SCS/HB 469 - Subject to appropriations, this act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to subsidize the exam fee for those taking the high school equivalency degree exam for the first time. This act also requires DESE to give high school equivalency certificate applicants the opportunity to voluntarily submit their contact information for the purpose of evaluating the college and career placement rates of applicants. DESE shall not maintain this contact information for longer than two years following the date of examination. (Sections 161.094 & 161.095)
These provisions are identical to SB 107 (2017) and SCS/SB 998 (2016), and similar to HB 2238 (2016).
Each school district is required to establish a policy that allows acceleration for students who demonstrate advanced performance or potential for advanced performance and the social and emotional readiness for acceleration. Such policy shall allow for at least subject acceleration and whole grade acceleration. (Section 162.722)
This provision is identical to provisions contained in HB 257 (2017) and HB 670 (2017).
This act also requires that by July 1, 2018, DESE develop a high school graduation policy that allows a student to fulfill one unit of academic credit with a district-approved computer science course for any mathematics or science unit required for high school graduation. (Section 170.018)
This provision is similar to provisions contained in HCS/SCS/SBs 300 & 306 (2017), HCS/SB 434 (2017), SB 491 (2017), and HB 948 (2017).
JAMIE ANDREWS