HF 2280 (LSB 5104HV (2) 87)

HOUSE FILE 2280

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2007)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2018-03-06)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to subject and performance-based assessments administered prior to a student’s completion of a practitioner preparation program, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2018, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  (1)  Administer a preprofessional skills test offered by a nationally recognized testing service to practitioner preparation program admission candidates. Rules adopted shall require institutions to deny admission to the program to any candidate who does not successfully pass the test.
   (2)  Administer, prior to a student’s completion of the practitioner preparation program and subject to the director’s approval, subject assessments designed by a nationally recognized testing service that measure pedagogy and knowledge of at least one subject area; or, a valid and reliable subject-area-specific, performance-based assessment for preservice teacher candidates, centered on student learning. A student shall not successfully complete the program unless the student achieves scores above the twenty-fifth percentile nationally on the assessments administered pursuant to this subparagraph.
    Sec. 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
    Sec. 3.  RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies retroactively to July 1, 2012, for individuals who completed the course requirements for an approved practitioner preparation program but attained an assessment score below that required for successful completion of the program under section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (2), Code 2018. Such an individual shall be deemed to have successfully completed the practitioner preparation program for purposes of section 256.16 and is eligible to submit an application for an initial license to the board of educational examiners, which may issue the initial license for a period of time at its discretion.