Brief ⁽¹⁾

HB 2794 directs the State Board of Education to prepare a strategy for identifying, developing, and implementing a mastery of basic skills program in kindergarten and each of grades one through three of Kansas school districts based upon the goal of basic skill mastery by pupils who complete the third grade. In carrying out this directive, the State Board will:

• Prepare a mastery of basic skills program appropriate for implementation in each school district;



• Identify state standards and outcomes of mastery for basic skills in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics for kindergarten and each of grades one through three, which, if mastered, will result in the pupil having acquired foundational skills sufficient to achieve academic success at the fourth grade and beyond;



• Prepare a plan for monitoring the progress of pupils at each grade level in achieving mastery of basic skills;



• Specify the means to be used for determining mastery of the basic skills by each pupil upon completion of grade three; and



• Identify a professional development sequence for primary grade teachers to enable them to learn the best practices for teaching basic skills.

The State Board's strategy must include a component for requiring school districts to provide interventions for pupils who are not making satisfactory progress toward mastering the basic skills such as, but not limited to, a restructured school day, additional school days, summer school, or individualized instruction.

The State Board of Education will report to the 2001 Legislature a strategy and proposed plan for implementing the mastery of basic skills program with development of standards during the 2001-02 school year and commencement of the plan in the 2002-03 school year. The State Board report to the 2001 Legislature will include estimates of the cost to the state of implementing this program.

Background

HB 2794, as introduced by the House Committee on Education, was a component of the school reform proposals sponsored by Representatives Kent Glasscock and Ralph Tanner. In its original form, the bill:

• Established a mastery of basic skills program (quite similar to that described in the substitute bill for which the State Board of Education must develop a strategy);



• Directed establishment of a professional development sequence for primary grade teachers (included in the required strategy (above));



• Prohibited promotion of pupils who had not mastered standards and outcomes of mastery for the pupil's grade level, except that a pupil could not repeat kindergarten or any of grades one through three more than once;



• Established a basic skills achievement award program under which a school that reached the standard of excellence on the statewide assessment of mathematics in the fourth grade and of reading in the fifth grade would be entitled to an award of $10 for each of the school's pupils; and



• Directed the State Board of Education to establish a statewide improvement plan if the percentage of pupils attaining mastery in reading, writing, and mathematics is less than 95 percent.

Representative Glasscock presented the bill to the Committee. The Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas National Education Association, and a spokesperson for Wichita (USD 259) submitted comments on the bill, but were not specifically identified as proponents or opponents of the measure.

The fiscal note on HB 2794, as introduced, was estimated to require $798,752 State General Fund support in FY 2001. This fiscal note would not be applicable to Substitute for HB 2794. Committee amendments stripped most of the costs from the measure.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html