House File 129 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY ABDUL=SAMAD
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to requirements for the promotion of students
2 from kindergarten through grade twelve based on grade=level
3 proficiency in reading and mathematics.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1559YH 83
6 kh/nh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 279.68 STUDENT PROMOTION OR
1 2 RETENTION.
1 3 1. If a student enrolled in kindergarten through grade
1 4 twelve is below grade level in reading or mathematics, based
1 5 on the achievement levels established by the Iowa testing
1 6 programs, the state indicators for proficiency for students in
1 7 grades four, eight, and eleven established by the department
1 8 of education in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 21,
1 9 paragraph "b", or any other assessment used to measure student
1 10 progress approved by the department of education, the board of
1 11 directors of the school district shall notify the student's
1 12 parent or legal guardian of the student's grade equivalency
1 13 and shall provide intensive remediation services to the
1 14 student.
1 15 2. If a student is not proficient in reading or
1 16 mathematics by the end of the school calendar, based on the
1 17 achievement levels established by the Iowa testing programs,
1 18 the state indicators for proficiency for students in grades
1 19 four, eight, and eleven established by the department of
1 20 education in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 21,
1 21 paragraph "b", or any other assessment used to measure student
1 22 progress approved by the department of education, the board of
1 23 directors of the school district shall require the student to
1 24 attend summer school and shall notify the student's parent or
1 25 legal guardian that the student must attend summer school or
1 26 be denied promotion to the next grade level.
1 27 3. If a student has not achieved grade=level proficiency
1 28 in reading or mathematics by the close of summer school, based
1 29 on the achievement levels established by the Iowa testing
1 30 programs, the state indicators for proficiency for students in
1 31 grades four, eight, and eleven established by the department
1 32 of education in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 21,
1 33 paragraph "b", or any other assessment used to measure student
1 34 progress approved by the department of education, the board of
1 35 directors of the school district shall deny promotion to the
2 1 next grade level to the student and shall notify the student's
2 2 parent or legal guardian of the student's retention at the
2 3 current grade level.
2 4 4. Notwithstanding subsections 2 and 3, if a diagnostic
2 5 educational team determines that retention at the current
2 6 grade level would not be in the best interest of the child, a
2 7 student who has not achieved grade=level proficiency in
2 8 reading or mathematics at the close of the school calendar
2 9 need not, at the discretion of the school district, be
2 10 required to attend summer school and may, at the discretion of
2 11 the school district, be promoted to the next grade level.
2 12 5. The decision of the board of directors of a school
2 13 district to deny promotion to a student in accordance with
2 14 subsection 3 is subject to appeal under section 290.1.
2 15 Sec. 2. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
2 16 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
2 17 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
2 18 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
2 19 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
2 20 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
2 21 to meet all of the state funding=related requirements of
2 22 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
2 23 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by
2 24 and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
2 25 districts.
2 26 EXPLANATION
2 27 This bill establishes requirements for the promotion or
2 28 retention of students from kindergarten through grade 12 based
2 29 on grade=level proficiency in reading and mathematics.
2 30 The bill provides that if a student is below grade level in
2 31 reading or mathematics based on the achievement levels
2 32 established by the Iowa testing programs, the state indicators
2 33 for proficiency for students in grades four, eight, and 11
2 34 established by the department of education, or any other
2 35 assessment used to measure student progress approved by the
3 1 department of education, the board of directors of the school
3 2 district shall notify the student's parent or legal guardian
3 3 of the student's grade equivalency and provide intensive
3 4 remediation services to the student.
3 5 If the student is not proficient by the end of the school
3 6 calendar, the school board shall require the student to attend
3 7 summer school and shall notify the student's parent or legal
3 8 guardian that the student must attend summer school or be
3 9 denied promotion to the next grade level.
3 10 If a student has not achieved grade=level proficiency by
3 11 the close of summer school, the school board shall deny the
3 12 student promotion to the next grade level and shall notify the
3 13 student's parent or legal guardian of the student's retention
3 14 at the current grade level.
3 15 A student who has not achieved grade=level proficiency in
3 16 reading or mathematics at the close of the school calendar
3 17 need not be required to attend summer school and may be
3 18 promoted to the next grade level if a diagnostic educational
3 19 team determines that summer school or retention would not be
3 20 in the best interest of the child.
3 21 The school board's decision to deny promotion may be
3 22 appealed to the state board of education.
3 23 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
3 24 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any
3 25 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
3 26 district from state school foundation aid received by the
3 27 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
3 28 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state
3 29 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.
3 30 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate
3 31 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any
3 32 state mandates included in the bill.
3 33 LSB 1559YH 83
3 34 kh/nh/8