Text: SSB01102                          Text: SSB01104
Text: SSB01100 - SSB01199               Text: SSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index



Senate Study Bill 1103

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  256E.1  IOWA EARLY INTERVENTION
  1  2 PROGRAM ESTABLISHED – INTENT – GOALS.
  1  3    1.  An Iowa early intervention program is established
  1  4 within the department of education.  The program's goals are
  1  5 to provide the resources needed to reduce class sizes in basic
  1  6 skills instruction to the state goal of seventeen students for
  1  7 every one teacher in kindergarten through grade three; provide
  1  8 direction and resources for early intervention efforts by
  1  9 school districts to achieve a higher level of student success
  1 10 in the basic skills, especially reading skills; and increase
  1 11 communication and accountability regarding student
  1 12 performance.  In determining uses for program moneys received
  1 13 by a school district, it is the intent of the general assembly
  1 14 that the school district use program funds first and foremost
  1 15 to reduce class sizes in basic skills instruction in
  1 16 kindergarten through grade three to the state goal.  The Iowa
  1 17 early intervention program shall consist of the following:
  1 18    a.  Class size management.  School districts shall develop
  1 19 a class size management strategy to work toward, or to
  1 20 maintain, class sizes in basic skills instruction for
  1 21 kindergarten through grade three that are at the state goal of
  1 22 seventeen students for every one teacher.
  1 23    b.  Improving instruction in the basics.  The department
  1 24 shall identify diagnostic assessment methods that can be used
  1 25 to assess and improve the reading skills of students enrolled
  1 26 in kindergarten through grade three.  The department shall
  1 27 provide a list of appropriate assessment methods to school
  1 28 districts and area education agencies.  In addition, the
  1 29 department, in collaboration with the area education agencies,
  1 30 school districts, and institutions with approved practitioner
  1 31 preparation programs, shall identify and serve as a
  1 32 clearinghouse on intensive, research-based strategies and
  1 33 programs for training teachers in both diagnosis and
  1 34 appropriate instruction interventions to improve kindergarten
  1 35 through grade three reading instruction.
  2  1    (1)  A school district shall at a minimum biennially inform
  2  2 parents of their individual child's performance on the
  2  3 diagnostic assessments in kindergarten through grade three.
  2  4 If intervention is appropriate, the school district shall
  2  5 inform the parents of the actions the school district intends
  2  6 to take to improve the child's reading skills and provide the
  2  7 parents with strategies to enable the parents to improve their
  2  8 child's skills.
  2  9    (2)  The department shall also identify for school
  2 10 districts programs and materials by which parents may support
  2 11 classroom reading instruction.
  2 12    2.  A school district shall integrate its specific early
  2 13 intervention program goals and activities into the
  2 14 comprehensive school improvement plan required under section
  2 15 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph "a".
  2 16    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  256E.2  PROGRAM EXPENDITURES.
  2 17    A school district shall expend funds received pursuant to
  2 18 section 256E.4 to support efforts in basic skills instruction
  2 19 at the kindergarten through grade three levels to reach the
  2 20 state goal of not more than seventeen students for every one
  2 21 teacher, as well as for the following:  to support instruction
  2 22 and student learning goals in the basic skill of reading,
  2 23 including but not limited to additional support for students
  2 24 such as before and after school programs, tutoring, and
  2 25 intensive summer programs; acquire and administer diagnostic
  2 26 reading assessments; implement research-based instructional
  2 27 intervention programs for students needing additional support;
  2 28 and provide classroom teachers with intensive training
  2 29 programs to improve reading instruction and professional
  2 30 development in best practices.
  2 31    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  256E.3  ANNUAL REPORTS.
  2 32    1.  A school district shall report annually to its school
  2 33 community the proportion of fourth grade students who are
  2 34 proficient in reading in accordance with section 256.7,
  2 35 subsection 21, paragraph "c".
  3  1    2.  The annual report submitted to the department of
  3  2 education in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 21,
  3  3 paragraph "c", shall include the district's current class size
