Signed by Governor Matt Mead

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes standards for measuring school performance.

Highlights:

• Requires the State Board of Education to implement a statewide assessment system that  measures individual student achievement for each public school district within the state, and the performance of the state’s educational system as a whole (Sec. 1).

• Establishes standards for measuring school performance by student academic performance through the following standardized assessments (Secs. 1 and 3):
  
  • Reading and mathematics exams in grades 3 through 8;
  • Science exams in grades 4 and 8;
  • Writing and language exams in grades 3, 5, and 7 that do not exceed 3 hours; and
  • A standardized college readiness test in reading, mathematics, science and writing that is required for grade 11 and optional for grade 12.

• Establishes the four levels of school performance as “exceeding expectations,” “meeting expectations,” “partially meeting expectations,” and “not meeting expectations” (Sec. 1).

• Requires schools labeled “not meeting expectations” to file an improvement plan with the school district superintendent and the Department of Education (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the dismissal of a school’s principal if that school fails to meet the goals of an established improvement plan after 2 consecutive years (Sec. 1).

• Appropriates $1.38 million from the School Foundation Program account to the Department of Education to pay for expenses incurred through the implementation of this bill (Sec. 7).

Full Bill Text