House Study Bill 520 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON HITE) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the assessments administered to practitioner 1 preparation program admission candidates and to practitioner 2 preparation program students prior to students’ completion 3 of a practitioner preparation program. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 5121YC (3) 89 jda/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.16, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 1 2022, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. (1) If the institution administers a preprofessional 3 skills test offered by a nationally recognized testing service 4 to practitioner preparation program admission candidates, 5 the institution shall report to the department no later than 6 August 1 annually, in the form and manner prescribed by the 7 department, the percentage of students whose scores on the 8 assessments administered during the prior fiscal year were 9 above, at, and below the minimum passing score set by the 10 institution, and shall report any services or opportunities to 11 retake the assessment the institution may make available to a 12 student who fails assessment. The department shall compile 13 the reports submitted under this subparagraph and publish the 14 compiled information on its internet site. 15 (2) Administer, prior to a student’s completion of the 16 practitioner preparation program and subject to the director’s 17 approval, s ubject assessments designed by a nationally 18 recognized testing service that measure pedagogy and knowledge 19 of at least one subject area; or, a valid and reliable 20 subject-area-specific, performance-based assessment for 21 preservice teacher candidates, centered on student learning. A 22 student shall not successfully complete the program unless the 23 scores achieved by the student score the student achieves on 24 the assessments assessment administered under this subparagraph 25 are paragraph is at or above the minimum passing scores score 26 set by the department. 27 (a) (2) In setting the minimum passing scores score for 28 purposes of this subparagraph paragraph , the department shall 29 consider all of the following: 30 (i) (a) Scores required for similar tests in all of the 31 states contiguous to Iowa. 32 (ii) (b) The supply and demand imbalance of content areas 33 or teaching positions currently experienced in Iowa. 34 (b) (3) A student who successfully completes the 35 -1- LSB 5121YC (3) 89 jda/jh 1/ 3

H.F. _____ practitioner preparation program as required under this 1 subparagraph paragraph shall be deemed to have attained a 2 passing score on the assessments assessment administered under 3 this subparagraph paragraph even if the department subsequently 4 sets a different minimum passing scores score . 5 Sec. 2. Section 256.16, subsection 3, Code 2022, is amended 6 to read as follows: 7 3. The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A 8 to provide that the director shall waive the assessment 9 requirements of subsection 1 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph (2) , 10 for not more than one year for a person who has completed the 11 course requirements for an approved practitioner preparation 12 program but attained an assessment score below the minimum 13 passing scores set by the department for successful completion 14 of the program under subsection 1 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph 15 (2) . 16 EXPLANATION 17 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 18 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 19 This bill relates to the assessments administered to 20 practitioner preparation program admission candidates and to 21 practitioner preparation program students prior to students’ 22 completion of a practitioner preparation program. 23 Current law provides that the state board of education 24 shall adopt rules requiring all higher education institutions 25 providing practitioner preparation to, prior to a student’s 26 completion of the practitioner preparation program, administer 27 either subject assessments designed by a nationally recognized 28 testing service or a valid and reliable subject-area-specific, 29 performance-based assessment centered on student learning. 30 Current law also provides that a higher education institution 31 may administer a preprofessional skills test offered by 32 a nationally recognized testing service to candidates for 33 admission to the practitioner preparation program. An 34 institution that does so must report to the department of 35 -2- LSB 5121YC (3) 89 jda/jh 2/ 3

H.F. _____ education the percentage of students whose scores on the 1 assessments were above, at, and below the minimum passing 2 score set by the institution, and shall report any services or 3 opportunities to retake the assessment that the institution 4 may make available to a student who fails an assessment. 5 Additionally, current law provides that the department shall 6 compile the reports and publish the compiled information on its 7 internet site. 8 The bill strikes the ability of an institution to administer 9 a preprofessional skills test to admission candidates and the 10 corresponding reporting requirements related to that test. The 11 bill also strikes an institution’s option of administering 12 subject assessments designed by a nationally recognized 13 testing service that measure pedagogy and knowledge prior to a 14 student’s completion of the practitioner preparation program, 15 therefore requiring the institution to instead administer a 16 valid and reliable subject-area-specific, performance-based 17 assessment for preservice teacher candidates. 18 The bill makes conforming changes. 19 -3- LSB 5121YC (3) 89 jda/jh 3/ 3