An Act To Delay Certain Educational Assessment Requirements
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0187
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: MAKAS, ROTUNDO, ADAMS, BOWEN, CRAVEN, FINCH, GOLDMAN, LANSLEY, NORTON, MAYO
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6209

Legislative Document 
No.IS7 
H.P.138 
House of Representatives, January 13,2005 
An Act To Delay Certain Educational Assessment Requirements 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative MAKAS of Lewiston. 
Cosponsored by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin and 
!r/~ /h. 71/tt£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: ADAMS of Portland, BOWEN of Rockport, CRAVEN of Lewiston, FINCH 
of FairfieJd, GOLDMAN of Cape Elizabeth, LANSLEY of Sabattus, NORTON of Bangor, 
Senator: MAYO of Sagadahoc. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 20-A MRS A §6202-A. sub-§§3 and 4. as amended by PL 
2003, c. 712, §2, are further amended to read: 
3. 
Public 
high 
school 
graduation 
decisions. 
By 
the 
6GG1-6GGg 
2009-2010 school year, public high school graduation 
must be determined by student achievement of the standards of the 
system of learning results in English language arts, health and 
physical 
education, 
mathematics, 
science 
and 
technology 
and 
social studies, based on the school administrative unit I s local 
assessment 
system 
established 
pursuant 
to 
this 
section 
in 
addi tion to other requirements as established by school board 
policy. 
By 
the 
6GG9-6G;l,G 
2011-2012 
school year, 
public high 
school graduation must be determined by student achievement of 
the standards of the system of learning results in all content 
areas of the system of learning results, based on the school 
administrative unit I s 
assessment system established pursuant to 
subsection 1 in addition to other requirements as established by 
policy of the school board. 
4. 
Graduation decisions at certain private high schools. 
By the 
6GG1-2.GGg 2009-2010 school year, high school graduation 
for publicly funded 
students 
in private schools 
approved 
fOl 
tui tion that enroll at least 60
0b 
publicly funded students, 
as 
determined 
by 
the 
previous 
school 
year's 
October 
and 
April 
average enrollment, must be determined by student achievement of 
the 
standards 
of 
the 
system 
of 
learning results 
in English 
language 
arts, 
health 
and 
physical 
education, 
mathematics, 
science and technologYT and social studies, in addition to other 
requirements that may be established by the trustees. 
By the 
6GG9-6G;l,G 
2011-2012 
school 
year, 
high 
school 
graduation 
for 
publicly funded students in private schools must be determined by 
student achievement of the standards of the system of learninq 
resul ts in all content areas of the system of learning results, 
in addition to other requirements as established by the trustees. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §6209. sub-§3. as amended by PL 
2003, 
c:. 
712, §3, is further amended to read: 
3. 
Career 
preparation; 
foreign 
languages; 
visual 
and 
performing arts. 
By the end of the 2002-2003 school year, each 
school administrative unit shall address in the comprehensive 
education plan, as required in section 4502, subsection 1, how 
the school administrative unit will implement for all students 
the content areas of career preparation, foreign languages and 
visual and performing arts, including interim targets for partial 
implementation. 
By the end of the 
6GG1-6GGg 
2009-2010 school 
year, 
each 
local 
school 
administrative 
unit 
shall 
implement 
standards in these additional content areas of the system of 
learning results, 
contingent 
upon 
funding based 
on essential 
programs 
and services or its equivalent. 
Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this chapter, the commissioner is authorized 
to establish rules for inclusion of some portion of the standards 
in visual 
and 
performing arts 
for 
the 
graduating 
class 
of 
6QQ+-6QQ8 2009-2010. 
Sec. 3. Report. 
The Department of Education shall report and 
make recommendations to the Second Regular Session of the 122nd 
Legislature by January 2006 on the impact of the local assessment 
system in regard to capacity, cost and needed resources. 
SUMMARY 
This bill delays until the end of the 2009-2010 school year 
the implementation of graduation decisions at public high schools 
and certain private high schools being made 
on the basis of 
student achievement of the standards of the system of learning 
resul ts. 
The bill also requires the Department of Education to 
submit 
a 
report 
to 
the 
Second 
Regular 
Session of 
the 
122nd 
Legislature by January 2006 on the impact of the local assessment 
system in regard to capacity, cost and needed resources.