CSSB 133(HES) am: "An Act relating to a two-year transition for implementation of the public high school competency examination and to establishing a secondary student competency examination as a high school graduation requirement; and providing for an effective date."
00 CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 133(HES) am 01 "An Act relating to a two-year transition for implementation of the public high school 02 competency examination and to establishing a secondary student competency 03 examination as a high school graduation requirement; and providing for an effective 04 date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 07 to read: 08 INTENT. It is the intent of this Act 09 (1) to encourage schools and school districts to develop and promote 10 endorsements and awards that document high levels of academic, artistic, or vocational 11 achievement on the part of graduating students; 12 (2) to implement testing procedures that are reasonable, fair, and in the best 13 interest of students who are being tested; and 14 (3) that the secondary school student competency examination focus on skills
01 in the areas of reading, English, and mathematics that the general community would expect a 02 student to have or know in order to function in our society. 03 * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.075, added by sec. 1, ch. 58, SLA 1997, is amended to read: 04 Sec. 14.03.075. Secondary student [PUPIL] competency examination 05 [TESTING]. (a) A student [PUPIL] may not be issued a secondary school diploma 06 unless the student [PUPIL] passes a high school student competency examination in 07 the areas of reading, English, and mathematics or receives a waiver from the 08 governing body. A governing body may not grant a waiver to a student before 09 the student's final semester of attendance. The department shall determine the form 10 and contents of the examination and shall score completed examinations. [A PUPIL 11 WHO FAILS TO PASS THE EXAMINATION REQUIRED UNDER THIS 12 SUBSECTION AND WHO IS NO LONGER IN ATTENDANCE SHALL RECEIVE 13 A CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT 14 INDICATING THE YEARS OF ATTENDANCE AND THAT THE PUPIL HAS 15 NOT PASSED A COMPETENCY EXAMINATION OR RECEIVED A DIPLOMA.] 16 (b) A student [PUPIL] who fails the examination required under this section 17 may be reexamined under procedures established by the department. A 18 reexamination may not be offered more often than once every three months [AND 19 MUST OCCUR WITHIN THREE YEARS AFTER THE DATE THE PUPIL IS NO 20 LONGER IN ATTENDANCE. A PUPIL WHO PASSES THE REEXAMINATION 21 AND WHO MEETS ANY OTHER GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS SHALL 22 RECEIVE A DIPLOMA FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT]. 23 * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.075, added by sec. 1, ch. 58, SLA 1997, is amended by adding new 24 subsections to read: 25 (c) A student shall receive an endorsement on the student's diploma and 26 transcript identifying the areas of the examination successfully passed. 27 (d) A student who is a child with a disability and who does not achieve a 28 passing score on the examination required under (a) of this section is eligible to 29 receive a diploma if the student 30 (1) successfully completes an alternative assessment program required 31 by the student's individualized education program or required in the education plan
01 developed for the student under 29 U.S.C. 794; and 02 (2) meets other requirements for graduation imposed by the board. 03 (e) The department shall by regulation establish 04 (1) uniform standards for 05 (A) pre-examination study materials; 06 (B) procedures to be followed during administration of an 07 examination; 08 (C) awarding a waiver under (a) of this section; and 09 (2) procedures for recording examination results on a student's 10 transcripts. 11 (f) In this section, 12 (1) "child with a disability" has the meaning given "children with 13 disabilities" in AS 14.30.350; 14 (2) "individualized education program" means a program described 15 under AS 14.30.278. 16 * Sec. 4. AS 14.03.120(d) is amended to read: 17 (d) Annually, before the date set by the district under (e) of this section, each 18 public school shall provide, in a public meeting of parents, students, and community 19 members, a report on the school's performance and the performance of the school's 20 students. The report shall be prepared on a form prescribed by the department and 21 must include 22 (1) information on accreditation; 23 (2) results of norm-referenced achievement tests; 24 (3) results of state standards-based assessments in reading, writing, and 25 mathematics; 26 (4) a description, including quantitative and qualitative measures, of 27 student, parent, community, and business involvement in student learning; 28 (5) a description of the school's attendance, retention, dropout, and 29 graduation rates, including the number of students who received a diploma under 30 a waiver from the competency examination required under AS 14.03.075(a), as 31 specified by the state board;
01 (6) the annual percent of enrollment change, regardless of reason, and 02 the annual percent of enrollment change due to student transfers into and out of the 03 school district; and 04 (7) if Native language education is provided, a summary and 05 evaluation of the curriculum described in AS 14.30.420. 06 * Sec. 5. AS 14.07.165 is amended to read: 07 Sec. 14.07.165. Duties. The board shall adopt 08 (1) statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written 09 goals that are consistent with local needs; 10 (2) regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under 11 AS 14.03.125; 12 (3) regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b); 13 (4) regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school, 14 state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services; 15 (5) regulations implementing the secondary school student 16 competency examination provisions of AS 14.03.075, including the criteria and 17 procedure under which a governing body uses a waiver to grant a diploma to a 18 student; criteria regarding granting a waiver must include provisions requiring 19 that a student satisfy the performance standards developed under 20 AS 14.07.020(b) to the maximum extent possible. 21 * Sec. 6. Section 3, ch. 58, SLA 1997, is amended to read: 22 Sec. 3. This Act takes effect February 1, 2004 [JANUARY 1, 2002]. 23 * Sec. 7. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 24 read: 25 APPLICABILITY. The academic standards and requirements required by 26 AS 14.03.075, as amended by secs. 2 and 3 of this Act, apply to students who graduate on or 27 after February 1, 2004. 28 * Sec. 8. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 29 read: 30 TRANSITION: ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL 31 GRADUATION. (a) Beginning February 1, 2002, and ending January 31, 2004, before
01 graduating from public high school, each student is required to 02 (1) take a competency examination or an alternative assessment approved by 03 the student's individualized education program in the areas of reading, English, and 04 mathematics; and 05 (2) meet academic requirements established by the state and the school board 06 of the borough or city school district or regional educational attendance area in which the 07 student is enrolled. 08 (b) The Department of Education and Early Development shall determine the form 09 and contents of the competency examination and shall score completed examinations. 10 (c) A student shall receive an endorsement on the student's diploma and transcript 11 identifying the areas of the examination successfully passed. 12 (d) In this section, "individualized education program" means a program described 13 under AS 14.30.278. 14 * Sec. 9. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 15 read: 16 TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Education and Early 17 Development may immediately proceed to adopt regulations necessary to implement the 18 changes made by this Act, including the adoption of uniform standards for awarding an 19 endorsement required under sec. 8(c) of this Act. The regulations take effect under AS 44.62 20 (Administrative Procedure Act), but not before the effective date of the applicable statutory 21 change. 22 * Sec. 10. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 23 read: 24 REPORT. The Department of Education and Early Development shall, by 25 February 15, 2002, deliver a report to the Alaska State Legislature that describes the proposed 26 criteria and procedure under which a school district could use a waiver to grant a diploma to a 27 student and that recommends statutory changes to the competency examination waiver 28 requirements that the department determines are necessary to maintain the school 29 accountability provisions of AS 14.03.123. 30 * Sec. 11. Sections 2 - 5 of this Act take effect February 1, 2004. 31 * Sec. 12. Sections 6 and 9 of this Act take effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).
01 * Sec. 13. Except as provided in secs. 11 and 12 of this Act, this Act takes effect 02 February 1, 2002.