General accreditation standards, 12.5, 12.8
ARC 4402C
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT[281]
Notice of Intended Action
Proposing rule making related to accreditation standards
and providing an opportunity for public comment
The State Board of Education hereby proposes to amend Chapter 12, "General Accreditation Standards," Iowa Administrative Code.
Legal Authority for Rule Making
This rule making is proposed under the authority provided in Iowa Code section 256.7(5).
State or Federal Law Implemented
This rule making implements, in whole or in part, Iowa Code sections 256.7(21), 256.7(26)"a"(1), 256.11 and 257.38.
Purpose and Summary
Chapter 12 outlines general accreditation standards for schools and school districts. The proposed changes to the rules reflect statutory changes made during the 2018 Legislative Session. 2018 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2318, added language regarding high school graduation requirements and notification to parents. 2018 Iowa Acts, House File 2390, section 3, made a change from "foreign" languages to "world" languages. 2018 Iowa Acts, Senate File 475, section 20, added a requirement that students take a financial literacy course for graduation and addressed the required components of the course. 2018 Iowa Acts, House File 2441, sections 2 to 6, made modifications relating to dropout prevention. Lastly, 2018 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2114, sections 1 to 3, changed the requirements and grade levels for student assessments.
Fiscal Impact
This rule making has no fiscal impact to the State of Iowa.
Jobs Impact
After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.
Waivers
Any person who believes that the application of the discretionary provisions of this rule making would result in hardship or injustice to that person may petition the State Board for a waiver of the discretionary provisions, if any, pursuant to 281—Chapter 4.
Public Comment
Any interested person may submit written or oral comments concerning this proposed rule making. Written or oral comments in response to this rule making must be received by the Department no later than 4:30 p.m.on May 14, 2019. Comments should be directed to:
Nicole Proesch Department of Education Grimes State Office Building, Second Floor Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0416 Phone: 515.281.8661 Email: nicole.proesch@iowa.gov |
Public Hearing
A public hearing at which persons may present their views orally or in writing will be held as follows:
May 14, 2019 11 a.m.to 12 noon |
State Board Room, Second Floor Grimes State Office Building East 14th Street and Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa |
Persons who wish to make oral comments at the public hearing may be asked to state their names for the record and to confine their remarks to the subject of this proposed rule making.
Any persons who intend to attend the public hearing and have special requirements, such as those related to hearing or mobility impairments, should contact the Department and advise of specific needs by calling 515.281.5295.
Review by Administrative Rules Review Committee
The Administrative Rules Review Committee, a bipartisan legislative committee which oversees rule making by executive branch agencies, may, on its own motion or on written request by any individual or group, review this rule making at its regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting. The Committee's meetings are open to the public, and interested persons may be heard as provided in Iowa Code section 17A.8(6).
The following rule-making actions are proposed:
Item 1. Amend paragraph 12.5(4)"l" as follows:
l. Secondary credit.
(1)An individual pupil in a grade that precedes ninth grade may be allowed to take a course for secondary credit if all of the following are true:
1.The pupil satisfactorily completes the course.
2.The course is taught by a teacher licensed by the Iowa board of educational examiners for grades 9-12 9 through 12 and endorsed in the subject area.
3.The course meets all components listed in subrule 12.5(5) for the specific curricular area.
4.The board of the school district or the authorities in charge of the nonpublic school have developed enrollment criteria that a student must meet to be enrolled in the course.
(2)Neither school districts nor accredited nonpublic schools are mandated to offer secondary credit under this paragraph. If a student meets the requirement of subparagraph 12.5(4)"l"(1), the school district or accredited nonpublic school of enrollment shall issue high school credit for the unit to the student unless the student is unable to demonstrate proficiency or the school district or accredited nonpublic school determines that the course unit completed by the student does not meet the school district's or accredited nonpublic school's standards, as appropriate. If a student is denied credit under this paragraph, the school district or accredited nonpublic school denying credit shall provide to the student's parent or guardian in writing the reason for the denial. If credit is offered awarded under this paragraph, the credit must apply toward graduation requirements of the district or accredited nonpublic school.
