HOUSE FILE 599

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 144)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the use of a college readiness assessment as a condition of graduation and for payment of school foundation aid funding to community colleges and regents universities on behalf of certain students who attain a minimum acceptable score on the assessment.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  Section 256.7, Code 2011, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  31.  Adopt rules requiring school districts to administer to secondary students at least annually, beginning not later than the 2014-2015 school year, a college readiness assessment which a student shall successfully pass as a condition of graduation. The rules shall provide for alternative pathways to graduation and for a timeline for the administration of the assessment, and shall require school districts to administer the assessment to secondary school students, including, if a student and the student’s parent or guardian submit a written request to a school district, students attending accredited nonpublic schools located within the school district and students receiving competent private instruction pursuant to chapter 299A. A school district may charge a student a fee which shall not exceed the actual cost of the assessment. The board shall establish by rule the minimum acceptable scores students shall attain on the college readiness assessment to graduate from high school, to qualify for admission to an institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents, and to qualify for state school foundation aid pursuant to section 257.52.
   Sec. 2.  Section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2011, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph:
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (02)  Full-time equivalent resident pupils who attain the minimum acceptable score on the college readiness assessment established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 31, prior to the pupil’s senior year of high school if the pupil is admitted to an Iowa community college or institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents. A pupil who is admitted to an Iowa community college or institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents shall not be included in the district’s enrollment for purposes of this chapter if the pupil was eligible to receive a diploma with the class in which they were enrolled prior to taking the college readiness assessment and the class graduated in the previous school year.
   Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  257.52  High school scholarship payments.
   1.  Each community college and each institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents that admits a person who prior to the person’s senior year of high school attained at least the minimum acceptable score on the college readiness assessment established by the state board in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 31, for purposes of qualifying for state school foundation aid shall, if the person is enrolled in a school district and included in a school district’s actual enrollment in accordance with section 257.6, notify the department of management of the admission and the name of the school district in which the student is enrolled.
   2.  The department of management shall deduct from the amounts calculated for state school foundation aid for each school district the amount generated by each pupil pursuant to section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (02) for each school district from the state aid due to the district pursuant to this chapter and shall pay the amounts to the Iowa community college or institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents in which the person is admitted pursuant to subsection 1 on a monthly basis from September 15 through June 15 during each school year. The community college or institution paid pursuant to this subsection shall reduce the tuition charged to a person admitted as a student pursuant to subsection 1 by an amount equivalent to the amount paid to the community college or institution pursuant to this subsection. The department of management shall notify each school district of the amount of state aid deducted for these purposes and the balance of state aid shall be paid to the district.
   Sec. 4.  Section 262.9, subsection 3, Code 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  Make rules for admission to and for the government of said institutions, not inconsistent with law. The rules shall provide for the admission of students who attained at least the minimum acceptable score on the college readiness assessment established by the state board in accordance with section 256.7, subsection 31, and who qualified for state school foundation aid pursuant to section 257.52.
   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.
EXPLANATION
   This bill directs the state board of education to require school districts to administer a college readiness assessment, which students must successfully pass as a condition of graduation, and provides for college admission at regents universities and for the payment of school foundation aid funding to community colleges and regents universities on behalf of certain students who attain a minimum acceptable score on the assessment prior to their 12th grade of high school.
   The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules requiring school districts to administer a college readiness assessment to secondary students at least annually, beginning not later than the 2014-2015 school year. The rules shall provide for alternative pathways to graduation and for a timeline for the administration of the assessment, and shall require school districts to administer the assessment to students attending accredited nonpublic schools located within the school district and students receiving competent private instruction if a student and the student’s parent or guardian submit a written request to a school district. A school district may charge a student a fee which shall not exceed the actual cost of the assessment. The board must establish by rule the minimum acceptable scores students shall attain.
   The bill establishes that full-time equivalent resident pupils who attain the minimum acceptable score prior to their senior year of high school and who are admitted to an Iowa community college or regents university shall be counted in a school district’s actual enrollment unless such a pupil was eligible to receive a diploma with the class in which they were enrolled prior to taking the college readiness assessment and the class graduated in the previous school year.
   Each community college and regents university that admits a person who prior to the person’s senior year attained at least the minimum acceptable score on the college readiness assessment shall notify the department of management of the admission and the name of the school district in which the student is enrolled. The department of management shall deduct from the amounts calculated for state school foundation aid for each school district the amount generated by such person and shall pay the amounts to the Iowa community college or regents university in which the person is admitted, and the community college or institution shall reduce the tuition charged to the person by an equivalent amount.
   The bill also directs the state board of regents to make rules for admission that provide for the admission of students who attained at least the minimum acceptable score on the college readiness assessment and who qualified for state school foundation aid.