career and academic plan.
    Sec. 9.  Section 280.3, subsection 2, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The minimum educational program shall be the curriculum graduation requirements set forth in subsection 3 of this section 256.7, subsection 26, and educational program set forth in section 256.11, except as otherwise provided by law. The board of directors of a public school district shall not allow discrimination in any educational program on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, marital status, or place of national origin.
    Sec. 10.  Section 280.3, subsection 3, Code 2019, is amended by striking the subsection.
    Sec. 11.  EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT.  This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill makes voluntary the use by school districts of the core curriculum and content standards adopted by the state board of education, but continues to direct the state board of education to adopt the common core standards and high school graduation requirements.
   The bill requires the state board to adopt rules prohibiting the department from adopting and implementing mandatory statewide core curriculum standards. Schools may utilize the core curriculum standards, and are encouraged to set higher expectations in locally developed content standards, but schools shall not be required to report locally developed standards to the department.
   A provision requiring the state board to adopt rules requiring that educational instruction and course content delivered primarily over the internet be aligned with the Iowa core standards is stricken.
   Further, the bill prohibits the state board from adopting, approving, or requiring implementation of the next generation science standards by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools. The state board adopted the next generation science standards with some modifications on August 6, 2015.
   The bill makes technical and corresponding changes to provisions which contain references to the language stricken.
   The bill takes effect upon enactment.