SCR 1 – Resolution urging Congress to limit student loan interest rates
SF 159 – Setting new teacher prep assessment score requirements
SF 167 – Mental health professional added to loan repayment
SF 394 – Online classes to count for required course offerings
SF 437 – Iowa High School Athletic Association academic eligibility standards
FLOOR ACTION:
SCR 1 – Resolution urging Congress to limit student loan interest rates
SCR 1 is a concurrent resolution that urges Congress to enact legislation limiting the interest rates for loans made or guaranteed under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program or the Federal Perkins Loan Program at not more than 2 percentage points above the federal prime rate for the life of the loans of students attending public and private accredited postsecondary institutions.
[3/26: Voice Vote – Approved]
SF 159 – Setting new teacher prep assessment score requirements
SF 159 authorizes the Department of Education to set the minimum passing scores necessary for a student to successfully complete a practitioner preparation program and receive an initial teaching license. Currently, students must achieve scores above the 25th percentile nationally on certain subject and performance-based assessments.
The bill eliminates the requirement to use the assessment provider recommended scores because of the potential consequences of disqualifying 400 new teachers a year. Instead, as amended on the floor, the Department will use a comparison of set scores from neighboring states.
The bill also establishes a one-year waiver procedure for students who do not attain the minimum assessment score. This one-year waiver is available for both in-state students and out-of-state teacher preparatory students who can show proof of a job offer in Iowa. It is only good for a temporary one-year license so that the beginning teacher can re-take the Praxis assessment during that year.
[3/27: 48-0 (Excused: Breitbach, Nunn]
SF 167 – Mental health professional added to loan repayment
SF 167 adds mental health professionals to those eligible for loan repayment under the Health Care Loan Repayment Program administered by the College Student Aid Commission. To qualify, applicants must complete an affidavit verifying they will practice full-time in a service commitment area in Iowa. The annual amount of loan repayment to a program applicant is $6,000 or 20 percent of the recipient’s total qualified student loan, whichever is less.
[3/26: 49-0 (Excused: Breitbach)]
SF 394 – Online classes to count for required course offerings
SF 394 permits public school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to offer online classes to meet up to two “offer and teach” course requirements. Schools can do this by using Iowa Learning Online (ILO) or by offering such a course through any online platform that meets standards specified under the Online School Code chapter and is approved by the Department of Education.
Currently, Iowa Code allows up to two “offer and teach” requirements to be waived by the Department of Education if a school district or accredited nonpublic school is unable to employ an appropriately licensed teacher for the specified course, or too few students typically enroll in the specified course, or the school proved to the Department’s satisfaction that they have made every reasonable effort to meet Iowa’s educational program requirements.
Currently, the specified course must be provided by the ILO. The bill changes this so the course can be offered through a private provider that meets Iowa teacher and curriculum standards. The bill clarifies that schools must offer these classes either in person or online and that two or more schools could go into a partnership to offer these online options.
[3/26: 49-0 (Excused: Breitbach)]
SF 437 – Iowa High School Athletic Association academic eligibility standards
SF 437 requires the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to jointly develop and implement a policy establishing academic eligibility standards for students participating in extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or competitions. The policy must not impose multiple periods of ineligibility, also referred to as double jeopardy, while maintaining the legal protections of the scholarship rule as it pertains to athletics.
[3/26: 49-0 (Excused: Breitbach)]