HSB 746 (LSB 5669YC (7) 91)

HOUSE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WHEELER)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to summative testing in schools and the educational program provided to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   A set of core academic indicators in mathematics and reading in grades four, eight, and eleven, a set of core academic indicators in science and social studies in grades eight and ten, and another set of core indicators that includes but is not limited to graduation rate, postsecondary education, and successful employment in Iowa. Annually, the department shall report state data for each indicator in the condition of education report.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b, subparagraph (2), subparagraph divisions (a), (b), (c), and (d), Code 2026, are amended to read as follows:
   (a)  That all students enrolled in school districts in grades three through eleven be administered an assessment in mathematics and English language arts, including reading and writing, during the last quarter of the school year and all students enrolled in school districts in grades five, eight, and ten be administered an assessment in science during the last quarter of the school year the following assessments during the last quarter of the school year:
   (i)  In grades three through eleven, an assessment in mathematics and English language arts, including reading and writing.
   (ii)  In grades five, eight, and ten, an assessment in science.
   (iii)  In grades eight and ten, an assessment in social studies.
   (b)  That the assessment, at a minimum, assess the core academic indicators identified in this paragraph “b”; be aligned with the Iowa common core standards in both content and rigor; accurately describe student achievement and growth for purposes of the school, the school district, and state accountability systems; provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of student progress toward college or career readiness; and meet the summative assessment requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. No. 114-95, if applicable.
   (c)  That the assessment be available for administration in both paper-and-pencil and computer-based formats and include assessments in mathematics, science, social studies, and English language arts, including reading and writing.
   (d)  That the assessment be peer-reviewed by an independent, third-party evaluator to determine that the assessment is aligned with the Iowa core academic standards, provides a measurement of student growth and student proficiency, and meets the summative assessment requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. No. 114-95, if applicable. The assessment developed by the Iowa testing program within the university of Iowa college of education shall be adjusted as necessary to meet the requirements of this subparagraph (2) as determined by the peer review.
    Sec. 3.  Section 256.7, subsection 33, paragraph b, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  Adopt rules to require school districts to adopt protocols for suicide prevention and postvention and the identification of adverse childhood experiences and strategies to mitigate toxic stress response. The protocols shall be based on nationally recognized best practices.
    Sec. 4.  Section 256.9, subsection 49, paragraph b, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  Convene an advisory group comprised of education stakeholders including but not limited to school district and accredited nonpublic school teachers, school administrators, higher education faculty who teach in the subjects for which the curriculum is being adopted, private sector employers, members of the boards of directors of school districts, and individuals representing the educational assessment providers. The task force shall review the national assessment of educational progress standards and assessments used by other states, and shall consider standards identified as best practices in the field of study by the national councils of teachers of English and mathematics, the national council for the social studies, the national science teachers association, and other recognized experts.
    Sec. 5.  Section 256.9, subsection 64, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   64.  Develop and distribute to school districts standards of practice for equity coordinators employed by school districts. To provide consistency in training statewide, the director shall also develop and distribute to school districts a training program on free speech under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States which shall be used by school districts to provide training pursuant to section 279.75.
    Sec. 6.  Section 256.11, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   The state board shall adopt rules under chapter 17A and a procedure for accrediting all public and nonpublic schools in Iowa offering instruction at any or all levels from the prekindergarten level through grade twelve. The rules of the state board shall require that an age-appropriate, multicultural, and gender-fair approach is used by schools and school districts. The educational program shall be taught from an age-appropriate, multicultural, and gender-fair approach. Global perspectives shall be incorporated into all levels of the educational program. The rules adopted by the state board pursuant to section 256.17, Code Supplement 1987, to establish new standards shall satisfy the requirements of this section to adopt rules to implement the educational program contained in this section. The educational program shall be as follows:
    Sec. 7.  Section 256.11, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The kindergarten program shall include experiences designed to develop healthy emotional and social habits and growth in the language arts and communication skills, as well as a capacity for the completion of individual tasks, and protect and increase physical well-being with attention given to experiences relating to the development of life skills and, subject to section 279.80, age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development. A kindergarten teacher shall be licensed to teach in kindergarten. An accredited nonpublic school must meet the requirements of this subsection only if the nonpublic school offers a kindergarten program; provided, however, that section 279.80 shall not apply to a nonpublic school.
