Read the full stored bill text
House
File
2470
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2470
BY
FETT
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
requiring
the
department
of
education
to
develop
and
1
administer
a
pilot
program
that
authorizes
school
districts
2
and
charter
schools
to
offer
instruction
in
logic
and
3
critical
thinking.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
5
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(3)
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H.F.
2470
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
256.20
Logic
and
critical
thinking
1
——
pilot
project.
2
1.
The
department
shall
develop
and
administer
a
voluntary
3
pilot
program
that
authorizes
the
board
of
directors
of
a
4
school
district
and
the
governing
boards
of
charter
schools
to
5
offer
instruction
in
logic
and
critical
thinking
for
students
6
in
grades
six
through
eight.
7
2.
The
voluntary
pilot
program
shall
be
available
for
8
the
school
year
beginning
July
1,
2027,
and
the
school
year
9
beginning
July
1,
2028.
10
3.
Instruction
in
logic
and
critical
thinking
may
be
offered
11
in
any
of
the
following
forms,
at
the
discretion
of
the
school
12
district
or
charter
school:
13
a.
A
stand-alone
course.
14
b.
An
elective
course.
15
c.
An
interdisciplinary
course
embedded
within
existing
16
curricular
offerings.
17
4.
During
the
pilot
program,
a
participating
school
18
district
or
charter
school
may
offer
instruction
in
logic
and
19
critical
thinking
but
shall
not
be
required
to
mandate
student
20
completion
of
the
instruction
unless
otherwise
determined
by
21
the
school
district
or
charter
school.
22
5.
Instruction
provided
pursuant
to
the
pilot
program
shall
23
be
skills-based
and
viewpoint-neutral
and
shall
not
promote
24
or
advocate
for
specific
political,
ideological,
or
social
25
positions.
The
curriculum
shall
include
all
of
the
following:
26
a.
Basic
principles
of
logic,
including
deductive
and
27
inductive
reasoning,
syllogisms,
and
argument
structures.
28
b.
Identification
and
analysis
of
common
logical
fallacies,
29
including
ad
hominem
arguments,
false
dichotomies,
circular
30
reasoning,
and
slippery
slope
arguments.
31
c.
Rhetorical
principles,
including
ethos,
pathos,
and
32
logos,
and
their
role
in
persuasive
communication.
33
d.
Debate
and
discussion
skills,
including
formulation
34
of
logical
arguments,
engagement
with
counterarguments,
and
35
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LSB
6741YH
(3)
91
mb/jh
1/
4
H.F.
2470
respectful
civil
discourse.
1
e.
Basic
problem-solving
and
decision-making
strategies.
2
f.
Distinguishing
facts,
opinions,
and
inferences.
3
g.
Evaluation
of
claims
based
on
evidence
and
reasoning.
4
h.
The
history
and
use
of
propaganda
and
persuasive
5
techniques
in
historical
and
contemporary
contexts.
6
6.
Annually,
on
or
before
June
1
of
each
year
during
which
7
a
school
district
or
charter
school
participates
in
the
pilot
8
program,
the
participating
school
district
or
charter
school
9
shall
submit
a
report
to
the
department
that
contains
all
of
10
the
following:
11
a.
A
description
of
how
instruction
in
logic
and
critical
12
thinking
was
implemented.
13
b.
Feedback
regarding
curriculum
design
and
instructional
14
models.
15
c.
Information
regarding
student
engagement.
16
d.
Challenges
associated
with
implementing
instruction
in
17
logic
and
critical
thinking.
18
e.
Recommendations
related
to
continuation
or
expansion
of
19
instruction
in
logic
and
critical
thinking.
20
f.
Any
other
information
requested
by
the
department
that
21
will
allow
the
department
to
monitor
and
assess
the
pilot
22
program.
23
7.
