Print
House File 139 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to the statewide assessments of student
2progress administered by school districts for purposes of
3the core academic indicators.
4BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
2subparagraph (1), Code 2017, is amended to read as follows:
3(1) Annually, the department shall report state data
4for each indicator in the condition of education report.
5Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection shall specify that
6the approved district-wide assessment of student progress
7administered for purposes of the core academic indicators shall
8be the assessment utilized by school districts statewide in the
9school year beginning July 1, 2011 Iowa assessments developed
10by the Iowa testing programs, or a successor assessment
11administered by the same assessment provider Iowa testing
12programs.
13 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
14subparagraph (2), Code 2017, is amended by striking the
15subparagraph and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
16(2) If the state board proposes rules providing for a
17statewide assessment other than the assessment required under
18subparagraph (1), the state board shall submit its proposed
19rules to the general assembly and shall not adopt such
20rules unless the proposed rules are specifically authorized
21by a constitutional majority of each house of the general
22assembly and approved by the governor. The state board and
23the department are prohibited from adopting, administering,
24or approving the administration of assessments developed
25either by the smarter balanced assessment consortium or by
26the partnership for assessment of readiness for college and
27careers.
28 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
29subparagraphs (3) and (4), Code 2017, are amended by striking
30the subparagraphs.
31EXPLANATION
32The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
33the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
34This bill relates to statewide assessments approved by
35the state board of education and administered to students by
-1-1Iowa’s school districts and requires that the state board’s
2rules specify that the Iowa assessments developed by Iowa
3testing programs are the approved district-wide assessments of
4student progress administered for purposes of the core academic
5indicators.
6Iowa testing programs is a research, development, and
7outreach unit in the college of education at the university of
8Iowa, which has been responsible for creating and administering
9the Iowa test of basic skills and the Iowa test of educational
10development to Iowa’s students for several decades. In recent
11years, Iowa testing programs modified the tests and renamed
12them the Iowa assessments. The Iowa assessments have been used
13by school districts statewide since the 2011-2012 academic
14year, as directed in the Code. The department of education
15uses the results from the Iowa assessments for federal annual
16yearly progress and annual progress reporting purposes.
17If the state board proposes rules providing for a statewide
18assessment other than the Iowa assessments, the state board
19must submit its proposed rules to the general assembly and
20shall not adopt such rules unless the proposed rules are
21specifically authorized by a constitutional majority of each
22house of the general assembly and approved by the governor.
23The bill prohibits the state board and the department of
24education from adopting, administering, or approving the
25administration of assessments developed either by the smarter
26balanced assessment consortium or by the partnership for
27assessment readiness for college and careers. Initiated by
28the council of chief state school officers and the national
29governors association center for best practices, the smarter
30balanced assessment consortium is a state-led consortium
31working collaboratively to develop assessments aligned to the
32common core state standards that accurately measure student
33progress toward college and career readiness. Like the smarter
34balanced assessment consortium, the partnership for assessment
35of readiness for college and careers is a group of states
-2-1working together to develop an assessment to replace member
2states’ standardized tests.
3The bill strikes a Code provision that directs the state
4board’s rules to require, for the school year beginning
5July 1, 2017, and each succeeding school year, that all
6students enrolled in school districts in grades 3 through
711 be administered an assessment during the last quarter of
8the school year that at a minimum assesses the core academic
9indicators identified in the Code; is aligned with the Iowa
10common core standards in both content and rigor; accurately
11describes student achievement and growth for purposes of the
12school, the school district, and state accountability systems;
13and provides valid, reliable, and fair measures of student
14progress toward college or career readiness.
15The bill also strikes a Code provision that provides for
16the establishment of an assessment task force to review and
17make recommendations for a statewide assessment of student
18progress on the core academic indicators, and a Code provision
19that directs the state board to submit to the general assembly
20recommendations for modifications of assessments of student
21progress. The task force and the state board submitted their
22recommendations during the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
-3-kh/jh/rj
2progress administered by school districts for purposes of
3the core academic indicators.
4BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
2subparagraph (1), Code 2017, is amended to read as follows:
3(1) Annually, the department shall report state data
4for each indicator in the condition of education report.
5Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection shall specify that
6the approved district-wide assessment of student progress
7administered for purposes of the core academic indicators shall
8be the assessment utilized by school districts statewide in the
9school year beginning July 1, 2011 Iowa assessments developed
10by the Iowa testing programs, or a successor assessment
11administered by the same assessment provider Iowa testing
12programs.
13 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
14subparagraph (2), Code 2017, is amended by striking the
15subparagraph and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
16(2) If the state board proposes rules providing for a
17statewide assessment other than the assessment required under
18subparagraph (1), the state board shall submit its proposed
19rules to the general assembly and shall not adopt such
20rules unless the proposed rules are specifically authorized
21by a constitutional majority of each house of the general
22assembly and approved by the governor. The state board and
23the department are prohibited from adopting, administering,
24or approving the administration of assessments developed
25either by the smarter balanced assessment consortium or by
26the partnership for assessment of readiness for college and
27careers.
28 Sec. 3. Section 256.7, subsection 21, paragraph b,
29subparagraphs (3) and (4), Code 2017, are amended by striking
30the subparagraphs.
31EXPLANATION
32The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
33the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
34This bill relates to statewide assessments approved by
35the state board of education and administered to students by
-1-1Iowa’s school districts and requires that the state board’s
2rules specify that the Iowa assessments developed by Iowa
3testing programs are the approved district-wide assessments of
4student progress administered for purposes of the core academic
5indicators.
6Iowa testing programs is a research, development, and
7outreach unit in the college of education at the university of
8Iowa, which has been responsible for creating and administering
9the Iowa test of basic skills and the Iowa test of educational
10development to Iowa’s students for several decades. In recent
11years, Iowa testing programs modified the tests and renamed
12them the Iowa assessments. The Iowa assessments have been used
13by school districts statewide since the 2011-2012 academic
14year, as directed in the Code. The department of education
15uses the results from the Iowa assessments for federal annual
16yearly progress and annual progress reporting purposes.
17If the state board proposes rules providing for a statewide
18assessment other than the Iowa assessments, the state board
19must submit its proposed rules to the general assembly and
20shall not adopt such rules unless the proposed rules are
21specifically authorized by a constitutional majority of each
22house of the general assembly and approved by the governor.
23The bill prohibits the state board and the department of
24education from adopting, administering, or approving the
25administration of assessments developed either by the smarter
26balanced assessment consortium or by the partnership for
27assessment readiness for college and careers. Initiated by
28the council of chief state school officers and the national
29governors association center for best practices, the smarter
30balanced assessment consortium is a state-led consortium
31working collaboratively to develop assessments aligned to the
32common core state standards that accurately measure student
33progress toward college and career readiness. Like the smarter
34balanced assessment consortium, the partnership for assessment
35of readiness for college and careers is a group of states
-2-1working together to develop an assessment to replace member
2states’ standardized tests.
3The bill strikes a Code provision that directs the state
4board’s rules to require, for the school year beginning
5July 1, 2017, and each succeeding school year, that all
6students enrolled in school districts in grades 3 through
711 be administered an assessment during the last quarter of
8the school year that at a minimum assesses the core academic
9indicators identified in the Code; is aligned with the Iowa
10common core standards in both content and rigor; accurately
11describes student achievement and growth for purposes of the
12school, the school district, and state accountability systems;
13and provides valid, reliable, and fair measures of student
14progress toward college or career readiness.
15The bill also strikes a Code provision that provides for
16the establishment of an assessment task force to review and
17make recommendations for a statewide assessment of student
18progress on the core academic indicators, and a Code provision
19that directs the state board to submit to the general assembly
20recommendations for modifications of assessments of student
21progress. The task force and the state board submitted their
22recommendations during the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
-3-kh/jh/rj