HLS 15RS-102 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 22
BY REPRESENTATIVE HENSGENS
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
STUDENT/ASSESSMENT: Prohibits penalizing public school students, teachers, schools,
or school systems for students not participating in certain Spring 2015 state
assessments
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 17:24.4(F)(1)(d), relative to student assessment; to prohibit
3 penalizing a student for not taking certain assessments due to his parents' refusal to
4 allow such participation; to prohibit penalizing a teacher, school, or school system
5 for such a student's lack of participation; and to provide for related matters.
6Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:24.4(F)(1)(d) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
8 ยง24.4. Louisiana Competency-Based Education Program; statewide standards for
9 required subjects; Louisiana Educational Assessment Program; parish or city
10 school board comprehensive pupil progression plans; waivers
11 * * *
12 F.(1)
13 * * *
14 (d)(i) Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, standards-based
15 assessments implemented by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
16 Education in English language arts and mathematics shall be based on nationally
17 recognized content standards that represent the knowledge and skills needed for
18 students to successfully transition to postsecondary education and the workplace.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 15RS-102 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 22
1 Rigorous student achievement standards shall be set with reference to test scores of
2 the same grade levels nationally.
3 (ii) A student in grades three through eight who did not take the assessments
4 administered pursuant to Item (i) of this Subparagraph in the Spring of 2015 because
5 his parent did not allow him to participate shall not be penalized for failure to take
6 the assessments. For purposes of this Item, prohibited penalties include but are not
7 limited to:
8 (aa) Denying a student the opportunity to participate in an extracurricular
9 activity.
10 (bb) Denying a student the ability to advance to the subsequent grade level.
11 (cc) Denying a student the opportunity for placement in an honors,
12 Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate course.
13 (iii) The absence of assessment results for a student in grades three through
14 eight who did not take the assessments administered pursuant to Item (i) of this
15 Subparagraph in the Spring of 2015 because his parent did not allow him to
16 participate shall not be factored into or negatively impact the performance score or
17 letter grade assigned to a school or school system or a teacher's evaluation rating, nor
18 shall a school, school system, or teacher otherwise be penalized in any manner for
19 such absence of results.
20 * * *
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)]
HB 22 Original 2015 Regular Session Hensgens
Abstract: Prohibits penalizing a student in grades 3-8 for not taking certain Spring 2015
state assessments due to his parents' refusal to allow him to participate. Provides that
the resulting absence of assessment results for such a student shall not be factored
into or negatively impact performance scores or letter grades for schools and school
systems or a teacher's evaluation rating, and prohibits penalizing schools, school
systems, and teachers in any other way.
Present law provides for the La. Competency-Based Education Program, including the
implementation of statewide standards for required subjects and the La. Educational
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 15RS-102 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 22
Assessment Program (LEAP). Requires standards-based assessments for required subjects
to be implemented by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education 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 nationally recognized content standards.
Proposed law retains present law and prohibits penalizing a student in grades 3-8 who does
not take the English language arts and math assessments in the Spring of 2015 due to his
parents' refusal to allow him to participate. Provides that the resulting absence of assessment
results for a student shall not be factored into or negatively impact performance scores or
letter grades for schools and school systems or a teacher's evaluation rating, and prohibits
penalizing schools, school systems, and teachers in any other manner.
(Amends R.S. 17:24.4(F)(1)(d))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.