House
File
473
-
Reprinted
HOUSE
FILE
473
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
EDUCATION
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HSB
97)
(COMPANION
TO
SF
350
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
EDUCATION)
(As
Amended
and
Passed
by
the
House
March
28,
2017
)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
high
school
equivalency
programs
and
1
assessments
and
including
effective
date
provisions.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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H.F.
473
Section
1.
Section
259A.1,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
259A.1
Tests
Assessment
of
competency
.
3
The
department
of
education
shall
cause
to
be
made
available
4
for
qualified
individuals
a
high
school
equivalency
diploma.
5
The
diploma
shall
be
issued
on
the
basis
of
satisfactory
6
demonstrated
competence
as
shown
by
tests
covering
in
all
of
7
the
following
core
areas
:
reading,
language
arts,
literacy,
8
mathematics,
science,
and
social
studies.
9
Sec.
2.
Section
259A.2,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
10
follows:
11
259A.2
Age
Application
requirements
.
12
1.
Every
applicant
must
shall
have
attained
the
age
of
13
eighteen
years,
be
a
nonhigh
have
not
graduated
from
high
14
school
graduate
,
and
not
be
currently
enrolled
in
a
secondary
15
school.
However,
an
16
2.
An
applicant
is
not
eligible
for
the
a
high
school
17
equivalency
diploma
until
after
the
class
in
which
the
18
applicant
was
enrolled
has
graduated
from
high
school
.
19
3.
Application
shall
be
made
to
a
high
school
equivalency
20
program
or
testing
center
approved
by
the
department
of
21
education,
accompanied
by
an
application
fee
in
an
amount
22
prescribed
by
the
department.
23
4.
The
test
Test
scores
shall
be
forwarded
by
the
scorer
of
24
the
test
to
the
department
of
education
.
25
5.
Evidence
that
an
applicant
demonstrates
competence
as
26
required
under
section
259A.1
shall
be
made
available
to
the
27
department
of
education
by
the
high
school
equivalency
program
28
for
verification
purposes.
29
Sec.
3.
Section
259A.3,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
30
follows:
31
259A.3
Notice
and
fee.
32
Any
applicant
who
has
achieved
demonstrated
competence
in
33
the
minimum
passing
core
areas
under
standards
as
established
34
by
the
department,
and
approved
adopted
by
the
state
board
of
35
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H.F.
473
education
pursuant
to
section
259A.5
,
shall
be
issued
a
high
1
school
equivalency
diploma
by
the
department
of
education
upon
2
payment
of
an
additional
amount
determined
in
rules
adopted
by
3
the
state
board
of
education
to
cover
the
actual
costs
of
the
4
production
and
distribution
of
the
diploma.
The
state
board
of
5
education
may
also
by
rule
establish
a
fee
for
the
issuance
or
6
verification
of
a
transcript
which
shall
be
based
on
the
actual
7
costs
of
the
production
or
verification
of
a
transcript.
8
Sec.
4.
Section
259A.5,
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
9
follows:
10
259A.5
Rules
——
duties
.
11
1.
The
director
of
the
department
of
education
shall
adopt
12
tests
prescribe
assessments
,
definitions
of
terms,
and
forms
13
and
resources
as
necessary
for
the
administration
of
this
14
chapter
.
15
2.
The
state
board
of
education
shall
adopt
rules
under
16
chapter
17A
to
carry
out
this
chapter
.
Any
rules
adopted
17
relating
to
demonstrations
of
competence
for
purposes
of
this
18
chapter
shall
require
such
demonstrations
to
be
equivalent
19
to
or
of
greater
rigor
than
those
required
for
high
school
20
graduation,
and
such
demonstrations
shall
include
but
are
21
not
limited
to
a
test
battery,
credit-based
measures,
and
22
attainment
of
other
academic
credentials.
23
Sec.
5.
EFFECTIVE
UPON
ENACTMENT.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
24
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
25
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