  3  4 for kindergarten through grade three, and the district's
  3  5 progress toward achieving early intervention goals.
  3  6    3.  Beginning January 15, 2001, the department shall submit
  3  7 an annual report to the chairpersons and ranking members of
  3  8 the senate and house education committees that includes the
  3  9 statewide average school district class size in basic skills
  3 10 instruction in kindergarten through grade three, by grade
  3 11 level and by district size, and describes school district
  3 12 progress toward achieving early intervention program goals and
  3 13 the ways in which school districts are using moneys received
  3 14 under this chapter.
  3 15    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  256E.4  PROGRAM ALLOCATION.
  3 16    1.  For each fiscal year in which moneys are appropriated
  3 17 for purposes of this chapter, the amount of moneys allocated
  3 18 to school districts shall be determined in accordance with the
  3 19 following formula:
  3 20    a.  Fifty percent of the allocation shall be based upon the
  3 21 proportion that the kindergarten through grade three
  3 22 enrollment of a district bears to the sum of the kindergarten
  3 23 through grade three enrollments of all school districts in the
  3 24 state as reported for the base year.
  3 25    b.  Fifty percent of the allocation shall be based upon the
  3 26 proportion that the number of children who are eligible for
  3 27 free or reduced price meals under the federal National School
  3 28 Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42
  3 29 U.S.C. } 1751-1785, in the kindergarten through grade three
  3 30 enrollment of a school district bears to the sum of the number
  3 31 of children who are eligible for free or reduced price meals
  3 32 under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal
  3 33 Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. } 1751-1785, in the
  3 34 kindergarten through grade three enrollments of all school
  3 35 districts in the state for the base year.
  4  1    2.  For each year in which an appropriation is made to the
  4  2 Iowa early intervention program, the department of education
  4  3 shall notify the department of revenue and finance of the
  4  4 amount of the allocation to be paid to each school district as
  4  5 provided in subsection 1.  The allocation to each school
  4  6 district shall be made in one payment on or about October 15
  4  7 of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made, taking
  4  8 into consideration the relative budget and cash position of
  4  9 the state resources.  Moneys received under this section shall
  4 10 not be commingled with state aid payments made under section
  4 11 257.16 to a school district and shall be accounted for by the
  4 12 local school district separately from state aid payments.
  4 13 Payments made to school districts under this section are
  4 14 miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257.  A school
  4 15 district shall maintain a separate listing within its budget
  4 16 for payments received and expenditures made pursuant to this
  4 17 section.  A school district shall certify to the department of
  4 18 education that moneys received under this chapter were used to
  4 19 supplement, not supplant, moneys otherwise received and used
  4 20 by the school district.
  4 21    3.  For purposes of this section, unless the context
  4 22 otherwise requires, "kindergarten through grade three
  4 23 enrollment" means the enrollment as reported in the basic
  4 24 educational data survey for the base year.
  4 25    Sec. 5.  NEW SECTION.  256E.5  APPROPRIATIONS.
  4 26    There is appropriated from the general fund of the state to
  4 27 the department of education, for the early intervention
  4 28 program, the following amounts for the following fiscal years:
  4 29    1.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and ending
  4 30 June 30, 2000, the sum of ten million dollars.
  4 31    2.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2000, and ending
  4 32 June 30, 2001, the sum of twenty million dollars.
  4 33    3.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2001, and ending
  4 34 June 30, 2002, the sum of thirty million dollars.
  4 35    4.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, and ending
  5  1 June 30, 2003, the sum of forty million dollars.
  5  2    5.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and ending
  5  3 June 30, 2004, the sum of fifty million dollars.  
  5  4                           EXPLANATION 
  5  5    This bill establishes an Iowa early intervention program
  5  6 within of the department of education and makes appropriations
  5  7 of $10 million in FY 1999-2000, $20 million in FY 2000-2001,
  5  8 $30 million in FY 2001-2002, $40 million in FY 2002-2003, and
