AB921: Bill Text

LRB-3377/1

PG:jld:md

2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE

2009 Assembly BILL 921

April 2, 2010 - Introduced by Representatives Davis, Vos, Brooks, LeMahieu, Nygren, Suder and Townsend. Referred to Committee on Education Reform.

AB921,1,4 An Act to renumber and amend 118.30 (1); to amend 118.30 (1m) (b), 118.30 (1r) (b), 118.30 (1s) (a) 3. and 118.30 (1s) (b); and to create 118.30 (1) (b), 118.30 (8), 118.30 (9), 118.30 (10) and 118.30 (11) of the statutes; relating to: pupil assessments.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, school districts, independent charter schools, and the private schools that participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) are required to administer statewide examinations to pupils enrolled in the fourth, eighth, and tenth grades. Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, this bill eliminates the tenth grade exam and substitutes an 11th grade exam. Under the bill, the 11th grade exam must consist of two parts, the standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions produced by ACT, Inc., and a supplement developed by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), aligned to the state academic standards.

The bill provides that the private schools that participate in the MPCP are exempt from the requirement to administer the fourth, eighth, and tenth or eleventh grade exams until DPI adopts or approves substantially redesigned exams. Instead, these private schools must administer nationally normed standardized examinations to their pupils.

Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, this bill requires school districts, independent charter schools, and the MPCP schools to administer benchmark examinations in language arts, mathematics, and science at least twice each school year to pupils enrolled in grades three to ten.

Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, the bill requires school districts to use value-added modeling to measure pupil academic progress. The bill directs DPI to define "value-added modeling" by rule. In general, the term is used to refer to a collection of statistical techniques that uses pupil test score data to estimate the effects of individual schools or teachers.

The bill directs DPI, by September 1, 2011, and decennially thereafter, to update the pupil academic standards and the performance levels for the statewide examinations. The bill directs DPI and the governor to jointly ensure that the performance levels are aligned with international performance levels.

Finally, the bill requires that the results of any standardized examination administered to a pupil under state law or under the federal No Child Left Behind Act be available to the pupil's parent or guardian within six weeks of the exam's administration.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB921, s. 1 Section 1. 118.30 (1) of the statutes is renumbered 118.30 (1) (a) and amended to read:

AB921,2,5 118.30 (1) (a) The state superintendent shall adopt or approve examinations designed to measure pupil attainment of knowledge and concepts in the 4th, 8th and 10th 11th grades.

AB921, s. 2 Section 2. 118.30 (1) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB921,2,10 118.30 (1) (b) The 11th grade examination shall consist of 2 parts, the standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions produced by ACT, Inc., and a supplement developed by the department, aligned to the state standards.

AB921, s. 3 Section 3. 118.30 (1m) (b) of the statutes, as affected by 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, is amended to read:

AB921,3,4 118.30 (1m) (b) Except as provided in sub. (7), beginning in the 2011-12 school year, administer the 10th 11th grade examination to all pupils enrolled in the school district, including pupils enrolled in charter schools located in the school district, in the 10th 11th grade.

AB921, s. 4 Section 4. 118.30 (1r) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB921,3,8 118.30 (1r) (b) Administer Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, administer the 10th 11th grade examination to all pupils enrolled in the charter school in the 10th 11th grade.

AB921, s. 5 Section 5. 118.30 (1s) (a) 3. of the statutes, as created by 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, is amended to read:

AB921,3,14 118.30 (1s) (a) 3. Administer Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, administer the 10th 11th grade examination adopted or approved by the state superintendent under sub. (1) to all pupils attending the 10th 11th grade in the private school under s. 119.23.

AB921, s. 6 Section 6. 118.30 (1s) (b) of the statutes, as created by 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, is amended to read:

AB921,4,3 118.30 (1s) (b) If, before January 1, 2010, the state superintendent notifies in writing the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance and the chairpersons of the appropriate standing committees in each house of the legislature that Paragraph (a) does not apply until the department will adopt adopts or approve approves substantially redesigned examinations under sub. (1) to be initially administered to pupils in the 2011-12 school year, then, in the 2010-11 school year , as determined by the state superintendent. Instead, the governing body of each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23 shall administer nationally normed standardized tests in reading, mathematics, and science to pupils attending the school under s. 119.23 in the 4th, 8th, and 10th grades instead of administering the examinations under par. (a) during the 2010-11 school year and in the 4th, 8th, and 11th grades thereafter.

AB921, s. 7 Section 7. 118.30 (8) of the statutes is created to read:

AB921,4,7 118.30 (8) Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, each of the following shall administer benchmark examinations in language arts, mathematics, and science at least twice each school year to the pupils specified who are enrolled in grades 3 to 10:

AB921,4,10 (a) Each school board, to pupils enrolled in the school district, including pupils enrolled in charter schools located in the school district, except as provided in par. (b).

AB921,4,12 (b) Each operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r), to pupils enrolled in the charter school.

AB921,4,14 (c) Each private school participating in the program under s. 119.23, to pupils attending the private school under s. 119.23.

AB921, s. 8 Section 8. 118.30 (9) of the statutes is created to read:

AB921,4,21 118.30 (9) By September 1, 2011, and decennially thereafter, the department shall update the state pupil academic standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and reading and the performance levels for the examinations administered under this section. The department and the governor jointly shall ensure that the performance levels are aligned with international performance levels.

AB921, s. 9 Section 9. 118.30 (10) of the statutes is created to read:

AB921,4,25 118.30 (10) Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, each school board shall use value-added modeling, as defined by the department, to measure pupil academic progress.

AB921, s. 10 Section 10. 118.30 (11) of the statutes is created to read:

AB921,5,4 118.30 (11) The results of any examination administered to a pupil under this section and under 20 USC 6311 (b) (3) shall be available to the parent or guardian of the pupil within 6 weeks of the exam's administration.

AB921, s. 11 Section 11. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:

AB921,5,8 (1) The treatment of section 118.30 (1m) (b), (1r) (b), and (1s) (a) 3. of the statutes takes effect on July 1, 2011.

AB921,5,9 (End)