Education Bills to Be Heard This Week - 1/15/18 - UPDATED

Education bill digests in one convenient spot. 

Education Bills Heard by the House Education Committee on Tuesday, 1/16 at 8:30 a.m.

HB 1242 - Pass
Resident tuition for serving on the USS Indiana. Provides that, after June 30, 2019, certain persons who serve or served on the USS Indiana (SSN-789) are eligible for the resident tuition rate determined by the state educational institution.

HB 1264 - Pass
Competency based high school education. Establishes the competency based high school education pilot program (pilot program) to provide grants to school corporations for the design and implementation of competency based education programs in high schools. Provides that the department of education (department) administers the pilot program. Requires a school corporation to apply and provide certain information to the department to participate in the pilot program. Requires the Indiana state board of education to establish requirements and standards concerning the competency based education programs. Provides that, after June 30, 2019, a school corporation is eligible to receive a grant for participation in the pilot program. Prohibits a school corporation to which an eligible pupil who received credit under a competency based education program transfers from: (1) requiring the eligible pupil to repeat the course work for which the eligible student received the credit; (2) changing the grade or credit that the eligible pupil received from participating in the competency based education program; or (3) otherwise penalizing the eligible pupil regarding the eligible pupil's previous attendance of a competency based education program. Requires, with exceptions, a school corporation to repay to the department a grant awarded for an eligible pupil who: (1) fails to attain a Core 40 diploma or, for students with disabilities, a high school diploma or certificate of completion in accordance with the student's individualized education program; or (2) is considered a dropout. Requires the department to: (1) before June 30, 2020, and before June 30 each year thereafter, evaluate and prepare a report concerning implementation and pupil outcomes of the competency based education programs; and (2) submit the report to the legislative council. Requires state educational institutions to recognize and accept credits awarded under a competency based education program and a diploma awarded to a student who successfully completes an education program that includes, in whole or in part, a competency based education program. 

Education Bills to Be Heard by the House Education Committee on Thursday, 1/18 at 8:30 a.m.

HB1024 - PASS
Heat preparedness training for coaches. Provides that head coaches and assistant coaches who coach interscholastic sports or intramural sports must complete a certified coaching education course that includes content for prevention of or response to heat related medical issues that may arise from a student athlete's training.

HB 1314
Students receiving foster care services. Requires the department of education (department) to, in collaboration with the department of child services and the state board of education, prepare a report on foster care youth educational outcomes. Requires the department to, before November 1, 2018, and before November 1 each year thereafter, submit the report to the department of child services and legislative council. Requires the department to: (1) identify each student who attends a public school and is placed in foster care; and (2) provide notice to a principal of a public school when either of the following occur: (A) A student attending the public school is placed in foster care. (B) A student in foster care enrolls in the public school. Requires certain information regarding students receiving foster care to be included in a school corporation's annual performance report. Requires the department of child services to, not later than 10 days after a child who attends public school is placed in foster care, notify the department that the child has been placed in foster care.
​Read more here. 
​
Education Bills to Be Heard by the Senate Education and Career Development Committee on Wednesday, 1/17 at 1:30 p.m.

SB 24 - Pass
Student possession and use of sunscreen. Provides that a student may possess and use a topical, non-aerosol sunscreen product while on school property or at a school sponsored event or activity without being required to: (1) have a physician's note or prescription; or (2) store the topical, non-aerosol sunscreen product in a specific location; if the product is regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use for the purpose of limiting ultraviolet light-induced skin damage. Allows school personnel to assist a student in applying the sunscreen if the school has written permission from the student's parent or guardian. Provides certain civil immunity for school corporations, schools, and school personnel for any action taken to comply with the sunscreen provisions. 

SB 65 - In Committee/Review
Instruction on human sexuality. Requires each school corporation to make available for inspection to a parent of a student instructional material used in connection with instruction on human sexuality. Prohibits a school from providing a student with instruction on human sexuality unless the parent of the student or the student (if the student is an adult or an emancipated minor) consents to the instruction. Establishes requirements regarding the consent form. Requires the department of education and the governing body of a school corporation to give parents and students notice of these requirements.

