Bill Text: IA HF175 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to administration of a civics examination by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools as a condition of high school graduation and including applicability provisions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 15-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-17 - Passed subcommittee. [HF175 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF175-Introduced.html
House File 175 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY HEARTSILL, SHEETS, WATTS, KAUFMANN, KOESTER, BAUDLER, DOLECHECK, MOMMSEN, GASSMAN, BYRNES, BRANHAGEN, FISHER, KOOIKER, HOLT, and HANUSA A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to administration of a civics examination 2 by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools 3 as a condition of high school graduation and including 4 applicability provisions. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 1503YH (6) 86 kh/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 256.9, Code 2015, is amended by adding 1 2 the following new subsection: 1 3 NEW SUBSECTION. 66. Approve alternative civics assessments 1 4 pursuant to section 280.9A, subsection 1, paragraph "b". 1 5 Sec. 2. Section 280.9A, subsection 1, Code 2015, is amended 1 6 to read as follows: 1 7 1. The board of directors of each local public school 1 8 district and the authorities in charge of each nonpublic school 1 9 shall require that all students in grades nine through twelve 1 10 successfully complete or pass, as applicable, as a condition of 1 11 graduation,instructionthe following: 1 12 a. Instruction in American history and the governments of 1 13 Iowa and the United States, including instruction in voting 1 14 statutes and procedures, voter registration requirements, 1 15 the use of paper ballots and voting systems in the election 1 16 process, and the method of acquiring and casting an absentee 1 17 ballot. 1 18 b. A civics examination that shall be the same as, and shall 1 19 include all questions used in, the latest available civics 1 20 examination administered by the United States citizenship 1 21 and immigration services. The proctored examination shall 1 22 be completed without ancillary materials and only students 1 23 who score a proficiency of sixty percent or higher shall 1 24 be considered to have successfully passed the examination. 1 25 Alternative assessment measures approved by the department of 1 26 education pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 66, may be 1 27 administered to children requiring special education as defined 1 28 in section 256B.2, subsection 1, and to students identified 1 29 as limited English proficient pursuant to section 280.4. 1 30 Each student shall be provided with an opportunity to take 1 31 the civics examination at least one time per school calendar 1 32 year. A student may take the test at any time after enrolling 1 33 in grade seven and may repeat the test as often as necessary 1 34 to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade seven or 1 35 eight passes the civics examination, the student has met the 2 1 graduation requirement applicable to this paragraph "b". A 2 2 fee shall not be imposed or collected in connection with this 2 3 paragraph "b". 2 4 Sec. 3. APPLICABILITY. Section 280.9A, subsection 1, 2 5 paragraph "b", as enacted by this Act, applies to any student 2 6 who will graduate from high school during or after the 2 7 2016=2017 school year. 2 8 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 2 9 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 2 10 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 2 11 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 2 12 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 2 13 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 2 14 to meet all of the state funding=related requirements of 2 15 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 2 16 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 2 17 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 2 18 districts. 2 19 EXPLANATION 2 20 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 21 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 22 This bill requires students enrolled in school districts 2 23 and accredited nonpublic schools to successfully pass as a 2 24 condition of graduation a proctored, or supervised, civics 2 25 examination that is the same as the latest available civics 2 26 examination administered by the citizenship and immigration 2 27 services. Students are prohibited from using ancillary 2 28 materials during the examination and must achieve a score of at 2 29 least 60 percent to successfully pass the examination. 2 30 Each student must be given an opportunity to take the test 2 31 at least once every school year, beginning in grade seven, 2 32 and each student may take the test, at no cost, as often as 2 33 necessary to demonstrate proficiency. If a student in grade 2 34 seven or eight passes the civics examination, the student has 2 35 met the graduation requirement. 3 1 The director of the department of education is tasked with 3 2 approving alternative assessment measures that school districts 3 3 and accredited nonpublic schools may administer to children 3 4 requiring special education and to English language learners. 3 5 The bill applies to students who will graduate from high 3 6 school during or after the 2016=2017 school year. 3 7 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 3 8 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 3 9 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 3 10 district from state school foundation aid received by the 3 11 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 3 12 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 3 13 funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 3 14 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 3 15 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 3 16 mandates included in the bill. LSB 1503YH (6) 86 kh/sc
