House
File
473
-
Enrolled
House
File
473
AN
ACT
RELATING
TO
HIGH
SCHOOL
EQUIVALENCY
PROGRAMS
AND
ASSESSMENTS
AND
INCLUDING
EFFECTIVE
DATE
PROVISIONS.
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
Section
1.
Section
259A.1,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
259A.1
Tests
Assessment
of
competency
.
The
department
of
education
shall
cause
to
be
made
available
for
qualified
individuals
a
high
school
equivalency
diploma.
The
diploma
shall
be
issued
on
the
basis
of
satisfactory
demonstrated
competence
as
shown
by
tests
covering
in
all
of
the
following
core
areas
:
reading,
language
arts,
literacy,
mathematics,
science,
and
social
studies.
Sec.
2.
Section
259A.2,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
259A.2
Age
Application
requirements
.
1.
Every
applicant
must
shall
have
attained
the
age
of
eighteen
years,
be
a
nonhigh
have
not
graduated
from
high
school
graduate
,
and
not
be
currently
enrolled
in
a
secondary
school.
However,
an
2.
An
applicant
is
not
eligible
for
the
a
high
school
equivalency
diploma
until
after
the
class
in
which
the
applicant
was
enrolled
has
graduated
from
high
school
.
House
File
473,
p.
2
3.
Application
shall
be
made
to
a
high
school
equivalency
program
or
testing
center
approved
by
the
department
of
education,
accompanied
by
an
application
fee
in
an
amount
prescribed
by
the
department.
4.
The
test
Test
scores
shall
be
forwarded
by
the
scorer
of
the
test
to
the
department
of
education
.
5.
Evidence
that
an
applicant
demonstrates
competence
as
required
under
section
259A.1
shall
be
made
available
to
the
department
of
education
by
the
high
school
equivalency
program
for
verification
purposes.
Sec.
3.
Section
259A.3,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
259A.3
Notice
and
fee.
Any
applicant
who
has
achieved
demonstrated
competence
in
the
minimum
passing
core
areas
under
standards
as
established
by
the
department,
and
approved
adopted
by
the
state
board
of
education
pursuant
to
section
259A.5
,
shall
be
issued
a
high
school
equivalency
diploma
by
the
department
of
education
upon
payment
of
an
additional
amount
determined
in
rules
adopted
by
the
state
board
of
education
to
cover
the
actual
costs
of
the
production
and
distribution
of
the
diploma.
The
state
board
of
education
may
also
by
rule
establish
a
fee
for
the
issuance
or
verification
of
a
transcript
which
shall
be
based
on
the
actual
costs
of
the
production
or
verification
of
a
transcript.
Sec.
4.
Section
259A.5,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
259A.5
Rules
——
duties
.
1.
The
director
of
the
department
of
education
shall
adopt
tests
prescribe
assessments
,
definitions
of
terms,
and
forms
and
resources
as
necessary
for
the
administration
of
this
chapter
.
2.
The
state
board
of
education
shall
adopt
rules
under
chapter
17A
to
carry
out
this
chapter
.
Any
rules
adopted
relating
to
demonstrations
of
competence
for
purposes
of
this
chapter
shall
require
such
demonstrations
to
be
equivalent
to
or
of
greater
rigor
than
those
required
for
high
school
graduation,
and
such
demonstrations
shall
include
but
are
not
limited
to
a
test
battery,
credit-based
measures,
and
attainment
of
other
academic
credentials.
House
File
473,
p.
3
Sec.
5.
EFFECTIVE
UPON
ENACTMENT.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
______________________________
LINDA
UPMEYER
Speaker
of
the
House
______________________________
JACK
WHITVER
President
of
the
Senate
I
hereby
certify
that
this
bill
originated
in
the
House
and
is
known
as
House
File
473,
Eighty-seventh
General
Assembly.
______________________________
CARMINE
BOAL
Chief
Clerk
of
the
House
Approved
_______________,
2017
______________________________
TERRY
E.
BRANSTAD
Governor