The Iowa House and Iowa Senate have put together a conference committee to iron out differences in their respective education reform bills.
Of specific concern is a provision in the amended HF 215 which grants the Iowa Department of Education authority to mandate a different assessment (from what is already required by state law) to local schools which paves the way for Smarter Balanced Assessments. We knew this would require statutory change. This would further entrench the Common Core State Standards in Iowa.
The language on assessments and data collection begins on line 30-3 of HF 215.
Annually, the department shall report state data 30 4 for each indicator in the condition of education report. 30 5 Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection shall specify that 30 6 the approved district=wide assessment of student progress 30 7 administered for purposes of this paragraph the indicators 30 8 shall be the assessment utilized by school districts statewide 30 9 in the school year beginning July 1, 2011, or a successor 30 10 assessment administered by the same assessment provider. 30 11 (2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (1), for the school 30 12 year beginning July 1, 2014, and each succeeding school 30 13 year, the rules shall provide that all students enrolled 30 14 in school districts in grades three through eleven shall, 30 15 within forty=five days of the end of the school year, be 30 16 administered an assessment that at a minimum assesses the 30 17 indicators identified in this paragraph "b"; is aligned with 30 18 the Iowa common core standards in both content and rigor; 30 19 is developed by a consortium in which the state of Iowa is 30 20 a participant; accurately describes student achievement and 30 21 growth for purposes of the school, the school district, and 30 22 state accountability systems; and provides valid, reliable, 30 23 and fair measures of student progress toward college or career 30 24 readiness. 30 25 (3) The director shall establish a task force to review 30 26 and assist with the final development and implementation of 30 27 the assessment specified in subparagraph (2). The task force 30 28 members shall include but not be limited to teachers, school 30 29 administrators, business leaders, representatives of state 30 30 agencies, and members of the general public. This subparagraph 30 31 is repealed July 1, 2015.
I encourage you to contact the members of the conference committee as they are meeting TODAY.
- State Representative Ron Jorgensen – ron.jorgensen@legis.iowa.gov
- State Representative Cecil Dolecheck – cecil.dolecheck@legis.iowa.gov
- State Representative Quentin Stanerson – quentin.stanerson@legis.iowa.gov
- State Representative Sharon Steckman – sharon.steckman@legis.iowa.gov
- State Representative Frank Wood – frank.wood@legis.iowa.gov
- State Senator Herman Quirmbach – herman.quirmbach@legis.iowa.gov
- State Senator Tod Bowman – tod.bowman@legis.iowa.gov
- State Senator Joni Ernst – joni.ernst@legis.iowa.gov
- State Senator Amy Sinclair – amy.sinclair@legis.iowa.gov
- State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm – mary.jo.wilhelm@legis.iowa.gov
Updated: The second paragraph was updated to further clarify what the Iowa Code required.
Cross-posted from Iowans for Local Control
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