    Sec. 8.  Section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph a, subparagraph (5), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   (5)  Health. The health curriculum shall include the characteristics of communicable diseases all of the following:
   (a)  The characteristics of communicable diseases.
   (b)  Physical fitness.
   (c)  Nutrition.
    Sec. 9.  Section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph a, subparagraph (5), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   (5)  Health. The health curriculum shall include age-appropriate and research-based information regarding the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases all of the following:
   (a)  Age-appropriate and research-based information regarding the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases.
   (b)  Physical fitness.
   (c)  Nutrition.
    Sec. 10.  Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraphs e, j, and k, Code 2026, are amended to read as follows:
   e.  Two additional units of mathematics. The two additional units of mathematics may include instruction related to applied any of the following:
   (1)  Agriculture, which may be offered and taught through dedicated units of coursework or through units of coursework that also meet the requirements of the coursework required under paragraph “h”, subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (a).
   (2)  Applied sciences, technology, engineering, or manufacturing, including transportation, distribution, logistics, architecture, and construction, which may be offered and taught through dedicated units of coursework or through units of coursework that also meet the requirements of the coursework required under paragraph “h”, subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (c).
   (3)  The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to implement this paragraph.
   j.  (1)  One unit of health education which.
   (a)  The one unit of health education shall include instruction related to all of the following:
   (i)  Physical fitness.
   (ii)  Food and nutrition.
   (iii)  Personal health.
   (b)  The one unit of health education may include personal health; food and nutrition; environmental instruction related to all of the following:
   (i)  Environmental health; safety.
   (ii)  Safety and survival skills; consumer.
   (iii)  Consumer health; family.
   (iv)  Family life; age-appropriate.
   (v)  Age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development that incorporates the standards established under section 279.50, subsection 3, paragraph “b”; substance.
   (vi)  Substance use disorder and nonuse; emotional and social health; health.
   (vii)  Health resources; cardiopulmonary.
   (viii)  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and prevention.
   (ix)  Prevention and control of disease, including age-appropriate and research-based information regarding sexually transmitted diseases.
   (2)  The state board, as part of accreditation standards, shall adopt curriculum standards for implementing the program in grades nine through twelve.
   k.  (1)  One-half unit of personal finance literacy, which may be offered and taught through dedicated units of coursework or through units of coursework that also meet the requirements of the coursework required under paragraph “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, or “h”. The personal finance literacy curriculum shall, at a minimum, address all of the following:
   (a)  Savings, including emergency fund, purchases, and wealth building.
   (b)  Understanding investments, including compound and simple interest, liquidity, diversification, risk return ratio, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, single stocks, bonds, mutual funds, rental real estate, annuities, commodities, and futures.
   (c)  Wealth building and college planning, including long-term and short-term investing using tax-favored plans, individual retirement accounts and payments from such accounts, employer-sponsored retirement plans and investments, public and private educational savings accounts, and uniform gifts and transfers to minors.
   (d)  Credit and debt, including credit cards, payday lending, rent-to-own transactions, debt consolidation, automobile leasing, cosigning a loan, debt avoidance, and the marketing of debt, especially to young people.
   (e)  Consumer awareness of the power of marketing on buying decisions including zero percent interest offers; marketing methods, including product positioning, advertising, brand recognition, and personal selling; how to read a credit report and correct inaccuracies; how to build a credit score; how to develop a plan to deal with creditors and avoid bankruptcy; and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, codified at 15 U.S.C. §1692 – 1692p.