Item 2. Amend subrule 12.5(5), introductory paragraph, as follows:
12.5(5) High school program, grades 9-12. In grades 9 through 12, a unit is a course or equivalent related components or partial units taught throughout the academic year as defined in subrule 12.5(14). The following shall be offered and taught as the minimum program: English-language arts, six units; social studies, five units; mathematics, six units as specified in 12.5(5)"c"; science, five units; health, one unit; physical education, one unit; fine arts, three units; foreign world language, four units; and vocational education, 12 units as specified in 12.5(5)"i." Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year graduating class, all students in schools and school districts shall satisfactorily complete at least four units of English-language arts, three units of mathematics, three units of science, three units of social studies, and one full unit of physical education as conditions of graduation. The three units of social studies may include the existing graduation requirements of one-half unit of United States government and one unit of United States history.
Item 3. Amend paragraph 12.5(5)"h" as follows:
h. Foreign World language (four units). The foreign world language program shall be a four-unit sequence of uninterrupted study in at least one language , which may include American Sign Language. Foreign World language instruction shall include listening comprehension appropriate to the level of instruction; rateable oral proficiency; reading comprehension appropriate to the level of instruction; writing proficiency appropriate to the level of instruction; and cultural awareness.
All high schools shall offer and teach the first two units of the sequence. The third and fourth units must be offered. However, the department of education may, on an annual basis, waive the third and fourth unit requirements upon the request of the board. The board must document that a licensed/certificated teacher was employed and assigned a schedule that would have allowed students to enroll, that the class was properly scheduled, that students were aware of the course offerings, and that no students enrolled.
Item 4. Adopt the following new paragraph 12.5(5)"k":
k. Personal finance literacy (one-half unit). All students shall complete at least one-half unit of personal finance literacy as a condition of graduation.
(1)The curriculum shall, at a minimum, address the following:
1.Savings, including emergency fund, purchases, and wealth-building.
2.Understanding investments, including compound and simple interest, liquidity, diversification, risk-return ratio, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, single stocks, bonds, mutual funds, rental real estate, annuities, commodities, and futures.
3.Wealth-building and college planning, including long-term and short-term investing using tax-favored plans, individual retirement accounts and payments from such accounts, employer-sponsored retirement plans and investments, public and private educational savings accounts, and uniform gifts and transfers to minors.
4.Credit and debt, including credit cards, payday lending, rent-to-own transactions, debt consolidation, automobile leasing, cosigning a loan, debt avoidance, and the marketing of debt, especially to young people.
5.Consumer awareness of the power of marketing on buying decisions including zero percent interest offers; marketing methods, including product positioning, advertising, brand recognition, and personal selling; how to read a credit report and correct inaccuracies; how to build a credit score; how to develop a plan to deal with creditors and avoid bankruptcy; and the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
6.Financial responsibility and money management, including creating and living on a written budget and balancing a checkbook; basic rules of successful negotiating and techniques; and personality or other traits regarding money.
7.Insurance, risk management, income, and career decisions, including career choices that fit personality styles and occupational goals, job search strategies, cover letters, résumés, interview techniques, payroll taxes and other income withholdings, and revenue sources for federal, state, and local governments.
8.Different types of insurance coverage including renters, homeowners, automobile, health, disability, long-term care, identity theft, and life insurance; term life, cash value and whole life insurance; and insurance terms such as deductible, stop-loss, elimination period, replacement coverage, liability, and out-of-pocket.
9.Buying, selling, and renting advantages and disadvantages relating to real estate, including adjustable rate, balloon, conventional, government-backed, reverse, and seller-financed mortgages.
(2)One-half unit of personal finance literacy may count as one-half unit of social studies in meeting the requirements of paragraph 12.5(5)"b," though the teacher providing personal finance literacy coursework that counts as one-half unit of social studies need not hold a social studies endorsement.
(3)Units of coursework that meet the requirements of any combination of coursework required under paragraph 12.5(5)"b,""c," or "h" and incorporate the curriculum required under subparagraph 12.5(5)"k"(1) shall be deemed to satisfy the offer-and-teach requirements of this paragraph, and a student who completes such units shall be deemed to have met the graduation requirement of this paragraph.
