House Study Bill 144 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON FORRISTALL) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the use of a high school proficiency 1 examination as a condition of graduation and for payment 2 of school foundation aid funding to community colleges and 3 regents universities on behalf of certain students who pass 4 the examination. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.7, Code 2011, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 31. Adopt rules requiring school districts 3 to administer to secondary students at least annually, 4 beginning not later than the 2014-2015 school year, the 5 statewide high school proficiency examination developed and 6 distributed pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 62. The 7 rules shall provide for alternative pathways to graduation and 8 for a timeline for the administration of the examination, and 9 shall require school districts to administer the examination 10 to secondary school students, including students attending 11 accredited nonpublic schools located within the school district 12 and students receiving competent private instruction pursuant 13 to chapter 299A, if a student and the student’s parent or 14 guardian submit a written request to the school district. 15 Sec. 2. Section 256.9, Code 2011, is amended by adding the 16 following new subsection: 17 NEW SUBSECTION . 62. a. Develop, together with the 18 state board of regents, a statewide high school proficiency 19 examination designed to measure cumulative high school 20 achievement in the attainment of knowledge and skills specified 21 in the state’s core curriculum content standards. The 22 examination shall be designed to be utilized for the following 23 purposes: 24 (1) By school districts, which shall administer the 25 examination to secondary school students who must pass the 26 examination as a condition of graduation except as provided in 27 paragraph “b” . 28 (2) By a student enrolled in a school district in order 29 to graduate from high school, qualify for admission to an 30 institution of higher learning governed by the state board of 31 regents, or to qualify for state school foundation aid pursuant 32 to section 257.52. 33 (3) By students attending accredited nonpublic schools or 34 students receiving competent private instruction under chapter 35 -1- LSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh 1/ 6

H.F. _____ 299A in order to qualify for admission to an institution of 1 higher learning governed by the state board of regents or to 2 qualify for state school foundation aid pursuant to section 3 257.52. 4 (4) By institutions of higher learning governed by the 5 state board of regents as an entrance examination for students 6 who qualify for weighting under section 257.6, subsection 1, 7 paragraph “a” , subparagraph (02). 8 b. Develop alternative assessment measures, which school 9 districts may administer to certain students in lieu of the 10 statewide high school proficiency examination. The alternative 11 assessment measures shall be designed to measure high school 12 competency in the attainment of the knowledge and skills 13 specified in the state’s core curriculum content standards 14 of students with special needs, including but not limited to 15 students with disabilities, English language learners, and 16 general education students who can demonstrate mastery of the 17 state’s core curriculum content standards using an alternative 18 assessment measure. 19 Sec. 3. Section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2011, 20 is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 21 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (02) Full-time equivalent resident 22 pupils who pass the statewide high school proficiency 23 examination developed and distributed pursuant to section 24 256.9, subsection 62, prior to the pupil’s senior year of high 25 school if the pupil is admitted to an Iowa community college 26 or institution of higher learning governed by the state board 27 of regents. A pupil who is admitted to an Iowa community 28 college or institution of higher learning governed by the 29 state board of regents shall not be included in the district’s 30 enrollment for purposes of this chapter if the pupil was 31 eligible to receive a diploma with the class in which they were 32 enrolled prior to taking the statewide high school proficiency 33 examination and that class graduated the previous school year. 34 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 257.52 High school scholarship 35 -2- LSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh 2/ 6

H.F. _____ payments. 1 1. Each community college and each institution of higher 2 learning governed by the state board of regents that admits a 3 person who prior to the person’s senior year of high school 4 successfully passed the statewide high school proficiency 5 examination administered pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 6 62, shall, if the person is enrolled in a school district and 7 included in a school district’s actual enrollment in accordance 8 with section 257.6, notify the department of management of the 9 admission and the name of the school district in which the 10 student is enrolled. 11 2. The department of management shall deduct from the 12 amounts calculated for state school foundation aid for each 13 school district the amount generated by each pupil pursuant to 14 section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a” , subparagraph (02) 15 for each school district from the state aid due to the district 16 pursuant to this chapter and shall pay the amounts to the Iowa 17 community college or institution of higher learning governed 18 by the state board of regents in which the person is admitted 19 pursuant to subsection 1 on a monthly basis from September 20 15 through June 15 during each school year. The community 21 college or institution paid pursuant to this subsection shall 22 reduce the tuition charged to a person admitted as a student 23 pursuant to subsection 1 by an amount equivalent to the amount 24 paid to the community college or institution pursuant to this 25 subsection. The department of management shall notify each 26 school district of the amount of state aid deducted for these 27 purposes and the balance of state aid shall be paid to the 28 district. 29 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 30 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 31 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 32 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 33 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 34 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 35 -3- LSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh 3/ 6

H.F. _____ to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 1 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 2 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 3 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 4 districts. 5 EXPLANATION 6 This bill requires the department of education to develop 7 and distribute, and requires school districts to administer, 8 a high school proficiency examination to measure cumulative 9 student competency in the attainment of the knowledge and 10 skills specified in the state’s core curriculum content 11 standards as a condition of graduation. The bill also provides 12 for the payment of state school foundation aid funding to a 13 community college or regents university for the postsecondary 14 tuition costs of a high school student who passes the 15 examination prior to the student’s senior year of high school. 16 The state board of education is directed to adopt rules 17 requiring school districts to administer the examination at 18 least annually, beginning not later than the 2014-2015 school 19 year, to secondary students, including those attending an 20 accredited nonpublic school and receiving competent private 21 instruction if the student and the student’s parent or guardian 22 submit a written request to the school district. The rules 23 shall provide for a timeline for the administration of the 24 examination and alternative measurements for students with 25 special needs, English language learners, and general education 26 students who can demonstrate mastery using alternative 27 measures. 28 To qualify for state school foundation aid for purposes of 29 paying tuition at a community college or regents university, 30 a student shall be enrolled in the student’s school district 31 of residence on or before October 1 of the school year prior 32 to the year in which the student will attend an Iowa community 33 college or regents university. 34 The examination shall qualify as an entrance examination for 35 -4- LSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh 4/ 6

H.F. _____ admission to regents universities for students who qualify for 1 state school foundation aid by passing the examination prior to 2 their senior year. 3 Full-time equivalent resident pupils who pass the statewide 4 high school proficiency examination prior to the pupil’s senior 5 year of high school are included in the school district’s 6 actual enrollment and assigned a weighting of one if the 7 pupil is admitted to an Iowa community college or regents 8 university. However, the pupil is ineligible to be included in 9 the district’s enrollment if the pupil was eligible to receive 10 a diploma with the class in which they were enrolled prior to 11 taking the examination and that class graduated the previous 12 school year. 13 Each community college and regents university that admits 14 a person who prior to the student’s senior year of high 15 school successfully passed the examination shall, if the 16 person is enrolled in a school district and included in a 17 school district’s actual enrollment, notify the department of 18 management of the admission and the name of the school district 19 in which the student is enrolled. The department of management 20 shall deduct from the amounts calculated for state school 21 foundation aid for each school district the amount generated 22 by such pupil for each school district from the state aid due 23 to the district and shall pay the amounts to the community 24 college or regents university in which the pupil is admitted. 25 The community college or regents university shall reduce the 26 tuition charged to such a student by an amount equivalent to 27 the amount paid to the community college or university. 28 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 29 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 30 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 31 district from state school foundation aid received by the 32 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 33 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 34 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 35 -5- LSB 1030YC (2) 84 kh/nh 5/ 6