   (f)  Financial responsibility and money management, including creating and living on a written budget and balancing a checkbook; basic rules of successful negotiating and techniques; and personality or other traits regarding money.
   (g)  Insurance, risk management, income, and career decisions, including career choices that fit personality styles and occupational goals, job search strategies, cover letters, resumes, interview techniques, payroll taxes and other income withholdings, and revenue sources for federal, state, and local governments.
   (h)  Different types of insurance coverage including renters, homeowners, automobile, health, disability, long-term care, identity theft, and life insurance; term life, cash value and whole life insurance; and insurance terms such as deductible, stop loss, elimination period, replacement coverage, liability, and out-of-pocket.
   (i)  Buying, selling, and renting advantages and disadvantages relating to real estate, including adjustable rate, balloon, conventional, government-backed, reverse, and seller-financed mortgages.
   (2)  Units of coursework that meet the requirements of any combination of coursework required under paragraph “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, or “h”, and that incorporate the curriculum required under subparagraph (1), shall be deemed to satisfy the offer and teach requirements of this paragraph “k”.
    Sec. 11.  Section 256.11, subsection 9A, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   9A.  Beginning July 1, 2007, each school district shall have a qualified guidance counselor who shall be licensed by the board of educational examiners under subchapter VII, part 3. Each school district shall work toward the goal of having one qualified guidance counselor for every three hundred fifty students enrolled in the school district. The state board shall establish in rule a definition of and standards for an articulated sequential kindergarten through grade twelve guidance and counseling program. The program shall be designed to ensure that the guidance counselor can work collaboratively with students, teachers, support staff, and administrators to support the curricular goals of the school by offering responsive services that address the growth and development needs of students and the attainment of student competencies in academic, career, and social areas and career areas.
    Sec. 12.  Section 256.11, subsection 10, paragraph c, subparagraph (2), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   If, after having an opportunity to correct, if permitted, a school district is found to be in noncompliance with federal education laws including but not limited to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq., as amended, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, chapter 216, section 279.73, or section 279.74, the director shall recommend, and the state board may shall do, one of the following within thirty days of the finding of noncompliance: 
    Sec. 13.  Section 256.37, subsection 3, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  Students graduating from Iowa’s education system must demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter, and must have learned to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in a global Iowa’s economy.
    Sec. 14.  Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph h, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subparagraphs:
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (02)  The educational standards of section 256.11, subsection 2, related to the kindergarten program.
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (002)  The educational standards of section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), related to the health curriculum.
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (0002)  The educational standards of section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), related to the health curriculum.
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (4)  The educational standards of section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “k”, related to the personal finance literacy curriculum.
    Sec. 15.  Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph h, subparagraph (3), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   (3)  The educational standards established in section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “e”, related to the use of instruction related to agriculture or applied sciences, technology, engineering, or manufacturing to fulfill a portion of the unit requirements related to mathematics.
    Sec. 16.  Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph r, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   r.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 279.81 relating to prohibiting students from serving on any committees that determine, or provide recommendations related to, whether a material in a school library should be removed in the same manner as a school district.
    Sec. 17.  Section 256F.4, subsection 2, paragraphs p, r, and t, Code 2026, are amended to read as follows:
   p.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 279.81 relating to prohibiting students from serving on any committees that determine, or provide recommendations related to, whether a material in a school library should be removed in the same manner as a school district.
   r.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “e”, relating to the use of instruction related to agriculture or applied sciences, technology, engineering, or manufacturing to fulfill a portion of the unit requirements related to mathematics in the same manner as a school district.
   t.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11 relating to the human growth and development curriculum for grades five through eight, and the health curriculum for grades nine through twelve, in the same manner as a school district.
    Sec. 18.  Section 256F.4, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new paragraphs:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  0q.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 2, relating to the kindergarten program in the same manner as a school district.
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  00q.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), relating to the health curriculum in the same manner as a school district.
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  000q.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (5), relating to the health curriculum in the same manner as a school district.
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  0s.  Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “k”, relating to the personal finance literacy curriculum in the same manner as a school district.
