From the ECS State Policy Database Curriculum--Language Arts--Writing/Spelling

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary SC Signed into law 05/2010 P-12 Requires the state department of education, for the 2010-2011 school year, to suspend the writing assessments in grades 3, 4, 6 and 7; Provides that writing assessments may be administered only to students in grades 5 and 8 and that writing assessments may not be used in Education Accountability Act growth calculations. http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/4823.htm Title: H.J.R. 4823 - Sec. 3 Source: http://www.scstatehouse.gov OH Signed into law 07/2009 P-12 From DOE summary of H.B. 1: Prohibits the administration of the elementary writing and social studies assessments during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, unless the superintendent of public instruction determines the department has sufficient funds to pay the costs of furnishing and scoring those assessments Page 2807 of 3120: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText128/128_HB_1_EN_N.pdf DOE summary of H.B. 1: http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/DocumentManagement/DocumentDownload.aspx?DocumentID=71635 Title: H.B. 1 - Section 265.20.18 Source: www.education.ohio.gov UT Adopted 04/2009 P-12 Adds a new section regarding student achievement testing exceptions. Provides the state board may exempt a district or charter school from U-PASS testing requirements if a district or charter school pilots an assessment system that incorporates: (1) online classroom-based assessment that utilizes adaptive testing in all grades (2) online writing assessment in grades 4 through 12 (3) assessments administered in grades 8, 10 and 11 (4) college placement assessments in grades 11 to provide information for 12th grade high school course selections and is subject to an accountability plan and high school graduation standards that are based on the assessment system described in R277-705-11A(1), (2), (3), (4) above and developed and adopted by the state board. Provides exemptions may not exceed three rural school districts, two urban school districts and five charter schools, and may not continue beyond July 2010. Adds provisions for students transfering from an exempted district to an unexempted district in grade 11 or 12. http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/bulletin/2009/20090201/32314.htm Title: R277-705 Source: www.rules.utah.gov KY Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Provides that whereas the quality of writing instruction is directly related to how well teachers are prepared in their teacher preparation programs and how confident they are in the writing process; and whereas some teachers have expressed tentativeness and discomfort in teaching writing to their students, the education professional standards board and the department of education must take actions during the 2009 and 2010 calendar years to improve instruction at the pre-service levels and to improve the ability to teach writing to existing teachers. Requires the following to be completed at a minimum: (1) Using results from the state writing assessments, including previous results of audits of writing portfolios, the department of education and appropriate partners must identify any major weaknesses that may be attributed to the quality of writing instruction and consider where and how these skills should best be taught to teachers (2) The education professional standards board must conduct an analysis of the current pre-service writing instruction requirements and determine how writing instruction for prospective teachers can be improved (3) The education professional standards board must consider the feasibility of requiring a course in teacher preparation programs in the teaching of writing (4) The department of education must review the availability of professional development opportunities to help teachers learn how to improve writing instruction, and to use available resources, including the continuance of writing academies and writing workshops, to ensure that training for developing and evaluating high-quality writing portfolios and writing persuasive letters and articles, as well as poetry, short stories, memoirs, and personal narratives is available to existing teachers (5) The department of education must provide training to administrators to help them provide leadership and support for an effective writing program in their schools. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/SB1/bill.doc Title: S.B. 1 Section 17 Source: www.lrc.ky.gov KY Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Provides that whereas writing is an essential skill for all public school students to master; and whereas the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years will be a transitional period for revising the content standards in all academic content areas and subsequently revising the state assessment and accountability system, writing portfolios must remain a required and important instructional tool, but will not be included in the accountability index during the 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 school years. Requires each school-based decision making council during this transitional period to determine its writing program and to develop policies on the use of portfolios. Provides that once the department of education provides the guidelines and program review requirements for implementation of program reviews of writing in the 2011-12 school year, each school must comply with all such requirements. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/SB1/bill.doc Title: S.B. 1 Section 16 Source: www.lrc.ky.gov UT Signed into law 03/2009 P-12 Modifies the State Performance Assessment System for Students by requiring online writing assessments in grades 5 and 8. Encourages a school district or charter school, as applicable, to administer an online writing assessment to students in grade 11. Allows the state board of education to award a grant to a school district or charter school to pay for an online writing assessment and instruction program that may be used to assess the writing of students in grade 11. http://le.utah.gov/~2009/bills/hbillenr/hb0334.pdf Title: H.B. 334 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet SD Signed into law 02/2007 P-12 Revises the required grade levels for assessment of writing skills by every public school district. Changes from grades 5 and 9 to "at least two grade levels." http://www.legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2007/bills/HB1035enr.pdf Title: H.B. 1035 Source: http://www.legis.state.sd.us IL Adopted 04/2006 P-12 Changes reference to "career education" to "career and technical education." Clarifies differences between courses high schools must offer, courses students must take, and courses students must pass to graduate. Clarifies that all high school students must take a course in American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the American flag for not less than one hour per week, or the equivalent. Adds policy that a student may be permitted to retake a course that he or she has already successfully completed (for example, to earn a better grade) but that credit may not be awarded more than once for completion of the same course, and the same course may not be counted more than once toward fulfillment of the state high school graduation requirements. Establishes criteria for approval of a "writing intensive" course as required for high school graduation effective with the Class of 2010. Pages 483-496 of 705 http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/register/register_volume30_issue18.pdf Title: 23 IAC 1.440 Source: www.cyberdriveillinois.com IN Signed into law 03/2006 P-12 Mandates that the department and the state board review the current statewide testing program and develop a long term plan that is subject to the approval of the state board for the transition to a testing program with the following objectives: (1) To provide a long term plan for student assessments. (2) To review the existing annual tests for students in grades 3 through 10. (3) To develop a testing program that: (A) reflects a student's proficiency in and mastery of the state's academic standards; (B) is, to the greatest extent possible, more concise, less time consuming, and less expensive to administer than the current tests while maintaining the current level of rigor of the tests; (C) provides prompt results to students, parents, and teachers; (D) explores all options for timing and use of summative tests, including giving a summative test in the fall or the spring; (E) measures individual student growth from school year to school year; (F) explores all options for diagnostic tests for use by teachers to support ongoing remediation; (G) is compatible with a transition to the use of online testing; and (H) assesses student proficiency in written communication. (4) To move to the use of online assessments for Core 40 subjects. In developing the plan for the testing program, requires the state board and the department to: (1) solicit information from educators, administrators, parents, and the public concerning the program; (2) look at tests and testing practices in use by or in development by other states; (3) solicit information from testing companies concerning: (A) parameters and costs of tests; (B) steps to be taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the tests; (C) steps to move the longitudinal data from the current testing program to the new testing program; and (D) any other information the department or the state board considers useful in developing the testing program; (4) develop a plan to move to online tests; (5) determine the most effective means to assess student proficiency in written communication; and (6) include specifications for diagnostic tests for use by teachers during the school year. Requires the state board, before November 2006, to submit a report on the testing program to the budget committee, the legislative council, and the office of management and budget. Specifies that the report must provide the estimated costs for the program beginning with tests given during the 2007-2008 school year. Allows a contract for testing students during the 2006-2007 school year to be issued, but requires testing contracts for any subsequent school year to follow the state board's approval of the testing plan. http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2006/HE/HE1240.1.html Title: H.B. 1240 Source: www.in.gov/legislative SC Became law without GOVERNOR'S signature. 02/2004 P-12 (Joint Resolution) Approves regulations of the Board of Education; relates to basic skills assessment program writing text; relates to minimum standards of student achievement. Title: H.B. 3875 Source: StateNet CO Vetoed 05/2003 P-12 Concerns a suspension of the administration of statewide assessments in writing. http://www.leg.state.co.us/2003a/inetcbill.nsf/fsbillcont/C2AD9B7F773A7D3287256CCB00775965?Open&file=309_enr.pdf Title: S.B. 309 Source: Colorado Legislative Web site CA Signed into law 09/2002 P-12 States that the Legislature encourages school districts to comply with the State Board of Education's English Language and Arts Writing Arts Strategies on cursive handwriting standards whereby pupils are expected to write fluidly and legibly. Encourages school districts to teach methods of penmanship that may include, but are not limited to, the D'Nealian Method and the Palmer Method of penmanship. Title: S.B. 1770 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet TN Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Relates to comprehensive writing assessment scheduling. Title: H.B. 2900 Source: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us TN Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 Requires the state board of education to establish by rule and policy a reading initiative for kindergarten through grade 8 that includes at a minimum: (1) clear content and performance standards for student reading proficiency; (2) specific qualifications, requirements and standards for the teaching of reading; (3) developmentally appropriate diagnostic methods for assessing and monitoring the individual reading development of all children and identifying students who are having reading difficulties; (4) effective, developmentally appropriate instruction and intervention for all students based on their individual needs as identified by use of approved diagnostic methods; (5) training and support of all educators employed or supervising instruction in such grades in the use and application of developmentally appropriate reading diagnostic, instructional and intervention methods; (6) notification to parents of their child' s level of reading proficiency and any intervention that may be deemed necessary to ensure such child's ability to meet reading proficiency standards; (7) encouragement of parents to play an integral role in supporting their children in learning to read and write; and (8) a system of annual reporting, pursuant to Section 49-1-211, of the results of the reading initiative established by this section, including summary information from the reports by schools to local boards of education required by subdivision (d)(4) of this section. Also requires the state commissioner to recommend reading diagnostic methods and to develop guidelines. BILL WAS LEFT UNFUNDED, SO NO IMPLEMENTATION. Title: S.B. 1881/H.B. 1921--Omnibus Bill Source: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/Chapter/PC0343.pdf NM Signed into law 04/2001 P-12 Adds statewide testing in reading writing. Requires the department of education to involve local school district personnel, especially certified elementary reading specialists, in the development of methods on a statewide basis to measure student reading performance in order to assist school districts in the assessment of student problem areas in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The assessment shall provide a means of demonstrating continuous progress in reading and diagnostic information on phonics, phonemic awareness and comprehension. The department of education also is requried to involve local school district personnel, especially certified school instructors in the elementary, middle or junior high school grades, in the development or selection of a uniform statewide writing production test for school districts to measure student writing performance. The writing production test shall be administered to each student, once when attending elementary school and once when attending a middle or junior high school. (22-2-8.5) Title: S.B. 673 Source: New Mexico Legislative Web Site ME Signed into law 04/2000 P-12 (LD 2414); Supports and expands the Maine Writing Project to improve student achievement in writing, which is a major feature of the State educational assessment. Title: H.B. 1708 Source: Lexis-Nexis/StateNet