House Amendment 8325


PAG LIN




     1  1    Amend Senate File 2246, as amended, passed, and
     1  2 reprinted by the Senate, as follows:
     1  3 #1.  By striking everything after the enacting
     1  4 clause and inserting the following:
     1  5    <Section 1.  Section 256D.1, subsection 1,
     1  6 paragraph b, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003, is
     1  7 amended to read as follows:
     1  8    The department of education shall identify
     1  9 diagnostic assessment tools that can be used to assist
     1 10 teachers in measuring reading accuracy and fluency
     1 11 skills, including but not limited to phonemic
     1 12 awareness, phonics skills, oral reading ability, and
     1 13 comprehension skills, and vocabulary development to
     1 14 improve student achievement in kindergarten through
     1 15 grade three.  The department, in collaboration with
     1 16 the area education agencies, school districts, and
     1 17 institutions with approved practitioner preparation
     1 18 programs, shall identify and serve as a clearinghouse
     1 19 on intensive, research=based strategies and programs
     1 20 for training teachers in both diagnosis and
     1 21 appropriate instruction interventions.
     1 22    Sec. 2.  Section 256D.1, subsection 1, paragraph b,
     1 23 subparagraph (1), Code 2003, is amended to read as
     1 24 follows:
     1 25    (1)  A school district shall at a minimum
     1 26 biannually inform parents of their individual child's
     1 27 performance on the diagnostic assessments in
     1 28 kindergarten through grade three.  If intervention is
     1 29 appropriate, the school district shall inform the
     1 30 parents of the actions the school district intends to
     1 31 take to improve the child's reading skills and provide
     1 32 the parents with strategies to enable the parents to
     1 33 improve their child's skills.  If intervention is not
     1 34 warranted, the school district shall inform the
     1 35 parents of options available to the parents for
     1 36 enrichment activities for the child.  The board of
     1 37 directors of each school district shall adopt a policy
     1 38 indicating the methods the school district will use to
     1 39 inform parents of their individual child's
     1 40 performance.
     1 41    Sec. 3.  Section 256D.2, Code 2003, is amended to
     1 42 read as follows:
     1 43    256D.2  PROGRAM EXPENDITURES.
     1 44    A school district shall expend funds received
     1 45 pursuant to section 256D.4 at the kindergarten through
     1 46 grade three levels to reduce class sizes to the state
     1 47 goal of seventeen students for every one teacher and
     1 48 to achieve a higher level of student success in the
     1 49 basic skills, especially reading.  In order to support
     1 50 these efforts, school districts may expend funds
     2  1 received pursuant to section 256D.4 at the
     2  2 kindergarten through grade three level on programs,
     2  3 instructional support, and materials that include, but
     2  4 are not limited to, the following:  additional
     2  5 licensed instructional staff; additional support for
     2  6 students, such as before and after school programs,
     2  7 tutoring, and intensive summer programs; the
     2  8 acquisition and administration of diagnostic reading
     2  9 assessments; the implementation of research=based
     2 10 instructional intervention programs for students
     2 11 needing additional support; the implementation of all=
     2 12 day, everyday kindergarten programs; and the provision
     2 13 of classroom teachers with intensive training programs
     2 14 to improve reading instruction and professional
     2 15 development in best practices, including but not
     2 16 limited to training programs related to instruction to
     2 17 increase students' phonemic awareness, phonics skills,
     2 18 oral reading abilities, and comprehension skills, and
     2 19 vocabulary development.
     2 20    Sec. 4.  Section 256D.3, subsection 3, Code 2003,
     2 21 is amended to read as follows:
     2 22    3.  Beginning January 15, 2001 2005, the department
     2 23 shall submit an annual report to the chairpersons and
     2 24 ranking members of the senate and house education
     2 25 committees that includes the statewide average school
     2 26 district class size in basic skills instruction in
     2 27 kindergarten through grade three, by grade level and
     2 28 by district size, and describes school district
     2 29 progress toward achieving early intervention block
     2 30 grant program goals and the ways in which school
     2 31 districts are using moneys received pursuant to
     2 32 section 256D.4 this chapter and expended as provided
     2 33 in section 256D.2.
     2 34    Sec. 5.  Section 256D.9, Code Supplement 2003, is
     2 35 amended to read as follows:
     2 36    256D.9  FUTURE REPEAL.
     2 37    This chapter is repealed effective July 1, 2004
     2 38 2005.
     2 39    Sec. 6.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  The section of this Act
     2 40 amending section 256D.9, being deemed of immediate
     2 41 importance, takes effect upon enactment.>
     2 42 #2.  Title page, by striking lines 1 through 4 and
     2 43 inserting the following:  <An Act relating to the Iowa
     2 44 early intervention block grant program and providing
     2 45 an effective date.>
     2 46
     2 47
     2 48                               
     2 49 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
     2 50 TYMESON of Madison, Chairperson
     3  1 SF 2246.702 80
     3  2 kh/gg

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