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2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE
ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO ASSEMBLY BILL 617
February 18, 2014 - Offered by Representative Thiesfeldt.
AB617-ASA1,1,2 1An Act to amend 118.30 (1); and to create 15.07 (2) (fm), 15.375 (1) and 118.301
2of the statutes; relating to: creating a model academic standards board.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
model academic standards
The 2013-15 biennial budget act (2013 Wisconsin Act 20) prohibits the
Department of Public Instruction (DPI) from taking any further action to implement
the common core standards (educational standards developed for kindergarten to
grade 12 by the Common Core State Standards Initiative) and from directing school
districts to implement further standards until certain conditions have been satisfied.
Act 20 provides that any common core standard adopted and implemented by DPI
before July 1, 2013, remains in effect and requires DPI to adopt additional college
and career readiness standards no later than July 1, 2014.
This substitute amendment requires DPI to adopt state standards only after
those standards have been developed and approved by the Model Academic
Standards Board.
model academic standards board
The substitute amendment creates a Model Academic Standards Board (board)
in DPI which comprises the following members: the state superintendent of public
instruction, or his or her designee, who serves as cochairperson and who must
appoint four members; six members appointed by the governor, one of whom is to

serve as cochairperson; one member appointed by each of the senate majority and
minority leaders; one member appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and one
member appointed by the assembly minority leader. The members appointed by the
state superintendent must include an individual employed as a principal in a high
school, a member of a school board, one individual who is a parent of a pupil enrolled
in a public school, and one professor employed at an institution of higher education
in this state. The members appointed by the governor must include one teacher
employed by a public school, one teacher employed by a private school participating
in a parental choice program, one superintendent of a school district, one individual
employed as a principal in an elementary school, and one individual who is a parent
of a pupil attending a private school under a parental choice program. No member
of the board may be a member of the legislature.
Under the substitute amendment, the board is charged with developing model
academic standards in four discrete subject areas: 1) English, reading, and language
arts; 2) mathematics; 3) science; and 4) social studies. To further this objective, the
substitute amendment requires the board to appoint subject-specific subcommittees
in the four subject areas.
The substitute amendment requires the board to submit proposed model
academic standards in English, reading, and language arts and in mathematics to
the state superintendent within 12 months of the enactment of the substitute
amendment. The substitute amendment requires the board to submit proposed
model academic standards in science and social studies to the state superintendent
within 36 months of the enactment of the substitute amendment. In addition, the
substitute amendment permits, but does not require, the board to submit to the state
superintendent proposed model academic standards in additional subject areas,
including fine arts and career and technical education.
Under the substitute amendment, after the board has submitted its proposed
model academic standards to the state superintendent, the state superintendent
must, taking into consideration the academic standards submitted by the board,
submit its own proposed model academic standards first to the legislative council
staff for review and comment and then to the Joint Committee for Review of
Administrative Rules (JCRAR). JCRAR must either approve the proposed model
academic standards or object to the proposed standards. If JCRAR approves the
model academic standards, the state superintendent must adopt the model academic
standards. If JCRAR objects to the proposed model academic standards, JCRAR
must prepare a bill that incorporates by reference the proposed model academic
standards submitted by the board for introduction in both the senate and the
assembly.
Under the substitute amendment, three public hearings must be held
concerning the proposed model academic standards: the board must hold a hearing
prior to submitting its proposed standards to the state superintendent; the state
superintendent must hold a hearing prior to submitting its proposed standards for
review by the legislative council staff; and JCRAR must hold a public hearing prior
to approving or objecting to the standards submitted by the state superintendent.

The substitute amendment also requires the board to review and update each
model academic standard at least once every six years. Finally, the substitute
amendment requires the board, together with legislative council staff, the state
superintendent, and JCRAR to: 1) ensure that the model academic standards do not
prescribe curricula to be adopted by school boards; and 2) ensure that the standards
establish, in a manner that is clear to pupils, parents, and the general public, high
expectations for the knowledge and skills pupils must attain and master at each of
the 12 grades.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB617-ASA1,1 1Section 1. 15.07 (2) (fm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB617-ASA1,3,42 15.07 (2) (fm) The state superintendent of public instruction or his or her
3designated representative and one individual appointed under s. 15.375 (1) (a) 2.
