HB 1692-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2024 SESSION
24-2515
05/08
HOUSE BILL 1692-FN
AN ACT relative to public high school graduation requirements.
SPONSORS: Rep. Verville, Rock. 2
COMMITTEE: Education
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ANALYSIS
This bill revises the requirements for public high school graduation by adding a requirement to earn a minimum competency score on the statewide assessment administered in high school.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
24-2515
05/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
AN ACT relative to public high school graduation requirements.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Rulemaking Authority; Standards; Employee Qualifications. Amend RSA 186:8 by inserting after paragraph IX the following new paragraph:
X. Requiring a high school pupil to satisfy the requirements of minimum competency for high school graduation. As a requirement for graduation, a pupil shall earn a minimum 25th percentile score, determined by the nationally representative sample, on the statewide assessment in English language arts and mathematics given in high school pursuant to RSA 193-C:6. Students may independently take one of the tests used for the statewide assessment under RSA 193-C:6 and provide the certified score meeting the minimum competency standard to the high school principal to satisfy this requirement. Students who fail to satisfy the requirements of the minimum competency may be eligible to receive an educational assistance plan designed to impart the skills, competencies, and knowledge required to attain the required level of mastery. The parent, guardian, or person acting as parent of the student shall have the opportunity to review the remedial plan with the student's teachers. Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide a parent, guardian, person acting as a parent, or student to contest the proposed plan or with a cause of action for educational malpractice if the student fails to obtain the minimum competency.
2 Statewide Education Improvement and Assessment Program; Assessment Required. Amend RSA 193-C:6 to read as follows:
193-C:6 Assessment Required. A statewide assessment shall be administered in all school districts in the state once in an elementary school grade, once in a middle school grade, and one grade in high school. For those years in grades 3 through 8 in which the school district does not administer the statewide assessment, the school district, in consultation with the department and as part of the statewide education improvement and assessment program, shall develop and administer its own assessment or shall administer a standardized assessment that identifies a pupil's range of learning and yields objective data to use in improving instruction and learning. All public school students in the designated grades shall participate in the assessment, unless such student is exempted from taking the test by his or her parent or legal guardian, 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. 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. The department may use the College Board SAT or ACT college readiness assessment to satisfy the high school assessment requirements of this chapter. The statewide assessment results of a student or the student's school district shall not be included as part of the student's transcript [unless the student, if 18 years of age or older, or the student's parent or legal guardian if the student is under 18 years of age, consents] to verify fulfilling the graduation requirement for the required minimum competency under RSA 186:8, X. A school district shall not penalize any exempted student nor shall the department of education or the state board of education penalize any school district for a lower participation rate, except that a student shall not earn a high school diploma without satisfying the requirements of RSA 186:8, X. A school district shall develop a form to be signed by the parent or legal guardian of any student exempted from the assessment. The school district shall provide an appropriate alternative educational activity for the time period during which the assessment is administered. The alternative activity shall be agreed upon by the school district and the parent or legal guardian of the student. The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the assessment shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
24-2515
Revised 1/9/24
HB 1692-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to public high school graduation requirements.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
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Estimated State Impact - Increase / (Decrease) | ||||||
| FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures | $0 | $0 | $0 | $412,320 | ||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
• Does this bill provide sufficient funding to cover estimated expenditures? [X] No • Does this bill authorize new positions to implement this bill? [X] N/A | ||||||
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Estimated Political Subdivision Impact - Increase / (Decrease) | ||||||
| FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | ||
Local Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Local Expenditures | $0 | $0 | $0 | Indeterminable | ||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill, effective July 1, 2026, revises the requirements for public high school graduation by adding a requirement to earn a minimum competency score on the statewide assessment administered in high school. The Department estimates that up to 1,600 high school students per year (approximately 15% of total junior class) will be required to retake the SAT when their initial scores do not meet the competency requirement. At a cost to the state of $54/pupil, this would result in an increase of $86,400 to the state assessment contract. Based upon historical performance, the Department states it is likely that a certain percentage of students will need to take the assessment more than twice. The Department estimates that this could be as high as 30% of the 1,600 estimated students, resulting in additional costs of $25,920 on top of the initial $86,400, for a total annual cost of $112,320. Additionally, the Department administers the statewide assessment once per school year in each school and district. The state does not currently have the structure, resources, and mechanism to administer the statewide assessment multiple times during the year. Building out this structure will come with additional data collection, enhancement, and administration costs in the first year. The Department estimates that the up-front cost would be roughly $300,000 in FY 2027 and cost an estimated $200,000 in FY 2028 and each year thereafter. The Department would likely contract these services.
Also, the Department states there will likely be a local cost to schools and districts to design, implement, and administer remedial student plans for students who are identified as not meeting the competency requirement under this title. However, the Department does not have a methodology for determining this cost as it would vary from district to district.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 5, 2024 | House | Hearing |
| Feb. 13, 2024 | House | Exec Session |
| Feb. 13, 2024 | House | Floor Vote |
March 7, 2024: Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/07/2024 HJ 7 P. 9
Feb. 20, 2024: Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/13/2024 (Vote 20-0; CC) HC 9 P. 7
Feb. 5, 2024: Executive Session: 02/13/2024 09:45 am LOB 205-207
Jan. 31, 2024: Public Hearing: 02/05/2024 02:15 pm LOB 205-207
Dec. 15, 2023: Introduced 01/03/2024 and referred to Education HJ 1 P. 30