Bill Text: IA HSB97 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to high school equivalency programs and assessments and including effective date provisions.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (N/A - Dead) 2017-02-22 - Committee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 453. [HSB97 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2017-HSB97-Introduced.html
House
Study
Bill
97
-
Introduced
SENATE/HOUSE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
DEPARTMENT
OF
EDUCATION
BILL)
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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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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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
16
under
chapter
17A
to
carry
out
this
chapter
,
including
but
17
not
limited
to
rules
establishing
standards
for
content
18
and
measures
by
which
competence
in
core
areas
is
to
be
19
demonstrated
and
assessed.
Such
measures
shall
include
but
20
not
be
limited
to
a
test
battery,
credit-based
measures,
and
21
attainment
of
other
academic
credentials
of
equivalent
or
22
greater
rigor
.
23
Sec.
5.
EFFECTIVE
UPON
ENACTMENT.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
24
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
25
EXPLANATION
26
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
27
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
28
This
bill
modifies
Code
chapter
259A,
which
provides
for
29
high
school
equivalency
programs
and
assessments,
and
for
the
30
issuance
of
high
school
equivalency
diplomas
by
the
department
31
of
education.
32
Under
the
bill,
issuance
of
a
high
school
equivalency
33
diploma
is
to
be
based
on
an
applicant’s
demonstrated
34
competence
in
core
areas.
Currently,
the
diploma
is
issued
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based
on
satisfactory
competence,
which
an
applicant
meets
1
by
achieving
the
minimum
passing
standards
in
the
same
areas
2
that
under
the
bill
are
described
as
“core
areas”:
reading,
3
language
arts,
literacy,
mathematics,
science,
and
social
4
studies.
5
Currently,
an
applicant
must
submit
an
application
to
a
6
testing
center,
but,
under
the
bill,
application
may
be
made
7
either
to
a
high
school
equivalency
program
or
to
a
testing
8
center.
The
bill
directs
high
school
equivalency
programs
to
9
make
available
to
the
department
evidence
of
an
applicant’s
10
demonstrated
competence.
11
The
bill
requires
the
director
of
the
department
of
12
education
to
prescribe
assessments
and
resources,
and
strikes
13
a
requirement
that
the
director
adopt
tests.
Currently,
the
14
state
board
of
education
has
the
authority
to
adopt
rules
to
15
carry
out
the
Code
chapter.
The
bill
maintains
this
broad
16
authority,
while
specifying
that
the
rules
must
include
but
17
not
be
limited
to
rules
establishing
standards
for
content
18
and
measures
by
which
competence
in
core
areas
is
to
be
19
demonstrated
and
assessed.
Such
measures
shall
include
but
20
not
be
limited
to
a
test
battery,
credit-based
measures,
and
21
attainment
of
other
academic
credentials
of
equivalent
or
22
greater
rigor.
23
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