ARC 2312C
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT[281]
Adopted and Filed
Pursuant to the authority of Iowa Code section 256.7(21), the State Board of Education hereby amends Chapter 12, “General Accreditation Standards,” Iowa Administrative Code.
On August 6, 2015, the State Board of Education directed the Iowa Department of Education to present proposed rules for Notice to incorporate the recommendations of the Assessment Task Force convened pursuant to Iowa Code section 256.7(21). The task force’s report is available at the following url: https://www.educateiowa.gov/documents/boards-committees-councils-and-task-forces/2015/01/2014- 12-31-iowa-assessment-task-force. On September 17, 2015, the State Board of Education approved a notice to amend Chapter 12 to implement those recommendations.
An agencywide waiver provision is provided in 281—Chapter 4.
Notice of Intended Action was published in the October 14, 2015, Iowa Administrative Bulletin as ARC 2185C. Public comments were allowed until 4:30 p.m. on November 3, 2015. A public hearing was held on that date. Seventeen persons attended the public hearing, and nine persons spoke at the hearing. Of those persons speaking, six supported the adoption of ARC 2185C, and three opposed its adoption.
Twenty written public comments were received regarding this amendment. Of those written comments, thirteen supported the adoption of ARC 2185C, and six opposed its adoption. One individual expressed concerns about the assessment developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, but did not articulate opposition to the rule.
In many cases, individuals spoke or wrote on their own behalf. In many other cases, individuals spoke or wrote on behalf of an organization. Those organizations formally expressing support for adoption of ARC 2185C include the following: the School Administrators of Iowa; the Iowa Association of School Boards; the Urban Education Network of Iowa; the Rural School Advocates of Iowa; Reaching Higher Iowa; the Cedar Rapids Community School District; and the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. The only organization expressing opposition to adoption during the public comment period was the Iowa City Community School District.
The only change made to the amendment published under Notice was to replace “SBAC” with “the SBAC assessment” in subparagraph 12.8(1)“h”(2). Subparagraph (2) now reads:
“(2)	The department shall select a vendor to administer the SBAC assessment through a request-for-proposal process.”
After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.
This amendment is intended to implement Iowa Code section 256.7(21).
This amendment will become effective on January 13, 2016.
The following amendment is adopted.
	Adopt the following new paragraph 12.8(1)“h”:
	h. 	Designation of “at least one districtwide assessment.”
	(1)	For purposes of Iowa Code section 256.7, at least one of the districtwide assessments used to measure student progress in core academic indicators in reading and math shall be the assessment developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).
	(2)	The department shall select a vendor to administer the SBAC assessment through a request-for-proposal process.
	(3)	The assessment task force shall review SBAC administration and make a recommendation pursuant to Iowa Code section 256.7(21)“b”(3) on or before June 30, 2020.
[Filed 11/18/15, effective 1/13/16]
[Published 12/9/15]
Editor’s Note: For replacement pages for IAC, see IAC Supplement 12/9/15.