HB 457: "An Act providing for differentiated secondary school diplomas; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 457 01 "An Act providing for differentiated secondary school diplomas; and providing for an 02 effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 14.03.075(a) is repealed and reenacted to read: 05 (a) Each secondary school student shall be given the opportunity to take a 06 competency examination in the areas of reading, English, and mathematics. The 07 department shall determine the form and contents of the examination and shall score 08 completed examinations. The department shall adopt regulations providing for the 09 issuance of differentiated secondary school diplomas as follows: 10 (1) a student may be issued an advanced secondary school diploma if 11 the student 12 (A) passes the competency examination; 13 (B) meets additional course and grade point average 14 requirements established by the department that are consistent with academic
01 and technical college entrance standards; and 02 (C) otherwise meets basic graduation requirements imposed by 03 the governing body and the state; 04 (2) a student may be issued an enhanced secondary school diploma if 05 the student 06 (A) passes the competency examination; and 07 (B) otherwise meets basic graduation requirements imposed by 08 the governing body and the state but does not meet the additional course and 09 grade point average requirements described in (1)(B) of this subsection; 10 (3) a student may be issued a basic secondary school diploma if the 11 student fails all or a portion of the competency examination but otherwise meets basic 12 graduation requirements imposed by the governing body and the state; 13 (4) a student may not be issued a secondary school diploma if the 14 student fails to meet basic graduation requirements imposed by the governing body 15 and the state, whether or not the student passes all portions of the competency 16 examination or meets the requirements of (1)(B) of this subsection. 17 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.075(b) is amended to read: 18 (b) A student who fails the competency examination [REQUIRED UNDER 19 THIS SECTION] shall be retested at least once during a school year on those portions 20 of the examination that the student has not passed. A student who passes any portion 21 of the competency examination [TEST] may not retake that portion of the 22 examination [TEST]. A student who, when retested, passes the portions of the 23 competency examination [TEST] not previously passed and who meets any other 24 graduation requirements shall receive a diploma under (a)(1) or (2) of this section 25 from the school district. This subsection does not apply to a student who is a child 26 with a disability if the student's individualized education program team recommends 27 that the student not be retested. 28 * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.075(c) is amended to read: 29 (c) Notwithstanding (a) of this section, 30 (1) a student who is a child with a disability and who does not achieve 31 a passing score on the competency examination [REQUIRED UNDER (a) OF THIS
01 SECTION], with or without accommodation, is eligible to receive a diploma under 02 (a)(1) or (2) of this section if the student otherwise meets the requirements of (a)(1) 03 or (2) of this section and successfully completes an alternative assessment program 04 in place of the competency examination; an alternative assessment program must 05 be required by the student's individualized education program or required in the 06 education plan developed for the student under 29 U.S.C. 794; an alternative 07 assessment program must, to the maximum extent possible, conform to state 08 performance standards established for the competency examination [REQUIRED 09 UNDER (a) OF THIS SECTION]; this paragraph does not apply to a student unless 10 the department determines that the student has taken and failed to pass the competency 11 examination with or without accommodations and the department approves the 12 student's alternative assessment program described under this paragraph; and 13 (2) a student who transfers into a public high school in this state shall 14 receive a diploma under (a)(1) or (2) of this section if the student 15 (A) meets graduation requirements imposed by the governing 16 body and the state; [AND] 17 (B) has passed a competency examination in the state from 18 which the student transferred in lieu of the competency examination in this 19 state; and 20 (C) otherwise meets the requirements of (a)(1) or (2) of this 21 section, as applicable. 22 * Sec. 4. AS 14.03.075(g) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 23 (3) "competency examination" or "examination" mean the examination 24 that must be offered under (a) of this section. 25 * Sec. 5. AS 14.03.120(d) is amended to read: 26 (d) Annually, before the date set by the district under (e) of this section, each 27 public school shall provide, in a public meeting of parents, students, and community 28 members, a report on the school's performance and the performance of the school's 29 students. The report shall be prepared on a form prescribed by the department and 30 must include 31 (1) information on accreditation;
01 (2) results of norm-referenced achievement tests; 02 (3) results of state standards-based assessments in reading, writing, and 03 mathematics; 04 (4) a description, including quantitative and qualitative measures, of 05 student, parent, community, and business involvement in student learning; 06 (5) a description of the school's attendance, retention, dropout, and 07 graduation rates [, INCLUDING THE NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF 08 STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED A DIPLOMA UNDER A WAIVER FROM THE 09 COMPETENCY EXAMINATION REQUIRED UNDER AS 14.03.075(a), AS 10 SPECIFIED BY THE STATE BOARD]; 11 (6) the annual percent of enrollment change, regardless of reason, and 12 the annual percent of enrollment change due to student transfers into and out of the 13 school district; 14 (7) if Native language education is provided, a summary and 15 evaluation of the curriculum described in AS 14.30.420; and 16 (8) the number and percentage of students in each school who take and 17 who successfully complete an alternative assessment program in reading, English, or 18 mathematics; and the number and percentage of pupils in each school who 19 successfully complete the alternative assessment program but who do not reach the 20 state performance standards at the competency exam level in reading, English, or 21 mathematics; a school may not report results under this paragraph unless the school 22 complies with the family educational rights and privacy requirements of 34 C.F.R. 99. 23 * Sec. 6. AS 14.07.165 is amended to read: 24 Sec. 14.07.165. Duties. The board shall adopt 25 (1) statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written 26 goals that are consistent with local needs; 27 (2) regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under 28 AS 14.03.125; 29 (3) regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b); 30 (4) regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school, 31 state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services;
01 (5) regulations implementing the secondary school student diploma 02 and the competency examination provisions of AS 14.03.075 [, INCLUDING THE 03 CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE UNDER WHICH A GOVERNING BODY USES A 04 WAIVER TO GRANT A DIPLOMA TO A STUDENT; CRITERIA REGARDING 05 GRANTING A WAIVER MUST INCLUDE PROVISIONS THAT A WAIVER 06 MAY ONLY BE GRANTED FOR STUDENTS WHO ENTER THE SYSTEM LATE 07 OR HAVE RARE OR UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES MERITING A WAIVER]. 08 * Sec. 7. AS 14.03.075(d) is repealed. 09 * Sec. 8. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).