On
or
before
December
1,
2029,
the
department
shall
24
compile
the
reports
submitted
pursuant
to
subsection
6
and
25
submit
a
report
to
the
general
assembly,
the
house
standing
26
committee
on
education,
and
the
senate
standing
committee
on
27
education
containing
an
evaluation
of
the
effectiveness
of
the
28
program
and
any
recommendations
for
continuation
or
expansion.
29
8.
As
used
in
this
section,
“logic
and
critical
thinking”
30
means
the
study
and
application
of
reasoning
processes,
31
including
deductive
and
inductive
reasoning,
argument
analysis,
32
identification
of
fallacies,
and
structured
decision
making.
33
9.
This
section
is
repealed
July
1,
2031.
34
EXPLANATION
35
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H.F.
2470
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
1
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
2
This
bill
requires
the
department
of
education
(DE)
to
3
develop
and
administer
a
pilot
program
that
authorizes
school
4
districts
and
charter
schools
to
offer
instruction
in
logic
and
5
critical
thinking
to
students
in
grades
six
through
eight.
The
6
pilot
program
is
available
for
the
school
years
beginning
July
7
1,
2027,
and
July
1,
2028.
8
Under
the
bill,
a
participating
school
district
or
9
charter
school
may
offer
instruction
in
logic
and
critical
10
thinking
as
a
stand-alone
course,
an
elective
course,
or
an
11
interdisciplinary
course
embedded
within
existing
curricular
12
offerings.
Participation
in
the
pilot
program
is
voluntary,
13
and
a
participating
school
district
or
charter
school
is
not
14
required
to
mandate
student
completion
of
the
instruction
15
unless
otherwise
determined
by
the
school
district
or
charter
16
school.
17
The
bill
requires
that
instruction
provided
pursuant
to
18
the
pilot
program
be
skills-based
and
viewpoint-neutral
and
19
prohibits
the
promotion
or
advocacy
of
specific
political,
20
ideological,
or
social
positions.
The
bill
provides
that
the
21
curriculum
must
include
instruction
in
basic
principles
of
22
logic,
identification
and
analysis
of
common
logical
fallacies,
23
rhetorical
principles,
debate
and
discussion
skills,
basic
24
problem-solving
and
decision-making
strategies,
distinguishing
25
facts,
opinions,
and
inferences,
evaluation
of
claims
based
on
26
evidence
and
reasoning,
and
the
history
and
use
of
propaganda
27
and
persuasive
techniques.
28
The
bill
requires
a
participating
school
district
or
29
charter
school,
annually,
on
or
before
June
1
of
each
year
30
during
which
a
school
district
or
charter
school
participates
31
in
the
pilot
program,
to
submit
a
report
to
DE
containing
32
information
related
to
the
implementation
of
instruction
in
33
logic
and
critical
thinking,
including
feedback
regarding
34
curriculum
design,
instructional
models,
student
engagement,
35
-3-
LSB
6741YH
(3)
91
mb/jh
3/
4
H.F.
2470
challenges
associated
with
implementation,
and
recommendations
1
for
continuation
or
expansion
of
the
program.
The
report
must
2
also
include
any
other
information
requested
by
DE
to
allow
the
3
department
to
monitor
and
assess
the
pilot
program.
4
The
bill
further
requires
DE,
on
or
before
December
1,
5
2029,
to
compile
the
reports
submitted
by
participating
school
6
districts
and
charter
schools
and
submit
a
report
to
the
7
general
assembly,
the
house
standing
committee
on
education,
8
and
the
senate
standing
committee
on
education
containing
an
9
evaluation
of
the
effectiveness
of
the
pilot
program
and
any
10
recommendations
for
continuation
or
expansion.
11
The
bill
defines
“logic
and
critical
thinking”
as
the
study
12
and
application
of
reasoning
processes,
including
deductive
13
and
inductive
reasoning,
argument
analysis,
identification
of
14
fallacies,
and
structured
decision
making.
15
The
bill
repeals
the
Code
section
establishing
the
pilot
16
program,
Code
section
256.20,
July
1,
2031.
17
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4/
4