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EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1729
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HENDERSON.
7329S.02I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal section 160.572, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections relating to college
and career readiness.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 160.572, RSMo, is repealed and two new 1
sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 2
160.572 and 173.1360, to read as follows:3
160.572. 1. For purposes of this section, the 1
following terms shall mean: 2
(1) ["ACT assessment", the ACT assessment or the ACT 3
Plus Writing assessment; 4
(2)] "High school", a public school, not including a 5
charter school, that provides instruction to students in any 6
combinations of grades nine, ten, eleven, or twelve; 7
(2) "WorkKeys", the ACT WorkKeys assessments required 8
for the National Career Readiness Certificate. 9
2. [(1) In any school year in which the department of 10
elementary and secondary education directs a state-funded 11
census administration of the ACT assessment to any group of 12
students, any student who would be allowed or required to 13
participate in the census administration shall receive the 14
opportunity, on any date within three months before the 15
census administration, to participate in a state-funded 16
administration of WorkKeys. 17
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(2) Any student who participated in a state-funded 18
administration of WorkKeys as described under subdivision 19
(1) of this subsection shall not participate in any state- 20
funded census administration of the ACT assessment. 21
(3) The department of elementary and secondary 22
education shall not require school districts or charter 23
schools to administer the ACT assessment to any student who 24
participated in a state-funded administration of WorkKeys as 25
described under subdivision (1) of this subsection] Each 26
high school shall administer college and career readiness 27
assessments, including a career readiness assessment that 28
leads to a nationally recognized work readiness certificate, 29
in a manner and frequency prescribed by the state board of 30
education to each student before the student graduates from 31
high school. 32
3. [(1) In any school year in which a school district 33
directs the administration of the ACT assessment to any 34
group of its students to be funded by the district, any 35
student who would be allowed or required to participate in 36
the district-funded administration shall receive the 37
opportunity, on any date within three months before the 38
administration, to participate in an administration of 39
WorkKeys funded by the school district. 40
(2) Nothing in this section shall require a school 41
district to fund the administration of the ACT assessment to 42
any student who participated in a district-funded 43
administration of WorkKeys as described under subdivision 44
(1) of this subsection] A career readiness assessment under 45
subsection 2 of this section may include WorkKeys. 46
4. A public school district may offer additional 47
college and career readiness assessments for students 48
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enrolled in high school, at no cost to the student, by using 49
funds appropriated by the general assembly for such purpose. 50
5. The state board of education shall promulgate rules 51
to implement the provisions of this section. Any rule or 52
portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 53
536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in 54
this section shall become effective only if it complies with 55
and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, 56
if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 57
536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with 58
the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to 59
delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule 60
are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of 61
rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after 62
August 28, 2026, shall be invalid and void. 63
173.1360. Each public institution of higher education 1
may adopt and implement a policy to use a Platinum, Gold, or 2
Silver credential earned through the ACT WorkKeys National 3
Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) as transcribable credit 4
toward the attainment of a postsecondary technical degree as 5
recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) 6
national guide. 7
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