House File 160 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  FORD


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act directing the state board of regents to conduct a
  2    statewide study of the kindergarten through grade twelve
  3    school system to determine and recommend best strategies to
  4    improve student achievement.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 2049HH 82
  7 kh/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  STATE BOARD OF REGENTS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
  1  2 STUDY.
  1  3    1.  If funding is approved or appropriated to the state
  1  4 board of regents for purposes of conducting a student
  1  5 achievement study as provided in this subsection, the state
  1  6 board shall use the educational, economic, social, and
  1  7 political knowledge resources of its institutions of higher
  1  8 education to organize and conduct a comprehensive, statewide
  1  9 study of Iowa's kindergarten through grade twelve educational
  1 10 system to determine the best strategies for improving overall
  1 11 student achievement and reducing achievement gaps between
  1 12 racial and socioeconomic groups of children.  The goal of the
  1 13 study shall be to establish a blueprint for the general
  1 14 assembly and education leaders to follow that maximizes
  1 15 student achievement regardless of racial, ethnic, cultural,
  1 16 socioeconomic, and geographic differences of Iowa's
  1 17 communities.  The department of education, area education
  1 18 agencies, community colleges, and school districts shall
  1 19 assist the state board of regents in its efforts in gathering
  1 20 and processing the necessary data and in gaining access to and
  1 21 input from educational personnel, students, parents, and
  1 22 community leaders throughout the state.
  1 23    2.  The state board shall develop plans for conducting the
  1 24 study set forth in subsection 1, including recommendations for
  1 25 funding the study and for a completion date for the study, and
  1 26 shall submit the plans and recommendations in a report to the
  1 27 legislative fiscal committee by the committee's October 2007
  1 28 meeting.
  1 29                           EXPLANATION
  1 30    The bill directs the state board of regents to organize and
  1 31 conduct a comprehensive, statewide study of Iowa's
  1 32 kindergarten through grade 12 educational system to determine
  1 33 the best strategies for improving overall student achievement
  1 34 and reducing achievement gaps between racial and socioeconomic
  1 35 groups of children, but only if the legislative council or
  2  1 general assembly provides funding for the study.  The bill
  2  2 directs the department of education, area education agencies,
  2  3 community colleges, and school districts to assist the state
  2  4 board in gathering and processing the necessary data and in
  2  5 gaining access to and input from stakeholders for the study.
  2  6    The state board must develop plans for conducting the
  2  7 study, including recommendations for a completion date for the
  2  8 study and for funding the study, and must submit the plans and
  2  9 recommendations in a report to the legislative fiscal
  2 10 committee by the committee's October 2007 meeting.
  2 11 LSB 2049HH 82
  2 12 kh:nh/je/5