House File 579 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY WENDT
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a one=year postsecondary readiness pilot
2 program and making an appropriation.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 2849HH 81
5 kh/pj/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION == POSTSECONDARY
1 2 READINESS PILOT PROGRAM.
1 3 1. There is appropriated from the general fund of the
1 4 state to the department of education for the fiscal year
1 5 beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006, the
1 6 following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be
1 7 used for the purposes of providing grants to school districts
1 8 under the postsecondary readiness pilot program established
1 9 pursuant to this section:
1 10 .................................................. $ 100,000
1 11 2. A postsecondary readiness pilot program is established
1 12 to be administered by the department. The department shall
1 13 develop an application process and grant selection criteria.
1 14 The purpose of the program shall be to determine, through the
1 15 use of assessments, how prepared students enrolled in grades
1 16 eight, ten, and twelve are for postsecondary education or
1 17 workforce experiences. The grant program shall provide for
1 18 the selection of three school districts for participation in
1 19 the postsecondary readiness pilot program. The school
1 20 districts shall be located in different geographic areas of
1 21 the state, with enrollments as follows:
1 22 a. One school district with an actual enrollment of two
1 23 thousand five hundred or more pupils.
1 24 b. One school district with an actual enrollment that is
1 25 greater than six hundred pupils, but less than two thousand
1 26 five hundred pupils.
1 27 c. One school district with an actual enrollment of six
1 28 hundred or fewer pupils.
1 29 A school district with more than one attendance center
1 30 serving the grades specified in this section shall select one
1 31 attendance center for participation in the pilot program.
1 32 3. A school district receiving grant funds under this
1 33 section shall use assessments published by the American
1 34 college testing program, inc., (ACT) as follows:
1 35 a. For students in grade eight, the explore assessment.
2 1 b. For students in grade ten, the plan assessment.
2 2 c. For students in grade twelve, the ACT college entrance
2 3 examination.
2 4 4. The participating school districts shall utilize the
2 5 results of the assessments administered pursuant to subsection
2 6 3 to identify measures which the school district shall take to
2 7 improve or expand the school district's curriculum and
2 8 increase the rigor of the courses offered at the junior high
2 9 school and high school levels in the school year following the
2 10 completion of the assessments.
2 11 5. Each school district receiving grant funds under this
2 12 section shall submit to the department of education, not later
2 13 than August 1, 2006, the results of the assessments
2 14 administered pursuant to subsection 3, the process used to
2 15 evaluate the school district's current curriculum, and the
2 16 measures identified by the school district to improve, expand,
2 17 and increase the rigor of the school district's junior high
2 18 school and high school curriculum and courses pursuant to
2 19 subsection 4.
2 20 6. The department shall evaluate the results of the
2 21 postsecondary readiness pilot program and shall submit its
2 22 findings and recommendations to the chairpersons and ranking
2 23 members of the senate and house standing committees on
2 24 education and the joint appropriations subcommittee on
2 25 education by December 15, 2006.
2 26 EXPLANATION
2 27 This bill establishes a postsecondary readiness pilot
2 28 program to be administered by the department of education and
2 29 appropriates $100,000 for distribution in the three school
2 30 districts the department selects to participate in the
2 31 program. The purpose of the program shall be to determine,
2 32 through the use of assessments, how prepared students enrolled
2 33 in grades eight, 10, and 12 are for postsecondary education or
2 34 workforce experiences. The large, medium, and small=sized
2 35 school districts selected for participation in the pilot
3 1 program must be located in different geographic areas of the
3 2 state.
3 3 The school districts selected must use assessments
3 4 published by the American college testing program, inc.
3 5 The school districts must utilize the assessment results to
3 6 identify measures for improving or expanding the school
3 7 district's curriculum and for increasing the rigor of the
3 8 courses offered at the junior high school and high school
3 9 levels in the school year following the completion of the
3 10 assessments.
3 11 Each participating school district must submit to the
3 12 department of education, not later than August 1, 2006, the
3 13 results of the assessments, the process used to evaluate the
3 14 school district's current curriculum, and the measures
3 15 identified by the school district to improve, expand, and
3 16 increase the rigor of the school district's junior high school
3 17 and high school curriculum and courses. The department must
3 18 evaluate the results and submit its findings and
3 19 recommendations to the chairpersons and ranking members of the
3 20 senate and house standing committees on education and the
3 21 joint appropriations subcommittee on education by December 15,
3 22 2006.
3 23 LSB 2849HH 81
3 24 kh:nh/pj/5