Text: SF02085 Text: SF02087 Text: SF02000 - SF02099 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.11C ALTERNATIVE 1 2 ACCREDITATION PROCESS. 1 3 1. As an alternative to the accreditation standards and 1 4 procedures in section 256.11, section 256.11A, and the rules 1 5 adopted by the state board to implement those standards and 1 6 procedures, the department shall recommend rules for adoption 1 7 by the state board pursuant to chapter 17A that provide for 1 8 the establishment by the department of an alternative process 1 9 for accrediting public and nonpublic schools by the school 1 10 year that begins July 1, 1999. 1 11 2. By January 15, the board of directors of a school 1 12 district or the authorities in charge of a nonpublic school 1 13 may notify the department of its intent to seek accreditation 1 14 under the alternative accreditation process for the next 1 15 following school year, and shall submit to the department a 1 16 comprehensive education program plan that meets the 1 17 requirements established by the department pursuant to rules 1 18 adopted by the state board and does all of the following: 1 19 a. Establishes results-based academic measurements of 1 20 learning for students according to local needs. The academic 1 21 measurements shall include, but are not limited to, academic 1 22 measurements for reading, writing, mathematics, science, and 1 23 speaking. The academic measurements shall be developed with 1 24 collaborative input by parents, students, educators, and 1 25 business, labor, and community representatives. 1 26 b. Specifies testing or assessment methods to measure the 1 27 progress of all students in achieving results-based academic 1 28 measurements. However, no public school student may be 1 29 assessed or tested on personal values, attitudes, or beliefs. 1 30 Nonpublic school students may be assessed on personal values, 1 31 attitudes, or beliefs, but these tests shall not be used for 1 32 any accreditation purposes. The district or school shall 1 33 establish for at least one interval at the elementary level, 1 34 for at least one interval at the middle school level, and for 1 35 high school graduation, the following measures, based on the 2 1 results from the tests or assessments administered by the 2 2 school or district: 2 3 (1) Minimum levels of proficiency for advancement or 2 4 graduation. The minimum levels of proficiency shall be 2 5 limited to the academic measurements for reading, writing, and 2 6 mathematics. 2 7 (2) Levels of excellence for students to earn a 2 8 certificate of achievement. The levels of excellence shall 2 9 include, but are not limited to, excellence levels in reading, 2 10 writing, and mathematics. 2 11 The district or school may establish alternative standards 2 12 or academic measurements for special education students. 2 13 c. Describes the criteria for advancement or graduation of 2 14 special education students if the school district has 2 15 established the alternative criteria. 2 16 d. Describes the means by which the district or nonpublic 2 17 school will do all of the following: 2 18 (1) Describe the assignment of instructional staff and 2 19 provide for professional staff development consistent with the 2 20 local results-based academic measurements of learning. 2 21 (2) Describe the schedules, calendars, and support 2 22 services to be implemented to support the accomplishment of 2 23 the local results-based academic measurements. 2 24 (3) Describe the assessment methods to be used to measure 2 25 results-based academic measurements of student achievement. 2 26 Assessments shall be objective, measurable, and, in part, 2 27 standardized. 2 28 e. Provides for instructional staff to be licensed at the 2 29 early childhood, elementary, secondary, special education, or 2 30 administrative level appropriate to their assignment as 2 31 provided in chapter 272. 2 32 f. Addresses the attainment of the student achievement 2 33 goals provided in sections 280.12 and 280.18. The 2 34 comprehensive education program plan may be submitted by the 2 35 district or nonpublic school to the department in lieu of the 3 1 annual report required by sections 280.12 and 280.18. 3 2 g. Addresses and is consistent with a phase III plan filed 3 3 under section 294A.16. The phase III plan shall be included 3 4 as a part of the comprehensive education program plan. 3 5 3. School districts and accredited nonpublic schools may 3 6 seek accreditation under this section for the district or one 3 7 or more attendance centers within the district or under the 3 8 control of authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic 3 9 school. 3 10 4. Before adopting local results-based academic 3 11 measurements, a school district or school seeking 3 12 accreditation under this section shall submit a copy of the 3 13 proposed academic measurements to the parent, guardian, or 3 14 legal custodian of each student enrolled in the school 3 15 district or school by mail or through the student, and shall 3 16 hold at least one public hearing to accept public comment on 3 17 the proposed academic measurements. 3 18 5. The department shall notify districts and nonpublic 3 19 schools by March 1 if the comprehensive education program plan 3 20 proposed for the following school year complies with the 3 21 requirements of this section. If notified by the department 3 22 that the plan complies with this section, the district or 3 23 nonpublic school may begin accreditation under this section 3 24 and is not subject to the standards specified in sections 3 25 256.11 and 256.11A. If the district or nonpublic school 3 26 receives notice that the plan does not meet the requirements 3 27 of this section, the district or nonpublic school shall 3 28 continue to be accredited under section 256.11, and may submit 3 29 revisions to its plan by April 1 for the following school 3 30 year. The department shall review the revisions and provide 3 31 notice to the district or nonpublic school of its 3 32 accreditation status by May 1 for the following school year. 3 33 6. The alternative accreditation process shall be 3 34 monitored by the department by the following means: 3 35 a. Reviewing and approving a district's or nonpublic 4 1 school's comprehensive education program plan described in 4 2 this section. 