Session of 2000
HOUSE BILL No. 2811 By Committee on Education 2-2

10 AN ACT concerning education; providing for a Kansas competency in
11 basic skills program.
12
13 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14 Section 1. As used in this act:
15 (a) "Board" means the board of education of any school district.
16 (b) "School district" means any public school district.
17 (c) "State board" means the state board of education.
18 (d) "Pupil" means any person who is regularly enrolled in kindergar-
19 ten or any of the grades one through 12 maintained by a school district.
20 (e) "Kansas competency in basic skills program" means a program
21 based upon the identification and specification of standards and outcomes
22 of competency in basic skills, the attainment of which standards and out-
23 comes of competency pupils shall demonstrate through assessment and
24 portfolio evaluation.
25 Sec. 2. The state board shall adopt rules and regulations for admin-
26 istration of the provisions of this act and shall:
27 (a) Prescribe a Kansas competency in basic skills program to be main-
28 tained each school year in every school district in the state; and
29 (b) identify, specify and distribute to each board standards and out-
30 comes of competency in basic skills domains. The skills domains for which
31 standards and outcomes of competency shall be identified and specified
32 are reading, writing and mathematics;
33 (c) prepare and distribute to each board examinations for assessing
34 the attainment by pupils of basic skills, which examinations shall be ad-
35 ministered by boards to pupils as a prerequisite to certification that the
36 requirements necessary for grade level promotion or for graduation from
37 high school have been satisfactorily completed;
38 (d) give technical advice and assistance and make recommendations
39 to boards concerning maintenance of the Kansas competency in basic
40 skills program; and
41 (e) determine performance levels, the achievement of which can be
42 determined through examination and portfolio evaluation, which per-
43 formance levels represent grade level competency in the basic skills do-

2
1 mains. Commencing with the 2001-02 school year, no pupil shall be cer-
2 tified as having satisfactorily completed the requirements necessary for
3 grade level promotion or for graduation from high school unless such
4 pupil has demonstrated competency in the basic skills domains through
5 achievement of the performance level determined for the pupil's current
6 grade level.
7 Sec. 3. (a) Each board, with technical advice and assistance from the
8 state board, shall formulate strategies, techniques and procedures for en-
9 abling and assisting pupils to achieve competency in the basic skills.
10 (b) In the case of any pupil who does not demonstrate satisfactory
11 progress toward competency in the basic skills, the board shall arrange a
12 conference which shall be attended by the pupil, the parents or a person
13 acting as parent of the pupil, and teachers familiar with the pupil's pro-
14 gress to discuss the pupil's performance and to prepare a plan to improve
15 the pupil's progress. The plan shall specify the actions that will be taken
16 to secure improvement in areas in which the pupil has demonstrated
17 substandard performance. The pupil, the parents or a person acting as
18 parent of the pupil, and the school shall mutually agree on the actions
19 and responsibilities contained in the plan. The plan may include, but need
20 not be limited to, a restructured school day, additional school days, in-
21 dividualized instruction, restrictions on extracurricular activities of the
22 pupil during the school term, and summer school. Every pupil shall be
23 given numerous opportunities to demonstrate competency in the basic
24 skills.
25 Sec. 4. (a) The provisions of this act do not apply to: (1) Any pupil
26 determined to be exceptional under the provisions of article 9 of chapter
27 72 of Kansas Statutes Annotated if the special education program in which
28 the pupil is enrolled provides only for nonacademic and nonvocational
29 activities; (2) any pupil who, upon determination by mutual agreement of
30 a board and the parent or person acting as parent of the pupil, is not able
31 to benefit from assessment or effectively participate in the Kansas com-
32 petency in basic skills program; or (3) any pupil who has been retained
33 at the same grade level one or more times, participated in the program
34 and failed to demonstrate competency in the basic skills domains after
35 making the best effort possible.
36 (b) Each board shall report to the state board the number of pupils
37 enrolled in the school district who are exempt under the provisions of
38 this section from participation in the Kansas competency in basic skills
39 program. Such reports shall be made in the manner and at the times
40 specified by the state board.
41 Sec. 5. (a) Periodically, but not less often than biennially, the state
42 board shall study, review and consider data and other information col-
43 lected by school districts in maintenance of the Kansas competency in

3
1 basic skills program in order to determine whether pupils are demon-
2 strating attainment of the standards and outcomes of competency in the
3 basic skills domains to the extent necessary to enable pupils to perform
4 successfully at modal grade level or, in the case of pupils at grade level
5 12, to perform successfully at the postsecondary education level or in the
6 workforce.
7 (b) Upon completion of each review conducted under subsection (a),
8 the state board shall disseminate appropriate information and summary
9 data concerning the Kansas competency in basic skills program to boards,
10 the legislature, the governor and to other interested parties.
11 Sec. 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
12 publication in the statute book.