SB 157 -  In Committee/Review
Real world career readiness program. Establishes the real world career readiness program (program). Provides that the state board of education (state board) shall establish the program to provide a real world career readiness student with career and technical education credentials necessary to transition from school to the workforce. Provides that the state board, in consultation with the department of workforce development, may create an authorized program, or approve high or moderate value career and technical education programs administered by one or more school corporations or charter schools. Provides that a real world career readiness student may attend an authorized program for a period of not more than one school year after the student's cohort's expected graduation year in order to obtain an industry recognized certification, credential, or postsecondary degree. Provides that a program must include an apprenticeship program, a cooperative program, or a work based learning program. Provides that a student may participate in an authorized program if the student: (1) participates in the Indiana career explorer program or curriculum or an alternative Internet based system and curriculum approved by the department of education, in consultation with the department of workforce development, that includes an aptitude assessment that demonstrates the student's aptitude, in a manner prescribed by the state board, on the aptitude assessment administered for the applicable field of study; or (2) meets alternative qualification requirements for the student's applicable field of study established by the state board in consultation with the department of workforce development. Provides that not later than July 1, 2019, each school corporation or charter high school, either solely, or in a cooperative or consortia with one or more school corporations or charter high schools, must participate in an authorized program beginning with a cohort with an expected graduation year of 2023. Provides that an eligible pupil, for purposes of calculating state tuition support, includes a student enrolled in a program.

SB 172 - Pass
Computer science curriculum. Establishes the next level computer science grant program (program) and the next level computer science fund (fund) to award grants, after June 30, 2019, to eligible entities to implement teacher professional development programs for training in teaching computer science. Requires the state board of education to: (1) administer the program and fund; and (2) develop guidelines to award grants from the fund to eligible entities. Requires (beginning July 1, 2021) each public school, including a charter school, to offer a computer science course as a one semester elective course in its curriculum at least once each school year to high school students. Requires (beginning July 1, 2021) each public school, including a charter school, to include computer science in the public school's curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Makes conforming changes. Makes a continuing appropriation. 

SB 217 - In Committee/Review
Dyslexia. Requires the following: (1) A school multidisciplinary team must include information about dyslexia in a student's educational evaluation if the multidisciplinary team determines that the student is eligible to receive special education and related services and has or has characteristics of dyslexia. (2) Information about dyslexia must be: (A) discussed by the student's case conference committee if information about dyslexia is included in the student's education evaluation; and (B) included in the student's individualized education program if the case conference committee determines that the information should be included. Requires school corporations and charter schools to screen: (1) each student in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2; and (2) certain other students. Establishes requirements regarding dyslexia screenings, notifications to parents, and dyslexia intervention services (including instructional approaches). Requires school corporations and charter schools to: (1) use the response to intervention process to address needs of students who are determined to have characteristics of dyslexia; and (2) obtain parental consent before administering a level I dyslexia screening or a level II dyslexia screening. Allows a student's parent to elect to have an independent comprehensive dyslexia evaluation of the student. Requires school corporations and charter schools to report annually to the department of education (department) regarding the number of students who were: (1) administered the initial dyslexia screening during the school year; and (2) determined to be at risk, or at some risk, for dyslexia. Requires a school corporation and charter school to report on the school corporation's or charter school's Internet web site certain information regarding dyslexia. Requires, not later than July 1, 2019, the department to employ at least three dyslexia specialists. Establishes the: (1) requirements for a dyslexia specialist; and (2) services the dyslexia specialist is required to provide. Requires, not later than the 2019-2020 school year, each school corporation and charter school to employ at least one individual to serve as a dyslexia interventionist for the school corporation or charter school. Requires, not later than the 2019-2020 school year, the department to ensure that each teacher receives professional awareness information on dyslexia. Requires the department to develop and update an Indiana dyslexia resource guide.

SB 297- In Committee/Review
Employability skills curriculum. Provides that, not later than July 1, 2019, each school within a school corporation shall include interdisciplinary employability skills standards established by the department of workforce development, in consultation with the department of education and approved by the state board of education, in the school's curriculum. Establishes the work ethic certificate program (program) and fund. Requires the department of workforce development to administer the program.

