SF 2220 (LSB 5496SV (6) 91)

RELATING TO EDUCATION, INCLUDING BY MODIFYING PROVISIONS  RELATED TO THE IOWA STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT  PROGRESS AND PROGRAMS FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN,  AND BY REQUIRING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DEVELOP AN ADVANCED  MATHEMATICS PATHWAY AND IMPLEMENT PROCEDURES FOR SUBJECT  ACCELERATION AND WHOLE-GRADE ACCELERATION, AND INCLUDING  APPLICABILITY PROVISIONS. 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   (a)  That all students enrolled in school districts in grades three through eleven be administered an assessment in mathematics and English language arts, including reading and writing, during the last quarter of the school year and all students enrolled in school districts in grades five, eight, and ten eleven be administered an assessment in science during the last quarter of the school year.
    Sec. 2.  Section 257.42, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  01.  The board of directors of each school district shall do all of the following:
   a.  (1)  Establish systematic and uniform procedures for screening, referring, identifying, and serving gifted and 

talented children enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve.
   (2)  The board of directors of a school district shall base the identification of gifted and talented children on a body of evidence from multiple data sources, both objective and subjective, which must include, at a minimum, local comparisons within the school district and, when appropriate, within individual attendance centers, and which may include but are not limited to any of the following:
   (a)  Standardized assessments.
   (b)  Student achievement.
   (c)  Cognitive ability.
   (d)  Creative ability.
   (e)  Qualitative and quantitative data.
   (f)  Teacher and parent input.
   (g)  Observation of gifted characteristics and behaviors.
   (3)  The identification procedures established by the board of directors of a school district shall not provide that any one particular criteria prohibits a student from participating in the school district’s program for gifted and talented children.
   (4)  The board of directors of a school district shall make all reasonable efforts to identify gifted and talented children among all student populations, including students participating in special education and students who are English learners. For purposes of this subparagraph, “English learner” means the same as defined in section 280.4.
   (5)  The board of directors of a school district is encouraged to include universal screening within the school district’s identification procedures.
   b.  (1)  Provide educational service options for gifted and talented children that are based on the areas in which the child is gifted or talented and ensure that the school district provides gifted and talented children with appropriate instructional adaptations and educational services beyond those that are provided in the regular school program.
   (2)  The educational services a school district provides to a gifted and talented child must satisfy all of the following requirements:
   (a)  The educational services must address the cognitive needs of the gifted and talented child.
   (b)  The educational services must address the character development of the gifted and talented child. For purposes of this subparagraph division, “character development” means addressing common challenges of gifted and talented children and promoting skills to support personal growth and academic success.
   (c)  The educational services must be in alignment with the gifted and talented child’s identification data.
   (d)  The educational services must correspond to the academic strengths and interests of the gifted and talented child.
   (3)  The board of directors of a school district shall review the progress of gifted and talented children at least annually to ensure that the educational services the school district provides to gifted and talented children meet the academic needs of each gifted and talented child.
   (4)  The board of directors of a school district shall make all reasonable efforts to provide educational services to each gifted and talented child that promotes the academic growth in the gifted and talented child’s academic strengths.
    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  279.89  Advanced mathematics pathway.
   1.  The board of directors of each school district shall develop an advanced mathematics pathway that is designed to do all of the following:
   a.  Increase the number of students who complete higher-level mathematics courses in grades nine through twelve.
   b.  Enable students to be prepared for, and enroll in, algebra I as early as middle school and to complete algebra I no later than by the end of grade nine.
   2.  The board of directors of each school district shall automatically enroll a student in the advanced mathematics pathway if any of the following apply:
   a.  The student attains a score that is within the advanced performance level on the statewide summative assessment in mathematics that was administered to the student when the student was enrolled in grades five, six, or seven.
   b.  The student demonstrated proficiency in mathematics as indicated in the student’s mathematics coursework or other local measure when the student was enrolled in grades five, six, or seven.
   3.  For purposes of this section, “advanced mathematics pathway” means a sequence of courses and curricula that accelerates or combines mathematics instruction that is typically provided to students enrolled in grades six through eight.
    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  279.90  Acceleration and automatic enrollment in advanced courses.
   The board of directors of each school district shall do all of the following:
   1.  Establish and implement procedures for subject acceleration and whole-grade acceleration that satisfy all of the following requirements:
   a.  Describe how the school district will assess a student’s readiness for subject acceleration and whole-grade acceleration.
   b.  Correspond to the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum in order for the student to receive the appropriate acceleration to meet the student’s academic needs.
   c.  Provide support to the student to address any possible gaps in learning that may have been created when the subject acceleration or whole-grade acceleration occurred.
   2.  a.  Automatically enroll a student in the next most rigorous level of advanced courses or programs offered by the school district if all of the following requirements are satisfied:
   (1)  The student is enrolled in grades four through twelve.
   (2)  The student attained a score that is within the advanced performance level on the statewide summative assessment in mathematics or English language arts that was administered to the student in the immediately preceding school year.
   (3)  The school district determines that the student demonstrates academic preparedness using any of the following data sources:
   (a)  Standardized assessments.
   (b)  Student achievement.
   (c)  Cognitive ability.
   (d)  Creative ability.
   (e)  Qualitative and quantitative data.
   (f)  Teacher and parent input.
   (g)  Observation of gifted characteristics and behaviors.
   (4)  The school district determines that the student is prepared to participate in the next most rigorous level of advanced courses or programs offered by the school district pursuant to procedures adopted pursuant to section 257.42, subsection 01, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1).
   b.  Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, a school district shall not enroll a student in the next most rigorous level of advanced courses or programs offered by the school district if the student’s parent or guardian requests that the student not be enrolled.
   c.  A school district shall use the automatic enrollment described in paragraph “a” as a way to increase student access to, and enrollment in, advanced courses.
   d.  A school district shall notify students and the parents or guardians of students of the advanced courses and programs available to eligible students.
   e.  This subsection shall not be construed to limit other options available to students to participate in advanced courses or programs, including the senior year plus program established pursuant to chapter 261E.
   3.  Allow any student who is enrolled in an accelerated course to take the statewide summative assessment that corresponds to the content and level of the course in which the student is enrolled.
    Sec. 5.  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.  In accordance with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under section 257.16. This specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
    Sec. 6.  APPLICABILITY.  The following apply to school years beginning on or after July 1, 2027:
   1.  The section of this Act enacting section 279.89.
   2.  The section of this Act enacting section 279.90.

______________________________
AMY SINCLAIR
President of the Senate

______________________________
PAT GRASSLEY
Speaker of the House

   I hereby certify that this bill originated in the Senate and is known as Senate File 2220, Ninety-first General Assembly.

______________________________
W. CHARLES SMITHSON
Secretary of the Senate

Approved _______________, 2026

______________________________
KIM REYNOLDS
Governor