    Sec. 19.  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
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to education, including by modifying provisions related to summative testing in schools and the educational program provided to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12.
   The bill requires the state board of education to develop a set of core academic indicators in social studies in grades 8 and 10. The bill also requires that all students enrolled in school districts be administered an assessment in social studies in grades 8 and 10 during the last quarter of the school year.
   Current law requires the summative assessments administered to students be aligned with the Iowa common core standards in both content and rigor and meet the summative assessment requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The bill modifies this provision to require such summative assessments be aligned with the Iowa standards in both content and rigor. The summative assessments are still required to meet the summative assessment requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, if applicable.
   Current law requires the state board of education to adopt rules requiring school districts to adopt protocols for the identification of adverse childhood experiences and strategies to mitigate toxic stress response. The bill strikes this provision.
   Current law requires the director of the department of education to convene an advisory group to review the national assessment of educational progress standards and assessments used by other states and to consider the standards identified as best practices in the field of study by, among other entities, the national council for the social studies. The bill strikes the provision requiring the advisory group to consider the standards identified as best practices by the national council for the social studies.
   The bill strikes a requirement that the director of the department of education develop and distribute to school districts standards of practice for equity coordinators employed by school districts.
   Current law requires the state educational program to use, and be taught from, a multicultural and gender-fair approach and to incorporate global perspectives. The bill strikes these requirements.
   Current law requires the kindergarten program to include experiences designed to develop healthy emotional social habits and to include age-appropriate and research-based human growth and development. The bill strikes this requirement. The bill requires charter school and innovation zone school kindergarten programs to conform to these same requirements.
   The bill requires the health curriculum provided to students enrolled in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools in grades one through eight to include physical fitness and nutrition. 
   The bill provides that the two additional units of mathematics offered and taught to students enrolled in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools in grades 9 through 12 may include instruction related to agriculture, which may be offered and taught through dedicated units of coursework or through units of coursework that also meet the requirements of the coursework required under the career and technical education curriculum.
   The bill requires that the one unit of health education offered and taught to students enrolled in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools in grades 9 through 12 shall include instruction related to physical fitness, food and nutrition, and personal health. The bill provides that the one unit of health education offered and taught to such students may include instruction related to environmental health, safety and survival skills, consumer health, family life, human growth and development, substance use disorder and nonuse, health resources, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and prevention and control of disease.
   Current law requires that the one-half unit of personal finance literacy offered and taught to students enrolled in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools address certain specified subjects. The bill strikes the requirement that such instruction address certain subjects and applies the modified offer and teach requirements related to personal finance literacy to students enrolled in charter schools and innovation zone schools in grades 9 through 12.
   Current law requires that the articulated sequential kindergarten through grade 12 guidance and counseling program established by the state board of education be designed to ensure that the guidance counselor can work collaboratively to support the curricular goals of the school by offering responsive services that address the growth and development needs of students and the attainment of student competencies in social areas. The bill strikes this provision.
   Current law requires that, if a school district is found to be in noncompliance with certain specified federal education laws, Code section 279.73 (intellectual freedom —— protection —— complaints), or Code section 279.74 (training and curriculum prohibited —— specific defined concepts), the director of the department of education is required to recommend, and the state board is authorized to do, one of the following within 30 days of the finding of noncompliance: impose conditions on funding provided to the school district or withhold payment of state or federal funds to the school district. The bill requires the state board to take one of those actions in such circumstance.
   Current law establishes that it is the policy of the state of Iowa to provide an education system that prepares the children of this state to meet and exceed the technological, informational, and communications demands of our society, and as part of that policy, current law establishes findings related to the goals toward which the education system must strive to reach, including that students graduating from Iowa’s education system must demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter, and must have learned to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in a global economy. The bill modifies this provision to provide that students graduating from Iowa’s education system must be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in Iowa’s economy.
   The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under Code section 257.16. The specification is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.