SLS 24RS-4243 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 81
BY SENATOR HODGES AND REPRESENTATI VE BAMBURG
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. Creates the Task Force on the Use of the American College
Test for Accountability.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To create and provide for the Task Force on the Use of the American College Test for
3 Accountability to study and make recommendations to the legislature with respect
4 to the use of the American College Test by public school systems as a measure of
5 high school performance for all public school students in grades eleven and twelve.
6 WHEREAS, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act mandates that states incorporate
7 at least one standardized test of English, Math, and Science in its school performance and
8 accountability system and submit a plan of implementation to the United States Department
9 of Education for approval and compliance; and
10 WHEREAS, Louisiana's current accountability plan, that uses the American College
11 Test as a measure of student performance, was approved by the United States Department
12 of Education over a decade ago and relies on high school students taking the American
13 College Test and also taking a series of the end of course tests in English, Math, Science and
14 Social Studies; and
15 WHEREAS, with the exception of some students with exceptionalities, Louisiana
16 requires all public school students to take the American College Test in the eleventh grade,
17 regardless of whether or not the student will attend a college or university; and
18 WHEREAS, Louisiana is one of approximately fifteen states which mandates that
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1 all students take the American College Test, regardless of whether or not the student will
2 attend a college or university; and
3 WHEREAS, included in the requirement to take the American College Test are high
4 school students who have opted to pursue a career diploma and who will normally also be
5 expected to also take the WorkKeys exam; and
6 WHEREAS, pursuant to R.S. 17:183.3, each student pursuing a career diploma is
7 required to take both the American College Test and WorkKeys and the higher of the two
8 scores is used in the calculation of the applicable school performance score; and
9 WHEREAS, while college and university bound students are required to only take
10 the American College Test prior to graduation, workforce and military-bound students must
11 take other tests in addition to the American College Test; and
12 WHEREAS, historically students who are pursing a career diploma have placed more
13 emphasis on the WorkKeys examination since the WorkKeys score generally leads to more
14 job opportunities, internships, and apprenticeships for a student who has chosen the career
15 path following graduation; and
16 WHEREAS, because career diploma students tend to place greater weight on the
17 WorkKeys examination, consequentially those career-bound students place less emphasis
18 on the American College Test and are, therefore, often unprepared or unwilling to effectively
19 participate in the American College Test preparation or examination; and
20 WHEREAS, Louisiana's average American College Test score is publicized as a
21 measurement of college preparedness both within the state and nationally, despite the fact
22 that more than half of Louisiana's high school students will never attend college; and
23 WHEREAS, requiring Career Diploma students to take the American College Test,
24 when those students tend to place lower emphasis on the test leads to lower scores for those
25 students and consequential lowering of the average American College Test score for the state
26 of Louisiana; and
27 WHEREAS, considering that the majority of states do not include the American
28 College Test scores for students who will not attend a college or university, the use of the
29 American College Test scores by Louisiana for all students, reduces Louisiana's national
30 scores in terms of college preparedness and, arbitrarily, makes Louisiana students appear less
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1 educated than other states; and
2 WHEREAS, the use of the American College Test may arbitrarily cause a negative
3 comparison to be cast onto Louisiana in an inaccurate, negative light to businesses and
4 employers across the nation, which may harm Louisiana's efforts toward economic
5 development; and
6 WHEREAS, the emphasis that Louisiana has placed on having a robust career and
7 technical high school pathway to develop graduates prepared to enter the industrial
8 workforce, may be thwarted by the arbitrary mandate that those students take the American
9 College Test, when students believe that the test has no value to many of them personally;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, the legislature finds that it would be helpful to create a task force to
12 study and make recommendations to the legislature with respect to the best testing method
13 for Louisiana's career diploma students in order to accurately reflect the career readiness of
14 the career diploma students and, thereby, also accurately reflect the college readiness of
15 Louisiana students in comparison to other states.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17 establish and provide for the Task Force on the Use of the American College Test for
18 Accountability to study and make recommendations to the legislature with respect to the use
19 of the American College Test by public school systems as a measure of high school
20 performance for all students and to make specific proposed legislation, by written report, to
21 the legislature and to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required by R.S.