SB 354 - Pass
Freeway school corporations and schools. Provides that the state board of education shall, upon request by a freeway school corporation or a freeway school, waive certain educational benefit requirements for a period of not more than 36 months if the freeway school corporation or freeway school meets certain thresholds regarding its school accountability grade.

SB 415 - In Committee/Review​
Reverse transfer agreements and degrees. Requires, not later than January 1, 2019, each four year state educational institution to enter into a reverse transfer agreement with each two year state educational institution. Establishes requirements regarding the agreements. Establishes requirements that an individual and a state educational institution must meet before a state educational institution may award the individual a reverse transfer degree. Requires a state educational institution that awards a reverse transfer degree to report annually to the commission for higher education (commission) regarding reverse transfer degrees. Provides that the commission is not required to count reverse transfer degrees for purposes of performance funding.

Read more here. 

Education Bills that Have Been Approved by Committees and Will Move Forward for Review by the House or Senate

SB 8 - 1/16 - Senate requests second reading. 
School curriculum. Requires each school corporation, charter school, and accredited nonpublic elementary school to include cursive writing in its curriculum.

SB 143 - 1/16 - Senate requests second reading.
Study of student performance grades. Requires the department of education (department) and the commission for higher education (commission) to study and submit a report describing as to whether there is any disparity in determining enrollment eligibility in a state educational institution or educational program offered by the state educational institution that is caused by the use of different grading scales by public secondary schools. Requires the department and commission to submit the report to the general assembly. Requires a public secondary school to submit certain information to the department regarding the calculation of a public secondary student's grade. Requires a state educational institution to submit certain information to the commission regarding the use of a public secondary student's grade point average for determining enrollment eligibility.

HB 1055 - 1/16 House 3rd reading
Military uniforms at high school graduations. Provides that school discipline rules must allow a student to wear a dress uniform issued to the student by any active or reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or the national guard while participating in the student's high school graduation ceremony.

HB1074 - 1/16 Amendment #1 (Sullivan) prevailed; voice vote
Various higher education matters. Makes changes regarding the: (1) conditions required to qualify for the renewal of a twenty-first century scholars program scholarship; and (2) award amounts to twenty-first century scholars program scholarship applicants who attend a private, approved postsecondary educational institution. Makes the following changes concerning the primary care shortage area scholarship: (1) Amends the practice requirements to receive a scholarship. (2) Amends the repayment requirements for noncompliance with a primary care practice agreement. (3) Allows the commission for higher education (commission) to impose and collect interest on unpaid repayment amounts. (4) Provides that, if the commission and a recipient of a scholarship enter into a new written agreement that complies with the primary care shortage area scholarship provisions, the commission and recipient may terminate an agreement entered into or renewed before July 1, 2018. Requires the chairperson of the commission to appoint a: (1) seven member student member nominating committee; and (2) seven member faculty member nominating committee. (Current law requires the chairperson to appoint a ten member nominating committee of five student members and five faculty members.) Requires the commission to: (1) study and make recommendations regarding the expansion of the high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant to recent high school graduates; and (2) prepare and submit, not later than November 1, 2018, a report regarding the recommendations to the budget agency and legislative council. Modifies the procedures that a state educational institution must use to dispose of real estate (including any real estate acquired by gift, bequest, or devise). Provides that an applicant who: (1) does not maintain satisfactory academic progress as required to be eligible for a high value workforce ready credit-bearing grant; but (2) meets other certain conditions; is still eligible for the grant. Repeals certain statutes concerning: (1) the disposition of gifts, bequests, and devises of real estate to state educational institutions; and (2) matters that pertain to the closing process in the disposition of real estate by a state educational institution. Makes conforming amendments. Removes an expired provision.

HB1001 - 1/16 - House requests second reading.
Education funding. Permits the budget agency to transfer from the K-12 state tuition reserve account to the state general fund the amount necessary to cover the K-12 state tuition distribution amount when it exceeds the appropriated amount. Limits the transfer to $25,000,000 in state fiscal year 2018 and $50,000,000 for state fiscal year 2019. Makes conforming changes.

Errors, corrections, comments? Contact us here.

Please consider becoming a member! Join here. 

Compiled by Meghann Goetz and Keri Miksza