Bill > SB0193

This bill, concerning common core state educational standards, adds a new section to Indiana law that defines "common core standards" as educational standards for kindergarten through grade 12 developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative. It prohibits the state board of education from continuing to implement or direct the implementation of these common core standards or requiring the use of specific assessments like the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) or Smarter Balanced assessments until public meetings are held in each congressional district to gather testimony on their adoption. During this adoption process, the state board must compare existing Indiana standards with the common core standards and consider best practices, seeking input from teachers and postsecondary experts. After these steps, the state board can adopt standards, which may include the common core standards. The bill also allows existing academic standards in effect on June 30, 2013, to continue to be implemented, and permits revisions to second-grade standards. Furthermore, it prohibits the state from entering into or renewing agreements that cede control over education standards and assessments until March 31, 2014. The bill also mandates that academic standards be revised at least every six years, starting in 2013, and that these revisions comply with the new section on common core standards. It also expands the academic standards committee to include parents and clarifies that the "ISTEP program test" includes any statewide assessment a student must complete, allowing parents to request a rescoring of their child's test responses, including essays, and states that ISTEP scores cannot be disclosed to the public. Finally, the bill requires the office of management and budget to conduct a fiscal analysis of the projected costs of implementing common core standards and report these findings to the general assembly and other educational bodies before September 1, 2013, with an emergency declared for the act.