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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE BILL NO. 953
BY REPRESENTATIVES LEGER, BADON, BROADWATER, BURRELL, CARMODY,
DIXON, HUNTER, JEFFERSON, PIERRE, REYNOLDS, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN,
AND WOODRUFF
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
* * *22
(4) "The statewide content standards for required subjects" are statements23
that define what a student Louisiana public elementary and secondary students24 ENROLLEDHB NO. 953
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should know or be able to accomplish at the end of a specific time period or grade1
level or at the completion of a course. Content standards shall represent the2
knowledge and skills needed for students to successfully transition to postsecondary3
education and the workplace, as determined by content experts, elementary and4
secondary educators and school leaders, postsecondary education leaders, and5
business and industry leaders.6
* * *7
F.(1)(a) The Department of Education shall begin implementation of8
implement a Louisiana Educational Assessment Program with the approval of the9
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.10
(b) Developmental readiness student screening for placement and for11
planning instruction shall occur upon initial school entry into kindergarten.12
(c) Standards-based assessments in English language arts, mathematics,13
science, and social studies based on state content standards and rigorous student14
achievement standards set with reference to test scores of students of the same grade15
level nationally shall be implemented by the State Board of Elementary and16
Secondary Education. Such tests and shall be administered, at a minimum, in grades17
three through eleven.18
(d) Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, standards-based assessments19
implemented by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in English20
language arts and mathematics shall be based on nationally recognized content21
standards that represent the knowledge and skills needed for students to successfully22
transition to postsecondary education and the workplace and shall allow for23
comparison of student achievement with students in other states.24
(e) Rigorous student achievement standards shall be set with reference to test25
scores of the same grade levels nationally.26
(e)(f) The rigor of each standards-based assessment, at a minimum, shall be27
comparable to national achievement tests, including but not limited to the National28
Assessment of Education Educational Progress.29 ENROLLEDHB NO. 953
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(f)(g) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, upon initial1
implementation of the tests provided for in this Subsection, shall establish by rule2
adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act the adequate test score3
to determine successful performance of the student on each test provided for by this4
Subsection.5
(2)(a) The state board shall collect statewide results from the assessments6
administered to students in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years in order to7
define the basis for student achievement expectations to be used in the school and8
district accountability system pursuant to R.S. 17:10.1.9
(b) The state board shall comply with federal and state law in reporting10
student results from such assessments in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, the state board11
shall provide aggregate results from such assessments to an appropriately qualified12
faculty member at a Louisiana postsecondary education institution who shall analyze13
student performance and advise the board on the basis for achievement expectations.14
(c) For the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years:15
(i) The state board shall use the statewide results from the assessments16
administered in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 as the basis for a distribution of school17
and district letter grades that shall not vary from the distribution of letter grades18
resulting from the 2012-2013 assessment results unless schools or districts improve19
in their performance such that the overall distribution of letter grades is better than20
the 2012-2013 distribution.21
(ii) After assigning letter grades, the state board shall establish an academic22
support plan for each public school that concludes its third consecutive year of23
academic failure and shall require a change in school governance only after such a24
plan has been implemented in the school for at least one year.25
(iii) The state board shall not use the results of such assessments to require26
the use of value-added data in the evaluation of educators. The state board may27
promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to ensure that28
local public school systems have an accurate basis for measuring student growth in29
the absence of such data.30 ENROLLEDHB NO. 953
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(d) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year and continuing thereafter, the1
state board shall use the results of the assessments implemented pursuant to2
Subparagraph (1)(d) of this Subsection as the basis for student achievement3
expectations in the school and district accountability system and in value-added4
analysis.5
(e) The state board shall use such assessments based on nationally6
competitive standards to establish a statewide performance goal to be reached by7
2025 and shall use such a goal as the basis for school and performance expectations.8
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SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED: