HLS 14RS-1270 ENGROSSED
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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE BILL NO. 953
BY REPRESENTATIVES LEGER AND SMITH
STUDENT/STANDARDS: Provides for the collection, sharing, and use of student
assessment results and information by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education
AN ACT1
To amend and reenact R.S. 17:24.4(A)(4) and (F)(1) and to enact R.S. 17:24.4(F)(2), relative2
to statewide content standards and assessments for required subjects; to provide3
relative to the definition and establishment of such standards; to provide for the4
collection and sharing of student assessment results and information by the State5
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; to provide for the use of such results6
and information for specified purposes including for purposes of distributing school7
and district letter grades; to provide for the promulgation of rules by the State Board8
of Elementary and Secondary Education relative to measuring student growth; to9
require the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish an10
academic support plan and determine interventions for certain failing public schools;11
and to provide for related matters.12
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:13
Section 1. R.S. 17:24.4(A)(4) and (F)(1) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.14
17:24.4(F)(2) is hereby enacted to read as follows: 15
ยง24.4. Louisiana Competency-Based Education Program; statewide standards for16
required subjects; Louisiana Educational Assessment Program; parish or city17
school board comprehensive pupil progression plans; waivers18
A. As used in this Section, the following words, terms, and phrases shall19
have the meaning ascribed to them in this Subsection, except when the context20
clearly indicates a different meaning:21
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(4) "The statewide content standards for required subjects" are statements1
that define what a student Louisiana public elementary and secondary students2
should know or be able to accomplish at the end of a specific time period or grade3
level or at the completion of a course. Content standards shall represent the4
knowledge and skills needed for students to successfully transition to postsecondary5
education and the workplace, as determined by content experts, elementary and6
secondary educators and school leaders, postsecondary education leaders, and7
business and industry leaders.8
* * *9
F.(1)(a) The Department of Education shall begin implementation of10
implement a Louisiana Educational Assessment Program with the approval of the11
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.12
(b) Developmental readiness student screening for placement and for13
planning instruction shall occur upon initial school entry into kindergarten.14
(c) Standards-based assessments in English language arts, mathematics,15
science, and social studies based on state content standards and rigorous student16
achievement standards set with reference to test scores of students of the same grade17
level nationally shall be implemented by the State Board of Elementary and18
Secondary Education. Such tests and shall be administered, at a minimum, in grades19
three through eleven.20
(d) Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, standards-based assessments21
implemented by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in English22
language arts and mathematics shall be based on nationally recognized content23
standards that represent the knowledge and skills needed for students to successfully24
transition to postsecondary education and the workplace and shall allow for25
comparison of student achievement with students in other states.26
(e) Rigorous student achievement standards shall be set with reference to test27
scores of the same grade levels nationally.28 HLS 14RS-1270 ENGROSSED
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(e)(f) The rigor of each standards-based assessment, at a minimum, shall be1
comparable to national achievement tests, including but not limited to the National2
Assessment of Education Progress.3
(f)(g) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon initial4
implementation of the tests provided for in this Subsection, shall establish by rule5
adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act the adequate test score6
to determine successful performance of the student on each test provided for by this7
Subsection.8
(2)(a) The state board shall collect statewide results from the assessments9
administered to students in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years in order to10
define the basis for student achievement expectations to be used in the school and11
district accountability system pursuant to R.S. 17:10.1.12
(b) The state board shall comply with federal and state law in reporting13
student results from such assessments in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, the state board14
shall provide aggregate results from such assessments to an appropriately qualified15
faculty member at a Louisiana postsecondary education institution who shall analyze16
student performance and advise the board on the basis for achievement expectations.17
(c) For the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years:18
(i) The state board shall use the statewide results from the assessments19
administered in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 as the basis for a distribution of school20
and district letter grades that shall not vary from the distribution of letter grades21
resulting from the 2012-2013 assessment results unless schools or districts improve22
in their performance such that the overall distribution of letter grades is better than23
the 2012-2013 distribution.24
(ii) After assigning letter grades, the state board shall establish an academic25
support plan for each public school that concludes its third consecutive year of26
academic failure and shall require a change in school governance only after such a27
plan has been implemented in the school for at least one year.28 HLS 14RS-1270 ENGROSSED
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(iii) The state board shall not use the results of such assessments to require1
the use of value-added data in the evaluation of educators. The state board may2
promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to ensure that3
local public school systems have an accurate basis for measuring student growth in4
the absence of such data.5
(d) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year and continuing thereafter, the6
state board shall use the results of the assessments implemented pursuant to7
Subparagraph (1)(d) of this Subsection as the basis for student achievement8
expectations in the school and district accountability system and in value-added9
analysis.10
(e) The state board shall use such assessments based on nationally11
competitive standards to establish a statewide performance goal to be reached by12
2025 and shall use such a goal as the basis for school and performance expectations.13
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DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Leger HB No. 953
Abstract: Provides for the collection, sharing, and use of student assessment results and
information by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education including
for purposes of distributing letter grades to schools and school districts.
