Summary

Iowa HF 604 (Open States or Iowa Legislature) appropriates funds for fiscal years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 from the General Fund of the State to the Department of Education, along with other departments and commissions, and contains several provisions relating to digital learning.

Legislative Analysis

HF 604 contains several provisions relating to digital learning issues:

• The Department of Education (DE) will conduct a study regarding the establishment of an online curriculum to facilitate the transfer of academic credits, earned by students residing in licensed child foster care facilities and institutions controlled by the Department of Human Services (DHS), between such facilities and institutions and public and accredited nonpublic schools. The goal of the curriculum is to minimize wherever possible the loss of academic credit for coursework completed by these students. Instruction through the online curriculum must meet existing accreditation standards and be taught by licensed Iowa teachers. The department must submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the General Assembly by January 3, 2014.
• Area education agencies (AEAs) are authorized to sell software and support services, professional development programs and materials, online professional development, and online training to entities other than school districts within the state, or to school districts within the state if they are not already required to provide to them under existing code; and to school districts and other public agencies located outside of the state.
• From the $5.2 million appropriated to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Collaborative Initiative, not less than $500,000 or more than $1 million is designated to provide technology education opportunities to high school, career academy, and community college students through a public-private partnership.
• The Department of Education will establish a Competency-Based Education Grant Program to award grants to no more than 10 school districts annually for purposes of developing, implementing, and evaluating competency-based education pilot and demonstration projects. Each project will be conducted for a minimum of one year, but may be for multiple school years. The DE will submit progress reports analyzing the status and preliminary findings of the projects to the State Board of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly by January 15 annually. The department will summarize the projects’ findings, including student achievement results, and submit the summary and any recommendations to the state board, Governor, and General Assembly by January 15, 2019. No less than $100,000 of funding appropriated to the DE for competency-based education must be allocated to the program for fiscal year 2013-2014. The Competency-Based Instruction Task Force, established by the General Assembly in 2012, is further required to develop a draft strategic plan and proposed timeline for statewide implementation of competency-based learning for consideration by the General Assembly.

The wide variety of provisions in HF 604 demonstrate the many ways in which digital learning can help students, including students at-risk or disadvantaged, through online curriculums and public-private partnerships, as well as benefit local school systems who would like to share their electronic content and training methods within and beyond the state. The Competency-Based Education Grant Program will support the development and study of programs that customize learning and encourage higher achievement by letting students work and advance at their own pace.

Legislative History

Detailed Vote History: Legiscan |  Open States

Approved by Governor Terry Branstad on 6/20/2013