PRINTER'S NO. 737
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
686
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY CRUZ, YOUNGBLOOD AND V. BROWN, MARCH 3, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 3, 2017
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in preliminary provisions, providing
for county assessments.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 121.1. County assessments.--(a) The State Board, in
consultation with every board of school directors located in
each county, shall develop a county-wide assessment for use in
each school entity in the county. The assessment shall be
administered by the school entity to assess student proficiency
levels.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation
to the contrary, student demonstration of proficiency of the
academic standard measured in a county-wide assessment shall not
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be a requirement of eligibility for high school graduation.
(c) The requirement under subsection (a) shall be in place
of and not in addition to a Statewide administered assessment.
(d) For the purposes of this section, the following words
and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Assessment." A measurement of student performance on a
set of academic standards in a subject area to determine if the
student met certain performance level expectations required to
achieve proficiency in alignment with Federal or State academic
standards. The assessment may be established under Federal or
State law, regulation or department initiative or as part of a
waiver process regardless of whether it is implemented as a
requirement of the law, regulation or initiative, voluntarily by
the Commonwealth or as a condition for participation in a grant
program. The assessment may be in the form of a national
standardized assessment, a department created assessment or an
assessment developed in conjunction with a consortium.
Assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
test.
(ii) A Keystone Exam or another test established by the
State Board to meet the requirements of section 2603-B(d)(10)(i)
and required under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public
Law 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425) or its successor Federal statute.
(iii) A test or assessment established by the State Board to
meet the requirements of section 9401 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (Public Law 89-10, 20 U.S.C. § 7861)
flexibility waiver application submitted by the department.
(iv) A project-based assessment established under 22 Pa.
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Code § 4.51c (relating to project-based assessment).
(v) A local assessment established under 22 Pa. Code § 4.52
(relating to local assessment system).
(2) "Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
(3) "School entity." A school district, charter school,
cyber charter school, joint school, area vocational-technical
school or intermediate unit.
(4) "State Board." The State Board of Education of the
Commonwealth.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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