S 1047 General Bill, By S. Martin
 A BILL TO AMEND CHAPTER 18, TITLE 59 OF THE 1976 CODE, BY REPEALING SECTION
 59-18-310, RELATING TO THE STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM TO MEASURE STUDENT
 PERFORMANCE UNDER THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, SECTION 59-18-320,
 RELATING TO FIELD TESTING OF THE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM, SECTION 59-18-360,
 RELATING TO DISSEMINATION OF ASSESSMENT RESULTS, AND SECTION 59-18-370,
 RELATING TO A TECHNICAL CHANGE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-18-350, RELATING TO
 THE CYCLICAL REVIEW OF STATE STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS, TO DELETE REVIEW OF
 STATE ASSESSMENTS BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND TO DELETE THE PROVISIONS
 RELATING TO AN ANALYSIS OF ASSESSMENT RESULTS.

   02/25/14  Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)
   02/25/14  Senate Referred to Committee on Education
                     (Senate Journal-page 6)

TO AMEND CHAPTER 18, TITLE 59 OF THE 1976 CODE, BY REPEALING SECTION 59-18-310, RELATING TO THE STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM TO MEASURE STUDENT PERFORMANCE UNDER THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, SECTION 59-18-320, RELATING TO FIELD TESTING OF THE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM, SECTION 59-18-360, RELATING TO DISSEMINATION OF ASSESSMENT RESULTS, AND SECTION 59-18-370, RELATING TO A TECHNICAL CHANGE; AND TO AMEND SECTION 59-18-350, RELATING TO THE CYCLICAL REVIEW OF STATE STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS, TO DELETE REVIEW OF STATE ASSESSMENTS BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND TO DELETE THE PROVISIONS RELATING TO AN ANALYSIS OF ASSESSMENT RESULTS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Sections 59-18-310, 59-18-320, 59-18-360, and 59-18-370 of the 1976 Code are repealed.

SECTION    2.    Section 59-18-350 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-18-350.    (A) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Education Oversight Committee, shall provide for a cyclical review by academic area of the state standards and assessments to ensure that the standards and assessments are maintaining high expectations for learning and teaching. At a minimum, each academic area should be reviewed and updated every seven years. After each academic area is reviewed, a report on the recommended revisions must be presented to the Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education for consideration. After approval by the Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education, the recommendations may be implemented. However, the previous content standards shall remain in effect until approval has been given by both entities. As a part of the review, a task force of parents, business and industry persons, community leaders, and educators, to include special education teachers, shall examine the standards and assessment system to determine rigor and relevancy.

(B) The State Department of Education annually shall convene a team of curriculum experts to analyze the results of the assessments, including performance item by item. This analysis must yield a plan for disseminating additional information about the assessment results and instruction and the information must be disseminated to districts not later than January fifteenth of the subsequent year."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.