4shall serve as cochairpersons of the model academic standards board.
AB617-ASA1,2 5Section 2. 15.375 (1) of the statutes is created to read:
AB617-ASA1,3,116 15.375 (1) Model academic standards board. (a) There is created a model
7academic standards board, attached to the department of public instruction under
8s. 15.03, to make recommendations for and to review and revise or replace model
9academic standards. A member of the legislature may not be appointed to serve and
10may not serve on the board during the term for which the legislator was elected. The
11board consists of the following members appointed for staggered 3-year terms:
AB617-ASA1,3,1412 1. The state superintendent of public instruction, or his or her designee, who
13shall serve as a cochairperson of the board and who shall appoint the following 4
14members:
AB617-ASA1,3,1515 a. One individual who is employed as a principal in a high school.
AB617-ASA1,3,1616 b. One member of a school board.
AB617-ASA1,3,1717 c. One professor employed at an institution of higher education in this state.
AB617-ASA1,3,1818 d. One individual who is a parent of a pupil enrolled in a public school.
AB617-ASA1,4,1
12. The following 6 members appointed by the governor:
AB617-ASA1,4,22 a. One individual who shall serve as a cochairperson of the board.
AB617-ASA1,4,33 b. One teacher employed by a public school.
AB617-ASA1,4,54 c. One teacher employed by a private school participating in a program under
5s. 118.60 or 119.23.
AB617-ASA1,4,66 d. One superintendent of a school district.
AB617-ASA1,4,87 e. One individual who is a parent of a pupil attending a private school in a
8program under s. 118.60 or 119.23.
AB617-ASA1,4,99 f. One individual who is employed as a principal at an elementary school.
AB617-ASA1,4,1010 3. One individual appointed by the senate majority leader.
AB617-ASA1,4,1111 4. One individual appointed by the senate minority leader.
AB617-ASA1,4,1212 5. One individual appointed by the speaker of the assembly.
AB617-ASA1,4,1313 6. One individual appointed by the assembly minority leader.
AB617-ASA1,4,1614 (b) The individual appointed under par. (a) 2. a. shall call the first meeting of
15the board. At the board's first meeting, the board shall adopt rules, policies, and
16procedures for future meetings.
AB617-ASA1,4,2017 (c) The board shall appoint subject-specific subcommittees to research, make
18recommendations for, review, propose revisions to, and submit to the board the model
19academic standards required under s. 118.301 (3) and (4). Each subcommittee shall
20consist of the following members:
AB617-ASA1,4,2521 1. One individual appointed by the state superintendent who shall serve as a
22cochairperson of the subcommittee with the individual appointed under subd. 2. The
23individual appointed under this subdivision shall prepare a list containing the
24names of not more than 5 persons for consideration by the board as provided under
25subd. 3. a.
AB617-ASA1,5,4
12. One individual appointed by the governor who shall serve as a cochairperson
2of the subcommittee with the person appointed under subd. 1. The individual
3appointed under this subdivision shall prepare a list containing the names of not
4more than 5 persons for consideration by the board as provided under subd. 3. b.
AB617-ASA1,5,55 3. The following 5 individuals:
AB617-ASA1,5,66 a. Two individuals selected from the list under subd. 1.
AB617-ASA1,5,77 b. Three individuals selected from the list under subd. 2.
AB617-ASA1,5,128 (d) The board may appoint up to 4 additional nonvoting members to each
9subject-specific subcommittee established under par. (c). The members appointed
10under this paragraph shall have professional training and expertise in the particular
11subject matter of the model academic standards subcommittee on which the
12individual serves.
AB617-ASA1,5,1413 (e) The board shall review and may modify and amend any model academic
14standards it receives from a subcommittee established under par. (c).
AB617-ASA1,3 15Section 3. 118.30 (1) of the statutes, as affected by 2013 Wisconsin Act 20, is
16amended to read:
AB617-ASA1,5,2217 118.30 (1) The state superintendent shall adopt or approve examinations
18designed to measure pupil attainment of knowledge and concepts in the 4th, 8th, 9th,
1910th, and 11th grades. The examinations adopted or approved to measure pupil
20attainment of knowledge and concepts in English, reading, and language arts;
21mathematics; science; and social studies shall be aligned with the standards adopted
22under s. 118.301 (3) and (4).
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