Signed by Governor Terry Branstad

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes new guidelines for the state education system.

Highlights:

• Authorizes a public school or accredited nonpublic school to award high school credit to students who demonstrate competency in a course or content area, as approved by a licensed teacher (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes a public school district or accredited nonpublic school to determine what qualifications are necessary in order for a student to be considered competent in a course or content area (Sec. 1).

• Requires public school districts to assess a teacher's and an administrator's performance annually, whereas existing law requires an assessment every 3 years (Secs. 6 & 7).

• Requires a teacher's first and second year reviews to be conducted by a peer group of teachers and specifies that the group's recommendations will not be used to determine compensation, promotion, or termination (Sec. 6).

• Establishes an online learning initiative that partners with public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to provide high school students with online education (Sec. 17).

• Limits the statewide enrollment of students in educational instruction that is delivered primarily over the internet to no more than 0.18 percent of the statewide enrollment of all students and no more than 1 percent of a sending district's total enrollment (Sec. 15).

• Requires all online courses to be taught by licensed and accredited teachers (Secs. 17 & 19).

• Requires participants of the online initiative coursework to also be enrolled in a participating public school district or an accredited nonpublic school in order for the school to record grades and issue diplomas (Sec. 17).

• Establishes, subject to funds appropriated by the general assembly, an Iowa Reading Research Center whose goals include, but are not limited to, providing the following (Sec. 32):
• Instructional strategies for reading proficiency for prekindergarten to grade 12;
• Professional development strategies to support teacher effectiveness in student literacy development;
• Intensive summer literacy programs; and
• The development of reading skills for students in kindergarten through grade 3.

• Authorizes students who are identified as having a “substantial deficiency in reading," if funds are appropriated for this purpose by the legislature, to be provided with the following (Sec. 34):
• Small group instruction;
• Reduced teacher-student ratios;
• More frequent progress monitoring;
• Tutoring or mentoring;
• Extended school day or week; or
• Summer reading programs.

• Requires each school district to administer a kindergarten readiness test to all prekindergarten and  4-year-old children who are enrolled in the district (Sec. 33).

• Requires a yearly assessment of reading ability for all students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 3 starting in the 2017 school year (Sec. 34).

• Authorizes the parent or guardian of a third-grader with a reading deficiency to choose whether the third-grader is held back or attends a summer school reading program (Sec. 34).

• Prohibits students from being held back in grade 3 due to reading deficiencies if one of the following “good cause” exemptions are met (Sec. 34):
• The student has limited English proficiency with less than 2 years of English schooling;
• The student is a special education student;
• The student demonstrates proficiency based on the requirements of an alternative performance measure;
• The student demonstrates proficiency through a student portfolio under alternative performance measures; or
• The student has already received intensive reading instruction for 2 or more years and was retained in kindergarten or grade 1, 2 or 3.

• Requires all students in grade 10 to take the Iowa assessments, created by the State University of Iowa (Sec. 33).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that establishes new guidelines for the state education system.

Highlights:

• Authorizes a public school or accredited nonpublic school to award high school credit to students who demonstrate competency in a course or content area, as approved by a licensed teacher (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes a public school district or accredited nonpublic school to determine what qualifications are necessary in order for a student to be considered competent in a course or content area (Sec. 1).

• Requires public school districts to assess a teacher's and an administrator's performance annually, whereas existing law requires an assessment every 3 years (Secs. 6 & 7).

• Requires a teacher's first and second year reviews to be conducted by a peer group of teachers and specifies that the group's recommendations will not be used to determine compensation, promotion, or termination (Sec. 6).

• Establishes an online learning initiative that partners with public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to provide high school students with online education (Sec. 17).

• Limits the statewide enrollment of students in educational instruction that is delivered primarily over the internet to no more than 0.18 percent of the statewide enrollment of all students and no more than 1 percent of a sending district's total enrollment (Sec. 15).

