House File 2247 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2247 BY WINCKLER , LENSING , KAJTAZOVIC , HUNTER , THEDE , HANSON , OURTH , T. TAYLOR , HEDDENS , STAED , ANDERSON , PRICHARD , GASKILL , MASCHER , M. SMITH , ABDUL-SAMAD , STECKMAN , R. OLSON , and H. MILLER A BILL FOR An Act relating to competency-based education and making 1 appropriations. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5837YH (3) 85 kh/rj

H.F. 2247 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 26, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (1), Code 2014, is amended to read as follows: 2 (1) The rules establishing high school graduation 3 requirements shall authorize a school district or accredited 4 nonpublic school to consider that any student , at any grade 5 level, who satisfactorily completes a high school-level unit 6 of English or language arts, mathematics, science, or social 7 studies instruction has satisfactorily completed a unit of the 8 high school graduation requirements for that area as specified 9 in this lettered paragraph of instruction , and shall authorize 10 the school district or accredited nonpublic school to issue 11 high school credit for the unit to the student. 12 Sec. 2. Section 256.24, Code 2014, is amended by striking 13 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 14 256.24 Competency-based education system —— activities —— 15 appropriation. 16 1. The department shall develop, implement, and support a 17 statewide competency-based system. 18 2. The department shall establish an Iowa competency-based 19 education collaborative grant program to award grants to 20 not more than ten school districts annually for purposes of 21 developing, implementing, and evaluating competency-based 22 education pilot and demonstration projects. However, 23 the department may also award grants to cohorts of school 24 districts annually for purposes of collaboratively developing, 25 implementing, and evaluating competency-based education pilot 26 and demonstration projects. 27 a. The department shall develop grant application, 28 selection, and evaluation criteria. 29 b. Each pilot or demonstration project shall be conducted 30 for a minimum of one year, but may be conducted for multiple 31 school years as proposed by the applicant and approved by the 32 department. 33 c. Grant amounts shall be distributed as determined by the 34 department. 35 -1- LSB 5837YH (3) 85 kh/rj 1/ 3

H.F. 2247 3. The department shall employ at least two consultants 1 full-time to lead the work of school districts receiving 2 grants under this section as the districts collaboratively 3 investigate, develop, and implement competency-based 4 educational pathways for their students. The consultants 5 shall also work to create a framework to guide the statewide 6 implementation of a competency-based education system, and to 7 assist area education agencies and other school districts in 8 developing such competency-based education pathways. 9 4. The department shall submit progress reports analyzing 10 the status, activities, and preliminary findings of the 11 projects to the state board, the governor, and the general 12 assembly by January 15 annually. The department shall 13 summarize the projects’ findings, including student achievement 14 results, and submit the summary and any recommendations in a 15 final report to the state board, the governor, and the general 16 assembly by January 15, 2020. 17 5. There is appropriated from the general fund of the 18 state to the department, for the following fiscal years, the 19 following amounts, to be used for administering this section, 20 providing grants in accordance with this section, and for not 21 more than two full-time equivalent positions: 22 a. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, and ending 23 June 30, 2015, the sum of one million dollars. 24 b. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, and ending 25 June 30, 2016, the sum of one million dollars. 26 c. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and ending 27 June 30, 2017, the sum of one million dollars. 28 d. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017, and ending 29 June 30, 2018, the sum of one million dollars. 30 e. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018, and ending 31 June 30, 2019, the sum of one million dollars. 32 6. This section is repealed July 1, 2020. 33 EXPLANATION 34 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 35 -2- LSB 5837YH (3) 85 kh/rj 2/ 3

H.F. 2247 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 1 This bill relates to competency-based education by 2 authorizing school districts and accredited nonpublic 3 schools to issue credit toward meeting high school graduation 4 requirements to any student at any level who successfully 5 completes a unit of high school instruction, expanding the 6 current competency-based education grant program, and making a 7 standing limited appropriation of $1 million per year for the 8 fiscal period beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2019, 9 to the department of education for purposes of developing, 10 implementing, and supporting a statewide competency-based 11 system; duties the department is directed to undertake. 12 In 2013, the department was directed under Code section 13 256.24 to establish a competency-based education grant program 14 to award grants to not more than 10 school districts. The 15 bill rewrites the Code section to continue the grant program 16 as part of the broader effort to develop a statewide system of 17 competency-based education pathways. In addition to the 10 18 individual school districts receiving grants, the bill allows 19 the department to award grants to cohorts of school districts. 20 The department must also employ at least two consultants 21 full-time to lead the work of school districts receiving 22 grants. The consultants must also work to create a framework 23 to guide the statewide implementation of a competency-based 24 education system, and to assist area education agencies and 25 other school districts developing competency-based education 26 pathways for students. 27 The date by which the department must submit its final 28 report summarizing the projects’ findings, and providing any 29 recommendations to the state board of education, the governor, 30 and the general assembly, is moved back one year to January 15, 31 2020. 32 The Code section is repealed July 1, 2020. 33 -3- LSB 5837YH (3) 85 kh/rj 3/ 3