22 24:771 and 772, no later than March 14, 2025.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force should include consideration of
24 a review and analysis of the current Louisiana testing and accountability plan that uses the
25 American College Test and how the use of this testing method impacts the balance between
26 college preparatory and career diploma students and make any recommendations for
27 appropriate legislation, if necessary, to the legislature.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall consist of the following
29 members:
30 (1) One member appointed by the president of the Senate who will serve as the
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1 chairperson.
2 (2) One member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
3 (3) One member appointed by the governor.
4 (4) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Education or his designee.
5 (5) The chairwoman of the House Committee on Education or her designee.
6 (6) The vice chairwoman of the House Committee on Education.
7 (7) The state superintendent of the Department of Education or his designee.
8 (8) The president of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or his
9 designee.
10 (9) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
11 (10) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents,
12 who serves as a local school superintendent.
13 (11) One member appointed by Louisiana Kids Matter.
14 (12) One member appointed by the Louisiana Principals Association, who is the
15 principal of a public high school.
16 (13) One member appointed by the Pelican Institute.
17 (14) One member appointed by the Louisiana School Counselor Association, who
18 is a counselor at a public high school.
19 (15) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association for Career and Technical
20 Education, who serves as a career and technical education supervisor in a public school
21 district.
22 (16) One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
23 (17) One member appointed by the Louisiana School Boards Association.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each designating authority shall submit the
25 names of designees to the task force to the Senate Committee on Education no later than
26 August 1, 2024.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall convene for its first meeting
28 no later than August 15, 2024, at the call of chairman, and at the first meeting, the members
29 shall elect other officers as the task force may deem appropriate.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate Legislative Services shall provide
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1 staff support for the task force.
2 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting this study the task force will seek
3 input and advice from national organizations with expertise in the federal accountability
4 system for public education systems.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the task force members which are
6 present shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. All official actions of the
7 task force shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the members.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force shall serve
9 without compensation, except per diem or expenses reimbursement to which they may be
10 individually entitled as members of their constituent organizations.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall terminate on the date of the
12 submission of its report or March 14, 2025, whichever occurs first.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
14 governor, the state Department of Education, the Board of Elementary and Secondary
15 Education, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Louisiana Association
16 of School Superintendents, Louisiana Kids Matter, Louisiana Principals Association, the
17 Pelican Institute, the Louisiana School Counselor Association, the Louisiana Career and
18 Technical Education Association, the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, and
19 the Louisiana School Boards Association.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Carla S. Roberts.
DIGEST
SCR 81 Original 2024 Regular Session Hodges
Establishes the Task Force on the Use of the American College Test for Accountability to
study and make recommendations to the legislature with respect to the use of the American
College Test by public schools systems as a measure of high school performance for all
students.
Comprises the task force members as follows:
(1)One member appointed by the president of the Senate who will serve as the
chairperson.
(2)One member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
(3)One member appointed by the governor.
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(4)The chairman of the Senate Committee on Education or his designee.
(5)The chairwoman of the House Committee on Education or her designee.
(6)The vice chairwoman of the House Committee on Education.
(7)The state superintendent of the Department of Education or his designee.
(8)The president of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or his designee.
(9)One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
(10)One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents,
who serves as a local school superintendent.
(11)One member appointed by Louisiana Kids Matter.
(12)One member appointed by the Louisiana Principals Association, who is the principal
of a public high school.
(13)One member appointed by the Pelican Institute.
(14)One member appointed by the Louisiana School Counselor Association, who is a
counselor at a public high school.
(15)One member appointed by the Louisiana Career and Technical Education
Association, who serves as a career and technical education supervisor in a public
school district.
(16)One member appointed by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
(17)One member appointed by the Louisiana School Boards Association.
Provides relative to meetings of the task force, quorum, and voting requirements.
Specifies that the members of the task force serve without compensation, except for such
reimbursement or per diem they are individually entitled to as members of the constituent
group they represent.
Provides that the names of the members are to be submitted to the Senate Committee on
Education by August 1, 2024, and the chair will thereafter call the first meeting of the task
force no later than August 15, 2024.
Requires that Senate Legislative Services provide staff support to the task force.
Provides that the task force may request additional staff support from the Senate Legislative
Services.
Provides that the task force is to make a written report of its findings and recommendations
by March 14, 2025.
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