HF 2545 (LSB 5266HV (2) 90)

HOUSE FILE 2545

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2329)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2024-02-28)

A BILL FOR

An Act requiring the director of the department of education to conduct a comprehensive review of the state’s high school graduation requirements, core curriculum, core content standards, and educational standards and to recommend policy changes, and including effective date provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION —— COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF IOWA EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS —— RECOMMENDED REVISIONS.
   1.  The director of the department of education shall conduct a comprehensive review of the high school graduation requirements and core curriculum established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, the core content standards established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 28, and the educational standards established in section 256.11. The comprehensive review shall be designed to generate recommendations for policy changes to be included in the report required under subsection 3. The recommendations for policy changes shall include all of the following:
   a.  A plan to regularly review and revise the core content standards focused on English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, with a focus on United States history, western civilization, and civics.
   b.  A plan to make Iowa’s educational standards the best in the nation.
   c.  Input from relevant stakeholders, including parents and teachers.
   d.  A plan to increase the quality of the instructional curriculum.
   e.  A plan to maximize local flexibility in graduation requirements and course offerings while maintaining a goal that all high school graduates have necessary skills at graduation.
   f.  Identification of opportunities to equip high school graduates with sufficient knowledge of civics and United States history, including the principles reflected in the Constitution of the United States, so that high school graduates are capable of discharging the responsibilities associated with United States citizenship.
   g.  A statewide literacy plan to increase student proficiency using systematic and sequential approaches to teaching phonetic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension.
   2.  The director of the department of education shall ensure that the core curriculum established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, the core content standards established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 28, and the educational standards established in section 256.11, comply with section 279.74.
   3.  The comprehensive review described in subsection 1 shall include all of the following:
   a.  Providing the opportunity for the public and interested stakeholders to provide comments related to the comprehensive review, including comments related to each graduation requirement, core content standard, and educational requirement by grade level, at each committee meeting convened pursuant to this subsection.
   b.  Collecting and considering the comments provided pursuant to paragraph “a”.
   c.  (1)  Convening committees to assist in the comprehensive review and provide recommendations related to the subject areas in the educational standards established in section 256.11.
   (2)  The director of the department of education shall determine the membership of each committee; provided, however, that each committee shall include four members of the general assembly with one member designated by each of the following: the president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives. A legislative member serves in an ex officio, nonvoting capacity.
   4.  a.  The director of the department of education shall submit an initial report, including initial findings and recommendations for policy changes, to the governor and the general assembly on or before December 31, 2024. 
   b.  The director of the department of education shall submit a final report, including findings and recommendations for policy changes, to the governor and the general assembly on or before July 1, 2025.
    Sec. 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.