4 3 b. Monitoring the implementation of a comprehensive 4 4 education program. 4 5 c. Reviewing a district's or nonpublic school's annual 4 6 report of plan implementation results. 4 7 7. A parent, guardian, or legal custodian shall have 4 8 access, upon making a request to the school administrator, to 4 9 curriculum and other educational materials used in teaching or 4 10 testing a student, and may have access to learning plans. 4 11 However, tests or assessments requiring confidentiality for 4 12 future use shall be shown to the requesting parent, guardian, 4 13 or legal custodian, if the superintendent or school board 4 14 consents, under the supervision of a designee of the board of 4 15 directors of a school district or the authorities in charge of 4 16 a nonpublic school. A person or firm desiring to furnish 4 17 tests or assessments to a school district or school shall 4 18 agree to comply with the requirements of this section. 4 19 8. A school district or school seeking accreditation under 4 20 this section shall evaluate the effectiveness of its 4 21 comprehensive education program. The evaluation shall include 4 22 a comparison of the effects on student achievement based on 4 23 administration of a nationally recognized standardized 4 24 achievement test at selected grade levels. 4 25 9. Individualized information or individual test results a 4 26 school district or school gains by implementing this section 4 27 shall not be released to colleges, universities, businesses, 4 28 or other entities without written consent of a student's 4 29 parent, guardian, or legal custodian or of a student who has 4 30 attained the age of majority. 4 31 10. The district or nonpublic school accredited under this 4 32 section shall submit to the department and the community of 4 33 the district or nonpublic school an alternative accreditation 4 34 program annual report regarding the performance of student 4 35 groups at the intervals assessed. The report shall be 5 1 submitted at the close of each school year, but not later than 5 2 August 15, and shall meet the requirements established by the 5 3 department pursuant to rules adopted by the state board. The 5 4 report shall include all of the following: 5 5 a. Longitudinal results for groups of students by cohort, 5 6 gender, and ethnicity. If the longitudinal data submitted in 5 7 the alternative accreditation program annual report indicates 5 8 unsatisfactory progress in achieving the results-based 5 9 academic measurements adopted by the district or nonpublic 5 10 school, the district or nonpublic school shall submit to the 5 11 department a corrective academic plan to improve student 5 12 achievement in the district or nonpublic school. 5 13 b. Summary comments from reviewers selected by the 5 14 district or nonpublic school. Reviewers shall include, but 5 15 are not limited to, representatives from the following 5 16 entities: 5 17 (1) An area education agency. 5 18 (2) Other accredited districts or nonpublic schools, 5 19 including, but not limited to, a member of the instructional 5 20 staff. 5 21 (3) The department of education. 5 22 (4) The general public. 5 23 Comments by the reviewers shall address the comprehensive 5 24 program plan and the annual report. 5 25 11. If the alternative accreditation program annual report 5 26 submitted the year following implementation of the corrective 5 27 academic plan indicates to the department that the corrective 5 28 academic plan as required under paragraph "a" is unsuccessful, 5 29 the district or nonpublic school shall be required to comply 5 30 with and meet the standards of the accreditation process 5 31 pursuant to sections 256.11 and 256.11A, and the rules adopted 5 32 by the state board pursuant to those sections for the school 5 33 year that began the preceding July 1. 5 34 EXPLANATION 5 35 This bill requires the department of education to establish 6 1 an alternative process for accrediting public and nonpublic 6 2 schools by the school year beginning July 1, 1999. School 6 3 districts and nonpublic schools seeking accreditation under 6 4 the alternative performance-based process will still be 6 5 required to meet the requirements of Code chapter 272 for the 6 6 licensing of practitioners under their employ. 6 7 The bill details the requirements school districts and 6 8 nonpublic schools seeking accreditation under the alternative 6 9 accreditation process will be required to meet to qualify for 6 10 and to continue under the process. Those requirements include 6 11 submitting a comprehensive education program plan and an 6 12 alternative accreditation program annual report to the 6 13 department of education. The bill lists the notification 6 14 requirements that the department and the school districts and 6 15 nonpublic schools must meet under the process, and the methods 6 16 by which the department shall monitor the alternative 6 17 accreditation process. The bill also provides for parental 6 18 access to curriculum, learning plans, and other educational 6 19 materials used in teaching or testing a student, and requires 6 20 a participating school district or school to compare effects 6 21 on achievement based on administration of a nationally 6 22 recognized standardized achievement test. 6 23 Under this bill, any information or test results gained by 6 24 implementing the provisions of the bill cannot be released by 6 25 school districts or schools without the written consent of the 6 26 student's parent, guardian, or legal custodian or a student 6 27 who has attained the age of majority. 6 28 LSB 3538SS 77 6 29 kh/jl/8
Text: SF02085 Text: SF02087 Text: SF02000 - SF02099 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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