Text: SF02266 Text: SF02268 Text: SF02200 - SF02299 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256D.1, subsection 1, paragraph b,
1 2 subparagraph (1), Code Supplement 1999, is amended to read as
1 3 follows:
1 4 (1) A school district shall at a minimum biannually inform
1 5 parents of their individual child's performance on the
1 6 diagnostic assessments in kindergarten through grade three.
1 7 If intervention is appropriate, the school district shall
1 8 inform the parents of the actions the school district intends
1 9 to take to improve the child's reading and mathematics skills
1 10 and provide the parents with strategies to enable the parents
1 11 to improve their child's skills. The board of directors of
1 12 each school district shall adopt a policy indicating the
1 13 methods the school district will use to inform parents of
1 14 their individual child's performance.
1 15 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 279.59 STUDENT PROMOTION OR
1 16 RETENTION.
1 17 1. A student enrolled in grade three who does not perform
1 18 satisfactorily on the school district's reading or mathematics
1 19 curriculum, who is not an active participant in school
1 20 district intervention efforts, and, if the school district
1 21 administers a valid and reliable assessment of student
1 22 progress, who is more than one year below grade level in
1 23 reading or mathematics on the assessment, shall not be
1 24 promoted to grade four. However, retention of a student is
1 25 not recommended or encouraged unless intervention efforts have
1 26 been unsuccessful. The board of directors of each school
1 27 district shall enter into a compact with the parents and
1 28 guardians of the students enrolled in the district by adopting
1 29 a school promotion policy that facilitates collaborations
1 30 among teachers, parents and guardians of the students, and the
1 31 school district to support student reading and mathematics
1 32 proficiency. By the first day of school, the school district
1 33 shall notify the parents and guardians of students in grade
1 34 three of the district's student promotion policy.
1 35 2. If appropriate, the school district shall make every
2 1 reasonable effort to provide interventions designed to improve
2 2 the reading or mathematics skills of a student who is failing
2 3 the school district's reading or mathematics curriculum or, if
2 4 the school district administers a valid and reliable
2 5 assessment of student progress, who is more than one year
2 6 below grade level in reading or mathematics on the assessment,
2 7 and shall provide the student's parent or guardian with
2 8 strategies to enable the parent or guardian to improve the
2 9 student's skills. Notwithstanding section 256D.1, subsection
2 10 1, paragraph "b", subparagraph (1), if intervention is
2 11 appropriate, the school district shall provide written notice
2 12 to the parent or guardian of the actions the school district
2 13 intends to take to improve the student's reading or
2 14 mathematics skills.
2 15 3. A parent or guardian of a student in grade three shall
2 16 be notified in writing if the student is receiving a failing
2 17 grade in reading or mathematics. If the school administers a
2 18 valid and reliable assessment of student progress, the parent
2 19 or guardian shall be notified in writing within five days of
2 20 the receipt of the results, if the results indicate a student
2 21 is more than one year below grade level in reading or
2 22 mathematics. Notices shall include a copy of the school
2 23 district's student promotion policy and shall be sent by
2 24 certified mail. Notices shall be written in clear,
2 25 understandable language. If the student is identified as
2 26 limited English proficient, the notice shall be provided in
2 27 English and in the student's home language. In lieu of notice
2 28 by mail, the school district may provide a written notice
2 29 required pursuant to this section to a parent or guardian at a
2 30 parent-teacher conference occurring in the same week in which
2 31 a notice would have been required to be sent by mail pursuant
2 32 to this section.
2 33 4. A student who is identified as limited English
2 34 proficient shall complete the reading and mathematics
2 35 curriculum in the student's home language or in English as
3 1 determined by the student's English as a second language
3 2 teacher, with consideration given to specific assessments
3 3 given in the student's home language.
3 4 5. A student identified as a child requiring special
3 5 education shall be expected to master the general curriculum
3 6 to the maximum extent appropriate with the use of
3 7 supplementary aides and services. However, the individualized
3 8 education program team assigned to the child requiring special
3 9 education shall determine whether the student is expected to
3 10 meet the school district's student promotion policy, which
3 11 must be documented in the student's individualized education
3 12 program.
3 13 6. If the parent or guardian of a student who does not
3 14 perform satisfactorily on the school district's reading or
3 15 mathematics curriculum, and, if the school district
3 16 administers a valid and reliable assessment of student
3 17 progress, who is more than one year below grade level in
3 18 reading or mathematics on the test, notifies the district of
3 19 residence of an intention to enroll the student in a public
3 20 school in another school district under section 282.18, the
3 21 school district in which the student is enrolled shall submit
3 22 copies to the receiving district of any notices provided to
3 23 the parent or guardian under subsections 2 and 3. The
3 24 receiving district shall work with the sending district to
3 25 ensure continuity in intervention efforts for the student.
3 26 However, notwithstanding subsection 1, using standards adopted
3 27 by the receiving district's school board and based upon
3 28 whether the student is likely to perform at grade level if the
3 29 receiving district provides the student with interventions
3 30 designed to improve the student's reading or mathematics
3 31 skills, the receiving district shall determine whether the
3 32 student will be promoted to the grade four level or retained
3 33 at the grade three level.
3 34 7. A school district shall notify a parent or guardian in
3 35 writing of the ability of the parent or guardian to appeal a
4 1 school's decision to deny promotion of a student to the school
4 2 board. The school board shall decide in favor of a student's
4 3 promotion only if the school board concludes, using standards
4 4 adopted by the school board, that if promoted and provided
4 5 with interventions designed to improve the student's reading
4 6 or mathematics skills, the student is likely to perform at
4 7 grade level. A decision of the school board to deny promotion
4 8 is subject to appeal under section 290.1.
4 9 8. The director of the department of education shall
4 10 conduct a review of school district student promotion
4 11 policies, the number of grade three level students retained or
4 12 promoted, and the success of the interventions implemented by
4 13 school districts to improve the students' reading or
4 14 mathematics skills. The director shall submit a report of the
4 15 findings and recommendations resulting from the review to the
4 16 senate and house standing committees on education and the
4 17 joint appropriations subcommittee on education by December 1,
4 18 2002, and biennially thereafter.
4 19 9. A valid and reliable assessment, for purposes of this
4 20 section, shall not be limited to a commercially developed
4 21 measurement.
4 22 SF 2267
4 23 kh/cc/26
Text: SF02266 Text: SF02268 Text: SF02200 - SF02299 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
© 2000 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Thu Apr 27 03:35:00 CDT 2000
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Legislation/SF/02200/SF02267/000315.html
jhf