Item 5. Amend subrule 12.5(13) as follows:
12.5(13) Provisions for at-risk students. Each school district shall include in its comprehensive school improvement plan the following provisions make provision for meeting the needs of at-risk students: valid and systematic procedures and criteria to identify at-risk students throughout the school district's school-age population, determination of appropriate ongoing educational strategies for alternative options education programs as required in Iowa Code section 280.19A, and review and evaluation of the effectiveness of provisions for at-risk students. This subrule does not apply to accredited nonpublic schools.
Each school district using additional allowable growth for provisions for at-risk students shall incorporate educational program goals for at-risk students into its comprehensive school improvement plan. Provisions for at-risk students shall align with the student learning goals and content standards established by the school district or by school districts participating in a consortium. The comprehensive school improvement plan shall also include objectives, activities, cooperative arrangements with other service agencies and service groups, and strategies for parental involvement to meet the needs of at-risk children. The incorporation of these requirements into a school district's comprehensive school improvement plan shall serve as the annual application for additional allowable growth designated in Iowa Code section 257.38.
Item 6. Amend subrule 12.5(14) as follows:
12.5(14) Unit. A unit is a course which meets one of the following criteria: it is taught for at least 200 minutes per week for 36 weeks; it is taught for the equivalent of 120 hours of instruction; it requires the demonstration of proficiency of formal competencies associated with the course according to the State Guidelines for Competency-Based Education or its successor organization; or it is an equated requirement as a part of an innovative program filed as prescribed in rule 281—12.9(256). A fractional unit shall be calculated in a manner consistent with this subrule. Unless the method of instruction is competency-based, multiple-section courses taught at the same time in a single classroom situation by one teacher do not meet this unit definition for the assignment of a unit of credit. However, the third and fourth years of a foreign world language may be taught at the same time by one teacher in a single classroom situation, each yielding a unit of credit.
Item 7. Amend subparagraphs 12.8(1)"f"(1) and (2) as follows:
(1)State indicators. Using at least one districtwide assessment, a school or school district shall assess student progress on the state indicators in, but not limited to, reading, mathematics, and science as specified in subrule 12.8(3). At least one districtwide assessment shall allow for, but not be limited to, the comparison of the school or school district's students with students from across the state and in the nation in reading, mathematics, and science. A school or school district shall use additional assessments to measure progress on locally determined content standards in at least reading, mathematics, and science.
(2)Performance levels. A school or school district shall establish at least three performance levels on at least one districtwide valid and reliable assessment in the areas of reading and mathematics for at least grades 4, 8, and 11 and science in grades 8 and 11 10 or use the achievement levels as established by the Iowa Testing Program to meet the intent of this subparagraph (2).
Item 8. Amend subparagraph 12.8(3)"a"(3) as follows:
(3)The percentage of all eighth and eleventh tenth grade students achieving proficient or higher science status using at least three achievement levels.
This notice is now closed for comments. Collection of comments closed on 5/14/2019.
The official published PDF of this document is available from the Iowa General Assembly’s Administrative Rules page.
View the Iowa Administrative Bulletin for 4/24/2019.
The following administrative rule references were added to this document. You may click a reference to view related notices.
Rule 281-12.5(13) Rule 281-12.5(14) Rule 281-12.5(4)"l" Rule 281-12.5(5) Rule 281-12.5(5)"c" Rule 281-12.5(5)"h" Rule 281-12.5(5)"i" Rule 281-12.5(5)"k" Rule 281-12.8(1)"f" Rule 281-12.8(3) Rule 281-12.8(3)"a" Rule 281-12.9The following Iowa code references were added to this document. You may click a reference to view related notices.
Iowa Code 257.38 Iowa Code 280.19AThe following keywords and tags were added to this document. You may click a keyword to view related notices.
Foreign language (four units) High school program, grades 9-12 Personal finance literacy (one-half unit) Provisions for at-risk students Secondary credit Unit World language (four units)© 2024; State of Iowa | Privacy Policy