HB 1432 – AS INTRODUCED

2014 SESSION

14-2097

04/10

HOUSE BILL 1432

AN ACT delaying implementation of certain statewide assessments and studying the effects of delaying implementation of certain curriculum changes in the public schools.

SPONSORS: Rep. Murotake, Hills 32; Rep. Boehm, Hills 20; Rep. Cordelli, Carr 4; Rep. J. Kelley, Hills 32; Sen. Sanborn, Dist 9

COMMITTEE: Education

ANALYSIS

This bill delays for 2 years the implementation of the department of education’s common core state standards implementation framework, as adopted by the state board of education in July of 2012. The bill also requires the legislative oversight committee to study the feasibility of implementing the planned education improvements in New Hampshire public schools contained in the minimum standards for public school approval, including the department of education’s common core state standards implementation framework.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

14-2097

04/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fourteen

AN ACT delaying implementation of certain statewide assessments and studying the effects of delaying implementation of certain curriculum changes in the public schools.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Statewide Improvement and Assessment; Delay in Implementation of Smarter Balanced Assessment. Notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 193-C, the state summative assessments planned for the spring of the 2014-2015 school year for grades 3-8 and grade 11, including the smarter balanced assessment, and the competency assessments for grades 9-12 planned for the spring of the 2014-2015 school year, as referenced in the department of education’s common core state standards implementation framework, as adopted by the state board of education in July of 2012, shall be not be implemented until the 2016-2017 school year. The department of education, in coordination with the United States Department of Education, shall make any necessary adjustments to the implementation framework in compliance with RSA 193-C.

2 Statewide Improvement and Assessment. The legislative oversight committee established in RSA 193-C:7 shall review the feasibility of implementing the planned education improvements in New Hampshire public schools contained in the minimum standards for public school approval established in department of education rules, including the department of education’s common core state standards implementation framework (“implementation framework”), as adopted by the state board of education in July of 2012. To this end, the committee shall:

I. Conduct a public hearing in each executive council district and obtain feedback on the feasibility and affordability of the proposed education reforms identified in the implementation framework.

II. Consider issues including, but not limited to: the effect on public education of proposed improvements required under the implementation framework, including effects on instruction, assessment, and evaluation; comparison of the proposed common core state standards, in the quality and rigor of educational standards using international benchmarks, against the current state mathematics and English language arts standards, and those of other New England states; and the availability of adequate technology, including broadband Internet and technology in the classroom, in school districts.

III. Review privacy concerns relative to assessments, including the smarter balanced assessment (SBA) tests, high school graduation equivalency assessments including the GED, and college readiness assessments including the SAT and ACT, ensuring student and family privacy are preserved consistent with state law and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. section 1232g, in light of available technologies. If such assessments are found to be non-compliant with state or federal privacy laws and regulations, the committee shall recommend legislation requiring alternative assessments complying with privacy requirements be provided, adjustments be made to statewide testing policies requiring parental notification and an “opt-in” procedure for non-compliant tests, or both.

IV. Study the funding requirements and fiscal impacts of developing, implementing, and supporting proposed education reforms and changes to the department of education’s minimum standards for public school approval, including costs of implementing the necessary technology needed to teach new curriculum and conduct initial and annual assessments. In consideration of Part I, Article 28-a of the New Hampshire constitution, the committee shall also determine whether or not the common core state standards implementation framework constitutes a “mandated program” for the purposes of state fiscal obligation to municipalities supporting local school districts.

V. Report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before December 1, 2014.

3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.