• Requires all online courses to be taught by licensed and accredited teachers (Secs. 17 & 19).

• Requires participants of the online initiative coursework to also be enrolled in a participating public school district or an accredited nonpublic school in order for the school to record grades and issue diplomas (Sec. 17).

• Establishes, subject to funds appropriated by the general assembly, an Iowa Reading Research Center whose goals include, but are not limited to, providing the following (Sec. 32):
• Instructional strategies for reading proficiency for prekindergarten to grade 12;
• Professional development strategies to support teacher effectiveness in student literacy development;
• Intensive summer literacy programs; and
• The development of reading skills for students in kindergarten through grade 3.

• Authorizes students who are identified as having a “substantial deficiency in reading," if funds are appropriated for this purpose by the legislature, to be provided with the following (Sec. 34):
• Small group instruction;
• Reduced teacher-student ratios;
• More frequent progress monitoring;
• Tutoring or mentoring;
• Extended school day or week; or
• Summer reading programs.

• Requires each school district to administer a kindergarten readiness test to all prekindergarten and  4-year-old children who are enrolled in the district (Sec. 33).

• Requires a yearly assessment of reading ability for all students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 3 starting in the 2017 school year (Sec. 34).

• Authorizes the parent or guardian of a third-grader with a reading deficiency to choose whether the third-grader is held back or attends a summer school reading program (Sec. 34).

• Prohibits students from being held back in grade 3 due to reading deficiencies if one of the following “good cause” exemptions are met (Sec. 34):
• The student has limited English proficiency with less than 2 years of English schooling;
• The student is a special education student;
• The student demonstrates proficiency based on the requirements of an alternative performance measure;
• The student demonstrates proficiency through a student portfolio under alternative performance measures; or
• The student has already received intensive reading instruction for 2 or more years and was retained in kindergarten or grade 1, 2 or 3.

• Requires all students in grade 10 to take the Iowa assessments, created by the State University of Iowa (Sec. 33).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the state public educational system.

Highlights:

• Requires English and language arts, mathematics, science, music and other fine arts, applied arts, foreign language, physical education, and entrepreneurship to be included in the core curriculum for public schools (Sec. 7).

• Requires each school district to annually review each teacher’s performance (Sec. 14).

• Specifies that the first and second year of review shall be conducted by a peer group of teachers, if funds for that purpose are appropriated by the legislature (Sec. 14).

• Requires that a student receive no more than 50 percent of their coursework from online learning (Sec. 26).

• Requires that online learning curricula be provided and supervised by a teacher (Sec. 26)

• Requires that the school board adopt standards that determine if a student is making progress towards reading proficiency before the student enters the 4th grade (Sec. 40).

• Specifies that each school district will give a kindergarten readiness assessment to every resident kindergartner or four-year old who is enrolled in the school district, if funds for that purpose are appropriated by the legislature (Sec. 42).

• Requires each school district to assess all students enrolled in kindergarten through 3rd grade at the beginning of the school year for level of reading or reading readiness on locally determined or statewide assessments (Sec. 43).

• Requires that the parent or guardian of any student in kindergarten through 3rd grade who exhibits “substantial deficiency in reading” to be informed at least annually in writing (Sec. 43).

• Specifies that if funds are appropriated for this purpose by the legislature, students who are identified as having a “substantial deficiency in reading” will be provided with any of the following services and supports (Sec. 43):
• Small group instruction;
• Reduced teacher-student ratios;
• More frequent progress monitoring;
• Tutoring or mentoring;
• Extended school day or week; and
• Summer reading programs.

• Requires that when determining whether a student will be promoted to grade four, the school district will place “significant weight” on any reading deficiency. (Sec. 43).

• Specifies that a decision as to whether a student will be retained in the third grade will only be made after direct consultation with the student’s parent or guardian and after the formulation of a specific plan of action to remedy the student’s reading deficiency (Sec 43).

Full Bill Text