  5  9 $50 million in FY 2003-2004 from the general fund of the state
  5 10 for that purpose.  The program includes the following:
  5 11    GOALS.  The program's goals are to provide the resources
  5 12 needed to reduce class sizes in basic skills instruction to
  5 13 the state goal of 17 students to one teacher; provide
  5 14 direction and resources for early intervention efforts by
  5 15 school districts to achieve a higher level of student success
  5 16 in the basic skills, especially reading skills; and increase
  5 17 communication and accountability regarding student
  5 18 performance.
  5 19    DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.  The department is
  5 20 directed to identify a collection of diagnostic assessment
  5 21 methods that can be used to assess and improve the reading
  5 22 skills of students in kindergarten through grade three.  The
  5 23 department must provide a list of appropriate diagnostic
  5 24 assessment tools to school districts and area education
  5 25 agencies.  In addition, the department, in collaboration with
  5 26 the area education agencies, school districts, and
  5 27 institutions with approved practitioner preparation programs,
  5 28 is required to identify and serve as a clearinghouse on
  5 29 intensive, research-based strategies and programs for training
  5 30 teachers in both diagnosis and appropriate instruction
  5 31 interventions to improve K-3 reading instruction.
  5 32    CLASS SIZE MANAGEMENT.  School districts shall develop a
  5 33 class size management strategy to work toward, or to maintain,
  5 34 class sizes in basic instruction for K-3 at the state goal of
  5 35 17:1.
  6  1    COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.  A school district
  6  2 shall integrate its specific early intervention program goals
  6  3 and activities into its comprehensive school improvement plan.
  6  4    INFORMATION TO PARENTS.  School districts must biennially
  6  5 inform parents of their child's performance on the diagnostic
  6  6 assessment and of any actions the school district intends to
  6  7 take to improve the child's reading skills.  Districts must
  6  8 also provide the parents with strategies to enable the parents
  6  9 to improve their child's skills.
  6 10    ALLOWABLE EXPENDITURES.  A school district can expend
  6 11 program funds only to support K-3 efforts in basic skills
  6 12 instruction to reach the state class size goal of 17 to
  6 13 support instruction and student learning goals in the basic
  6 14 skill of reading, including but not limited to additional
  6 15 support for students such as before and after school programs,
  6 16 tutoring, and intensive summer programs; to acquire and
  6 17 administer diagnostic reading assessments; to implement
  6 18 research-based instructional intervention programs for
  6 19 students needing additional support; and to provide classroom
  6 20 teachers with professional development in best practices.
  6 21    PROGRAM REPORTS.  Each school district will be required to
  6 22 report annually to its school community the proportion of
  6 23 fourth grade students who are proficient in reading.  In
  6 24 addition, each school district shall include in its
  6 25 comprehensive school improvement report to the department, the
  6 26 district's current K-3 class size and the district's progress
  6 27 toward achieving early intervention goals.  Districts shall
  6 28 certify their use of program moneys to the department.
  6 29    Beginning January 15, 2001, the department is required to
  6 30 submit an annual report to the chairpersons and ranking
  6 31 members of the senate and house education committees that
  6 32 includes the statewide average school district class size in
  6 33 basic instruction in K-3, by grade level and by district size,
  6 34 and describes school district progress toward achieving early
  6 35 intervention program goals and the ways in which school
  7  1 districts are using program moneys.
  7  2    PROGRAM ALLOCATION.  Program moneys are allocated to school
  7  3 districts according to a formula in which 50 percent of the
  7  4 allocation is based upon K-3 per pupil enrollment and 50
  7  5 percent is based upon the proportion of K-3 children who are
  7  6 eligible for free or reduced price meals under the federal
  7  7 National School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act
  7  8 of 1966.  
  7  9 LSB 1527XL 78
  7 10 kh/cf/24.1
     

Text: SSB01102                          Text: SSB01104
Text: SSB01100 - SSB01199               Text: SSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

Return To Home index


© 1999 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: Fri Feb 12 03:31:43 CST 1999
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Legislation/SSB/01100/SSB01103/990210.html
jhf