H.F. 418 Section 1. Section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (2), Code 2017, is amended to read as follows: 2 (2) Administer, prior to a student’s completion of the 3 practitioner preparation program and subject to the director’s 4 approval, subject assessments designed by a nationally 5 recognized testing service that measure pedagogy and knowledge 6 of at least one subject area; or, a valid and reliable 7 subject-area-specific, performance-based assessment for 8 preservice teacher candidates, centered on student learning. 9 A student shall not successfully complete the program unless 10 the student , at any time during the student’s course of study, 11 achieves scores above the twenty-fifth percentile nationally 12 on the assessments administered pursuant to this subparagraph. 13 In lieu of the assessment requirements of this subparagraph, a 14 student who is preparing to teach in a hard-to-staff subject 15 area as identified by the department may demonstrate mastery 16 of pedagogy and knowledge of subject area through a student 17 portfolio. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill provides that a student who, at any time 22 during the student’s course of study in a practitioner 23 preparation program, achieves a score above the 25th percentile 24 nationally on a valid and reliable subject-area-specific, 25 performance-based assessment for preservice teacher candidates, 26 shall be able to use the score to complete the program even 27 if the department of education subsequently recalculates and 28 updates the passing score based on the most recent data on 29 scores achieved nationally on the assessment. In lieu of 30 the assessment requirements, the bill allows a student who 31 is preparing to teach in a hard-to-staff subject area as 32 identified by the department to demonstrate mastery of pedagogy 33 and knowledge of subject area through a student portfolio. 34 -1- LSB 1157YH (5) 87 kh/nh 1/ 1