08 LC 33
1969/AP
House
Bill 637 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By:
Representatives Coleman of the
97th
and Benton of the 31st
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 20-2-281 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to the assessment of effectiveness of educational programs under the "Quality
Basic Education Act," so as to revise provisions relating to nationally
norm-referenced instruments in reading, mathematics, science, and social
studies; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 20-2-281 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
assessment of effectiveness of educational programs under the "Quality Basic
Education Act," is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a)
The State Board of Education shall adopt a student assessment program consisting
of instruments, procedures, and policies necessary to implement the program and
shall fund all costs of providing and scoring such instruments, subject to
appropriation by the General Assembly.
Nationally
norm-referenced instruments in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies
shall be administered to students in grades three, five, and
eight.
Each local
school system may elect to administer, with state funding, nationally
norm-referenced instruments in reading, mathematics, science, or social studies
in grade three, four, or five and in grade six, seven, or eight, subject to
available appropriations, with assistance to such school systems by the State
Board of Education with regard to administration guidance, scoring, and
reporting of such assessments. The State
Board of Education shall review, revise, and upgrade the quality core
curriculum. Following the adoption of this revised curriculum, the State Board
of Education shall contract for development of criterion-referenced competency
tests to measure the quality core curriculum. Such tests in English and
language arts, mathematics, and reading shall be administered annually to
students in grades one through eight, and such tests in science and social
studies shall be administered annually to students in grades three through
eight. This action shall be completed according to a schedule established by
the State Board of Education. A curriculum-based assessment shall be
administered in grade 11 for graduation purposes. Writing assessments shall be
administered to students in grades three, five, eight, and 11. The writing
assessments shall provide students and their parents with performance outcome
measures resulting from the administration of such tests."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.