Proposed Education Legislation for 2015

To see the full text of each bill, simply click on the bill number.

 Standards and State Assessments:

HB 22 by Hensgens: Prohibits penalizing a student in grades 3-8 for not taking certain Spring 2015 state assessments due to his parents' refusal to allow him to participate. Provides that the resulting absence of assessment results for such a student shall not be factored into or negatively impact performance scores or letter grades for schools and school systems or a teacher's evaluation rating, and prohibits penalizing schools, school systems, and teachers in any other way.
HB 113 by Barrow: Prohibits the administration of standards-based assessments to public school students in the 2015-2016 school year.
HB 373 by Geymann: Sets state based standards. Provides for the implementation of state content standards for public school students subject to legislative approval.
HB 502 by Hensgens: Limits the amount of time allowed for administration and the length of required state assessments to students in grades three through eight.

1. For students in grades three through five, 85% shall be able to complete the assessment in 120 minutes or less.
2. For students in grades six through eight, 85% shall be able to complete the assessment in 180 minutes or less.
3. The administration of an assessment in grades three through eight shall not exceed five hours and the assessment shall be administered on only one school day. The amount of time allowed for the administration of practice tests and other test preparation required prior to the administration of an assessment shall not exceed one hour each day for not more than five days.

HB 542 by Schroder: Prohibits implementation of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and similar assessments.
HB 545 by Geymann: Requires vendors of student assessment materials and services to receive a permit to sell to public schools. Imposes a sales tax on the sale of student assessment materials to schools in the state.
HB 662 by Carter: Provides relative to the review of state content standards for public school students. Specifies the process for reviewing the English language arts and math standards beginning in June of 2015. Provides for a standards review committee and provides for committee membership. Requires the department annually to convene the standards review committee beginning in 2018 to receive a report on the status of the standards implementation.
HB 669 by Reynolds: Provides content and other requirements regarding student assessments; provides relative to procurement of such assessments. Allow for direct comparability of student achievement in other states. Include test questions or items that were developed by La. educators and used for the 2014-2015 state assessments, or that are identical to such questions and items, and questions or items to measure college and career readiness. They shall be administered and scored in time to allow receipt and public reporting of results from one school year in advance of the start of the following school year.
HB 672 by Harris: Provides for the development, review, and adoption of state content standards for required subjects by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Provides a process for standards development and review including participation by La. citizens. Requires public hearings by public school governing authorities to receive public comment relative to the standards. Provides for legislative approval of the standards. Deletes requirements that standards-based assessments be based on rigorous standards comparable at the national level.
HB 752 by Pat Smith: Provides relative to disciplinary action taken against a public school employee, and his school, school system, and school governing authority for coercing a student or a student's parent to refuse participation in a state assessment.
SB 166 by Appel: Provides for implementation of the standards-based assessments by the Dept. of Education instead of BESE.

Tenure and Teacher Evaluation

HB 505 by Ivey: Prevents the acquiring of tenure for all new teachers.

SB 32 by Mills: Present law provides for periodic evaluations of professional education employees (teachers and administrators) based in part on growth in student achievement using a value-added assessment model. Proposed law instead provides for a professional employee evaluation program that utilizes classroom observations and multiple measures of student achievement, which may include a value- added assessment model as determined by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

Payroll Deductions for Teacher Association or Union Dues:

HB 418 by Bishop: Removes the authority for public employees and charter school employees to withhold payroll deductions for union dues, assessments, and other fees from their wages.

HB 512 by Garofalo: Retains present law allowing payroll deductions for organization dues and also allows this deductions for charter school employees.

SB 204 By Martiny: Proposed law removes union dues as an authorized payroll withholding, but allows any withholding expressly authorized by state or federal law.