HB 322-FN-LOCAL – AS INTRODUCED
2013 SESSION
04/05
HOUSE BILL 322-FN-LOCAL
AN ACT requiring proficiency on the statewide assessment for advancement to grades 4 and 8.
SPONSORS: Rep. Pitre, Straf 2; Sen. Cataldo, Dist 6
This bill requires each student in grades 3 and 7 to perform at the proficient level or above on the statewide assessment as a prerequisite to advancing to grades 4 and 8, respectively.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
13-0235
04/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen
AN ACT requiring proficiency on the statewide assessment for advancement to grades 4 and 8.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Statewide Improvement and Assessment; Assessment Required. Amend RSA 193-C:6 to read as follows:
193-C:6 Assessment Required. Each year, a statewide assessment shall be administered in all school districts in the state in grades 3 through 8 and one grade in high school. All public school students in the designated grades shall participate in the assessment, unless such student is exempted, or provided that the commissioner of the department of education may, through an agreement with another state when such state and New Hampshire are parties to an interstate agreement, allow pupils to participate in that state's assessment program as an alternative to the assessment required under this chapter. Each student in grades 3 and 7 shall be required to perform at the proficient level or above on the statewide assessment as a prerequisite for advancement to grades 4 and 8, respectively. Each student in grades 3 and 7 shall be permitted to retake the assessment as often as necessary to demonstrate the required level of competency. The state board of education shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, to establish a procedure to enable a student in grades 3 and 7 to demonstrate the required level of competency using means other than the statewide assessment, such as the student’s work samples, projects, portfolios, or other similar means, as may be determined by the state board. Home educated students may contact their local school districts if they wish to participate in the statewide assessment. Private schools may contact the department of education to participate in the statewide assessment.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
13-0235
Revised 02/11/13
HB 322 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring proficiency on the statewide assessment for advancement to grades 4 and 8.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Education states this bill, as introduced, will increase state expenditures by $384,037 in FY 2014, $587,987 in FY 2015, and $693,537 in FY 2016 and each fiscal year thereafter, and increase local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenues, or county expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Education states this bill requires each student in grades 3 and 7 to perform at the proficiency level or better on the statewide assessment in order to advance to grades 4 and 8. The proposed legislation also requires the Department to adopt rules to establish a procedure to enable students in grades 3 and 7 to demonstrate the required level of competency using means other than the statewide assessment.
The Department states there will be significant costs associated with the development and implementation of procedures to enable students to utilize alternative methods to demonstrate the required level of competency currently measured through the use of statewide proficiency tests. Based on consultation with the Center for Collaborative Education, the Department states they would establish a framework for local districts to implement on their own. The Department would then, in conjunction with a third party, provide training for the local districts and an audit function to review school practices. The Department notes this would increase local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter. Although the Department cannot identify or estimate the costs to the local districts, the Department estimates the development and implementation of the system would increase state expenditures by $384,037 in FY 2014, by $587,987 in FY 2015, and by $693,537 in FY 2016 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Additionally, the Department states approximately 45,000 students in grades 3-7 are not proficient in at least one of the tested subject areas. The Department notes the retention of a significant number of students at the 7th grade level will have a subsequent impact on state and local education expenditures beginning in FY 2019 as the retained students enter their 13th year in the public school system. The proposed legislation will also impact the distribution of students between grades 3-12 in public schools. The Department notes changes in student distribution resulting from the proposed legislation could increase local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter.