First Substitute H.B. 501

Representative Eric K. Hutchings proposes the following substitute bill:

1 YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION
2 2012 GENERAL SESSION
3 STATE OF UTAH
4 Chief Sponsor: Eric K. Hutchings
5 Senate Sponsor: Karen Mayne
6 Cosponsors:
7 Steve EliasonMark A. Wheatley 8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This bill requires the State Board of Education to provide suicide prevention training
12 for licensed employees.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This bill:
15 . requires the State Board of Education to develop or adopt sample materials to be
16 used by a school district or charter school regarding student suicide prevention; and
17 . requires school districts and charter schools to provide professional development
18 training on youth suicide prevention.
19 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
20 None
21 Other Special Clauses:
22 None
23 Utah Code Sections Affected:
24 AMENDS:

25 53A-1-603, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapters 11 and 305
26
27 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
28 Section 1. Section 53A-1-603 is amended to read:
29 53A-1-603. Duties of State Board of Education.
30 (1) Except as provided in Subsection (5), the State Board of Education shall:
31 (a) require each school district and charter school to implement the Utah Performance
32 Assessment System for Students, hereafter referred to as U-PASS;
33 (b) require the state superintendent of public instruction to submit and recommend
34 criterion-referenced achievement tests or online computer adaptive tests, a tenth grade basic
35 skills competency test, an online writing assessment for grades 5 and 8, and a test for students
36 in grade 3 to measure reading grade level to the board for approval and adoption and
37 distribution to each school district and charter school by the state superintendent;
38 (c) develop an assessment method to uniformly measure statewide performance, school
39 district performance, and school performance of students in grades 3 through 12 in mastering
40 basic skills courses; and
41 (d) provide for the state to participate in the National Assessment of Educational
42 Progress state-by-state comparison testing program.
43 (2) Except as provided in Subsection (5) and Subsection 53A-1-611 (6), under
44 U-PASS, the state office shall annually require that each district and charter school, as
45 applicable, administer:
46 (a) as determined by the State Board of Education, statewide criterion-referenced tests
47 or online computer adaptive tests in grades 3 through 12 and courses in basic skill areas of the
48 core curriculum;
49 (b) an online writing assessment to all students in grades 5 and 8;
50 (c) a tenth grade basic skills competency test as detailed in Section 53A-1-611 ; and
51 (d) a test to all students in grade 3 to measure reading grade level.
52 (3) The board shall adopt rules for the conduct and administration of U-PASS to
53 include the following:
54 (a) the computation of student performance based on information that is disaggregated
55 with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, limited English proficiency, and those students who

56 qualify for free or reduced price school lunch;
57 (b) security features to maintain the integrity of the system, which could include
58 statewide uniform testing dates, multiple test forms, and test administration protocols;
59 (c) the exemption of student test scores, by exemption category, such as limited
60 English proficiency, mobility, and students with disabilities, with the percent or number of
61 student test scores exempted being publically reported at a district level;
62 (d) compiling of criterion-referenced, online computer adaptive, and online writing test
63 scores and test score averages at the classroom level to allow for:
64 (i) an annual review of those scores by parents of students and professional and other
65 appropriate staff at the classroom level at the earliest point in time;
66 (ii) the assessment of year-to-year student progress in specific classes, courses, and
67 subjects;
68 (iii) a teacher to review, prior to the beginning of a new school year, test scores from
69 the previous school year of students who have been assigned to the teacher's class for the new
70 school year; and
71 (iv) allowing a school district or charter school to have its tests administered and
72 scored electronically to accelerate the review of test scores and their usefulness to parents and
73 educators under Subsections (3)(d)(i), (ii), and (iii), without violating the integrity of U-PASS;
74 and
75 (e) providing that:
76 (i) scores on the tests and assessments required under Subsection (2)(a) shall be
77 considered in determining a student's academic grade for the appropriate course and whether a
78 student shall advance to the next grade level; and
79 (ii) except as provided in Subsection 53A-1-611 (6), the student's score on the tenth
80 grade basic skills competency test shall be recorded on the student's transcript of credits.
81 (4) The State Board of Education shall consider administering the basic skills
82 competency test on a Saturday to preserve instructional time.
83 (5) (a) The State Board of Education may exempt a school district or charter school
84 from the testing requirements specified in Subsection (2) if:
85 (i) the school district or charter school pilots an assessment system that incorporates
86 the following:

87 (A) online classroom-based assessment that utilizes adaptive testing;
88 (B) online writing assessments in grades 4 through 12; or
89 (C) assessments administered in grades 8, 10, and 11 to determine readiness for
90 postsecondary education;
91 (ii) the State Board of Education approves the specific assessment administered under
92 Subsection (5)(a)(i) and the assessment provider; and
93 (iii) the school district or charter school verifies the local fiscal capability and
94 resources needed to participate in the pilot assessment system.
95 (b) A school district or charter school that receives an exemption under Subsection
96 (5)(a) is subject to an accountability plan and high school graduation standards that are:
97 (i) based on the school district's or charter school's assessment system, which may
98 include assessments described in Subsection (2) or Subsections (5)(a)(i) through (iii); and
99 (ii) developed and adopted by the State Board of Education.
100 (c) By the November 2014 meeting of the Education Interim Committee, the State
101 Board of Education shall submit recommendations to the committee on the state's assessment
102 system.
103 (6) (a) A school district or charter school, as applicable, is encouraged to administer an
104 online writing assessment to students in grade 11.
105 (b) The State Board of Education may award a grant to a school district or charter
106 school to pay for an online writing assessment and instruction program that may be used to
107 assess the writing of students in grade 11.
108 (7) (a) On or before the 2010 October meeting of the Education Interim Committee, the
109 State Board of Education shall prepare and present its plan for a pilot program for the 2010-11
110 and 2011-12 school years to:
111 (i) replace the tenth grade basic skills competency test with computer adaptive testing
112 of basic skills; and
113 (ii) administer the ACT exam to secondary students.
114 (b) The State Board of Education shall implement the pilot program described in
115 Subsection (7)(a) for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years.
116 (c) The State Board of Education shall re-direct the money saved by not administering
117 the tenth grade basic skills competency test pursuant to Subsection 53A-1-611 (6) to fund the

118 implementation of the pilot program described in Subsection (7)(b) for fiscal years 2010-11
119 and 2011-12.
120 (8) (a) School districts and charter schools shall require each licensed employee to
121 complete two hours of professional development on youth suicide prevention within their
122 license cycle in accordance with Section 53A-6-104 .
123 (b) The State Board of Education shall develop or adopt sample materials to be used by
124 a school district or charter school for professional development training on youth suicide
125 prevention.
126 (c) The training required by this Subsection (8) shall be incorporated into professional
127 development training required by rule in accordance with Section 53A-6-104 .