HB 294: Quality Basic Education Act; require State Board of Education to review and update policies, guidelines, and processes for awarding units of high school credit to students based on a demonstration of subject area competency

House Bill 294

By: Representatives Miller of the 62nd, Glaize of the 67th, Carter of the 93rd, McQueen of the 61st, Berry of the 56th, and others

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

To amend Part 3 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to educational programs under the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to require the State Board of Education to review and update, as necessary, policies, guidelines, and processes for awarding units of high school credit to students based on a demonstration of subject area competency; to include international baccalaureate exams among the assessments to be identified by the State Board of Education for students to demonstrate subject area competency; to prohibit the State School Superintendent from being authorized to deny, delay, or otherwise interfere with the approval of any performance based assessment identified and approved by the State Board of Education; to provide for statutory construction; to provide for applicability; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Part 3 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to educational programs under the "Quality Basic Education Act," is amended by revising Code Section 20-2-159.4, relating to policies and guidelines for awarding units of high school credit based on demonstrated proficiency, as follows:

"20-2-159.4.

(a) By August 1, 2025, the The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia, shall adopt review and update, as necessary, policies and establish guidelines for awarding units of high school credit to students based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of or in combination with completion of courses of classroom instruction. Such policies and guidelines shall clearly delineate the manner in which students can earn credit, how mastery of standards will be assessed, how locally developed assessments will be reviewed and approved, how such credit will be recorded on high school transcripts, and when outcomes as a result of these policies and guidelines will be reviewed. The state board shall adopt such policies and establish guidelines, and such policies and guidelines shall be applicable beginning with the 2013-2014 2025-2026 school year.

(b) Students may earn credits through:

(1) The completion of courses; or

(2) The testing out or otherwise demonstrating mastery of the course content.

(c) The state board shall identify assessments, including various commercial assessments, for immediate use for students to demonstrate subject area competency, which may include, but not be limited to:

(1) Advanced placement exams;

(2) ACT course assessment;

(3) Industry-specific certificates and industry credentialing, as defined in Code Section 20-2-326, for career, technical, and agricultural education courses;

(4) College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams; and

(5) Nationally recognized foreign language performance assessments; and

(6) International baccalaureate exams administered in conjunction with the completion of an international baccalaureate diploma program.

(d) The state board shall establish a process for reviewing and approving performance based assessments developed commercially, by the state, or by a local school system. Initially, the state board shall limit the number of credits earned though such educational options to three credits per student until the practice is proven to yield student outcomes at least equivalent to those found in standard seat-time courses. The policy shall ensure that credit for demonstrated proficiency is reported on student transcripts in the same way that seat-time credit is recorded. The state board shall review such policy after three years to determine if student outcomes from these educational options are equivalent to, if not better than, student outcomes in traditional courses.

(e) No policy, guideline, and process established by the state board pursuant to this Code section shall authorize the State School Superintendent to deny, delay, or otherwise interfere with the approval of any performance based assessment identified and approved by the state board pursuant to subsections (c) and (d) of this Code section. (d)(f) Each local school system shall comply with the state board's plan policies, guidelines, and processes adopted pursuant to this Code section and shall award units of high school credit in accordance with such plan policies, guidelines, and processes. Local boards of education and charter schools other public school governing bodies shall establish implementation policies and shall be prohibited from setting policies that negate or otherwise prohibit access to such plan impede compliance with such policies, guidelines, and processes.

(g) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to require any local school system or public school to include any advanced placement or international baccalaureate course among the courses that are available to students enrolled in such local school system or public school."

SECTION 2.

This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.

SECTION 3.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.