HB0159 Education-writing assessment. | Wyoming Bill

Official Summary Text

Summary for LSO115
Bill No.:
HB0159
Effective
:
3/2/2015

LSO No.:
15LSO-0096

Enrolled Act No.:
HEA 50

Chapter No.:
99

Prime Sponsor:
Throne

Catch Title:
Education-writing assessment.

Subject:
Elimination of the separate statewide writing assessment.

Summary/Major Elements:

Prior to this bill, a separate writing assessment was required to be administered as a part of the statewide student assessment system, but was not required for compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

This bill eliminates the separate statewide student writing assessment.

This bill has an effective

immediately
date.

Comments:

Amends a major program:

Statewide student assessment.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent. While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ORIGINAL
House
Bill No
.
HB0159

ENROLLED ACT NO.
50
,

HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2015 General Session

AN ACT relating to the separate statewide writing assessment; eliminating the writing assessment; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S.
21
‑
2
‑
204(c
)
(
ii)
(intro)
and

21
‑
2
‑
304(a)(v)(B) and (E)
are

amended to read:

21
‑
2
‑
204
.

Wyoming Accountability in Education Act; statewide education accountability system created.

(c)

School level performance shall be determined by measurement of performance indicators and attainment of student performance as specified by this section. To the extent applicable, each measure shall be aggregated to the school level based upon those grades served inclusive to each school as reported by the respective school district to the department of education. The indicators of school level performance shall be:

(ii)

Student academic achievement in reading, mathematics
,

and
science
and writing and language
as measured by:

21
‑
2
‑
304
.

Duties of the state board of education.

(a)

The state board of education shall:

(v)

Through the director and in consultation and coordination with local school districts, implement a statewide assessment system comprised of a coherent system of measures that when
combined,
provide a reliable and valid measure of individual student achievement for each public school and school district within the state, and the
performance of the state as a whole. Statewide assessment system components shall be in accordance with requirements of the statewide education accountability system pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204. Improvement of teaching and learning in schools, attaining student achievement targets for performance indicators established under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204 and fostering school program improvement shall be the primary purposes of statewide assessment of student performance in Wyoming. The statewide assessment system shall:

(B)

Effective school year 2012
‑
2013, and each school year thereafter, be administered in specified grades aligned to the student content and performance standards, specifically assessing student performance in reading and mathematics at grades three (3) through eight (8). In addition, the statewide assessment system shall assess student performance in science in grades four (4) and eight (8)
;
.
As a component of the statewide assessment system but separately administered, the statewide writing and language assessment shall be a valid, reliable and robust measure of student writing and language according to the writing and language content and performance standards promulgated under paragraph (iii) of this subsection implementing the common core of knowledge and skills as required by W.S. 21
‑
9
‑
101, and shall allow for monitoring and evaluation of annual trends in student and school level writing and language performance. Effective school year 2013
‑
2014 and each school year thereafter, the statewide writing and language assessment shall be administered to grades three (3), five (5) and seven (7). The structure and design of the assessment system shall allow for the comprehensive measurement of student performance through assessments that are administered each school year simultaneously on a statewide basis, with the writing and language assessment administered separately statewide;

(E)

Use only multiple choice items to ensure alignment to the statewide content and performance standards
;
.
For the writing and language

assessment only, include

m
ultiple measures and item types

to ensure alignment, which may include grade appropriate open response tasks, constructed and extended response items as appropriate;

Section 2
.

W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
204(c
)(
ii)(A)(III) is repealed.

Section 3
.

Notwithstanding
any other provision of law,
the state board, the state superintendent and the department of education shall cease any development or administration of a separat
e
writing assessment as a part of the statewide assessment system required under W.S. 21
‑
2
‑
304
.

Section 4
.

This
act is effective
immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the
House
.

Chief Clerk

Education-writing assessment.

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Official Summary Text

Current Bill Text