Present law provides for the La. Competency-Based Education Program, including the
development and implementation of statewide content standards for required subjects and
the La. Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) by the state Dept. of Education with
approval of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). Defines
"statewide content standards for required subjects" as statements that define what a student
should know or be able to accomplish at the end of a specific time period or grade level or
at the completion of a course. Proposed law revises this definition to provide for what "La.
public elementary and secondary students" rather than for what "a student" should know or
be able to accomplish and otherwise retains present law.
Present law requires standards-based assessments for required subjects (English language
arts, math, science, and social studies) to be implemented by BESE and administered in at
least grades 3 through 11. Provides that such assessments be based on state content
standards and rigorous student achievement standards comparable to national student
achievement levels. Further requires that the rigor of such assessments shall at least compare
to that of national achievement tests. Specifies that beginning with the 2014-2015 school
year, the standards-based assessments in English language arts and math shall be based on HLS 14RS-1270 ENGROSSED
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nationally recognized content standards. Requires BESE to establish the adequate test scores
for determining successful student performance on the tests. Proposed law retains present
law and additionally requires BESE to:
(1)Collect statewide results from the assessments administered to students in 2014-2015
and 2015-2016 in order to define the basis for student achievement expectations to
be used in the school and district accountability system.
(2)Comply with federal and state law in reporting student results from such
assessments.
(3)Provide aggregate results from such assessments to an appropriately qualified faculty
member at a La. postsecondary education institution to analyze student performance
and advise the board on the basis for achievement expectations.
Proposed law adds that for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, BESE:
(1)Shall use the statewide results from the assessments administered in 2014-2015 and
2015-2016 as the basis for a distribution of school and district letter grades that shall
not vary from the distribution of letter grades resulting from the 2012-2013
assessment results unless schools or districts improve in their performance such that
the overall distribution of letter grades is better than the 2012-2013 distribution.
(2)After assigning letter grades, shall establish an academic support plan for each public
school that concludes its third consecutive year of academic failure and shall require
a change in school governance only after such a plan has been implemented in the
school for at least one year.
(3)Shall not use the results of such assessments to require the use of value-added data
in the evaluation of educators. Authorizes the board to promulgate rules to ensure
that local public school systems have an accurate basis for measuring student growth
in the absence of such data.
Proposed law provides that beginning with the 2016-2017 school year and continuing
thereafter, BESE shall use the results of the assessments as the basis for student achievement
expectations in the school and district accountability system and in value-added analysis.
Further provides that BESE shall use such assessments based on nationally competitive
standards to establish a statewide performance goal to be reached by 2025 and shall use such
a goal as the basis for school and performance expectations.
(Amends R.S. 17:24.4(A)(4) and (F)(1); Adds R.S. 17:24.4(F)(2))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Education to the original
bill.
1. Deletes proposed law that required that statewide content standards be
established in accordance with La. educational priorities as determined by BESE
and that prohibited the standards from requiring the use of federally or state-
endorsed curricula, textbooks, or other instructional materials and from requiring
the collection or reporting of any student data.
2. Adds requirements that BESE collect results from the assessments administered
in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 in order to define the basis for student achievement
expectations to be used in the school and district accountability system; comply
with federal and state law in reporting student results from such assessments; and
provide aggregate results from such assessments to a qualified faculty member HLS 14RS-1270 ENGROSSED
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at a La. postsecondary education institution to analyze student performance and
advise the board on the basis for achievement expectations.
3. Adds that for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, BESE shall use the
statewide results from the assessments as the basis for a distribution of school
and district letter grades that shall not vary from the distribution of letter grades
from 2012-2013, unless under certain circumstances; shall establish an academic
support plan for certain failing public schools; and shall require a change in
school governance only after such a plan has been implemented for one year.
4. Prohibits BESE from using the results of such assessments to require the use of
value-added data in the evaluation of educators.
5. Authorizes BESE to promulgate rules to ensure that local public school systems
have an accurate basis for measuring student growth in the absence of value-
added data.