Education (Curriculum)

in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 56: A bill for an act establishing completion of a course on American history and civil government as a requirement for the completion of a baccalaureate degree program at a public institution of higher education.

This bill requires all students at Iowa public colleges pursuing a bachelor's degree to complete a mandatory 3-credit survey course in American history and civil government starting in the 2027 academic year. The course must cover foundational U.S. government principles, historical development of republican institutions, key founding documents (like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence), landmark Supreme Court cases, and comparative government systems. It specifies required readings including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," and ensures the course fulfills social science general education requirements. Students transferring between Iowa public institutions will not need to repeat the course.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates required American history/civics course, enhancing higher education curriculum standards per bill's explicit requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 6, 2025

HSB 55: A bill for an act requiring regents institutions to make certain course syllabus information available to the public online and including effective date provisions.

This bill, the "Syllabus Transparency Act," requires Iowa regents institutions to publish key syllabus details for every undergraduate course online. It mandates that each syllabus include the instructor's name, descriptions of major assignments/exams, required readings, and lecture topics. The information must be freely accessible without login, searchable, available on the institution's homepage within five clicks, and posted by the first day of each term - remaining online for at least one year. The law takes effect December 31, 2025, directly affecting public universities and their students and faculty.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires public syllabus transparency at regents institutions, increasing access to course information and promoting accountability in higher education.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Higher Education Tags Government Transparency

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 10, 2025

HSB 44: A bill for an act relating to career education, including middle school career exploration and industry-recognized credential seals and certificates for high school students.

This bill requires Iowa public schools to create a list of industry-recognized credentials for high school students (grades 9-12) aligned with career pathways, and develop a transcript seal for students earning these credentials. It mandates career exploration in middle school (grades 5-6 and 7-8) through curriculum including career investigation and connections, helping students plan their academic paths. School districts must confidentially report student credential attainment to the education department and apply the seal to transcripts or issue a certificate for qualifying graduates. The policy directly affects Iowa public school students, districts, and the Department of Education.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates career exploration in middle school and industry-recognized credentials for high school students, enhancing curriculum and student program access.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education Curriculum K-12 Education

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 12, 2025

SF 34: A bill for an act relating to physical activity requirements applicable to students in kindergarten through grade five.

This bill requires Iowa public schools to provide physically able kindergarten through grade five students with 30 consecutive minutes of daily physical activity, separate from the standard physical education curriculum. Schools must ensure this activity occurs unless specific exceptions apply, such as student safety risks, inclement weather requiring indoor relocation, early school dismissal, or student absence due to illness. The requirement does not apply to suspended or expelled students. This policy directly affects K-5 students and school district implementation practices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates daily physical activity for K-5 students within school curricula, enhancing student health programs without restricting existing requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HSB 34: A bill for an act incorporating provisions related to pregnancy and fetal development into the human growth and development and health curriculum provided by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to students enrolled in grades seven through twelve.

This bill requires Iowa schools to include specific content about pregnancy and fetal development in health and human growth curricula for students in grades 7-12. It mandates that all public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools teach human biology related to pregnancy, womb development, and show two specific media resources: a 3+ minute ultrasound video of early fetal organ development and an animation comparable to the "Meet Baby Olivia" video illustrating fertilization and development stages. These requirements apply to the human growth curriculum in grades 7-8 and health curriculum in grades 9-12. The bill does not alter existing standards for other health topics like sexually transmitted diseases.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates specific health curriculum content on pregnancy/fetal development for grades 7-12, advancing educational standards in human biology education.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 13, 2025

HF 417: A bill for an act modifying the tuition and textbook tax credit available against the individual income tax, and including retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 417 increases Iowa's tuition and textbook tax credit for eligible families from 25% to 50% of the first $2,000 spent annually per dependent on private or accredited public school tuition and textbooks (K-12). It directly affects Iowa taxpayers with children attending qualifying non-profit, accredited schools that comply with civil rights laws. The bill applies retroactively to tax years beginning January 1, 2025, meaning families can claim the higher credit for 2025 taxes immediately. The credit remains subject to existing eligibility rules, including school accreditation and non-profit status requirements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases tuition/textbook tax credit from 25% to 50%, providing direct tax relief to eligible families for K-12 education expenses.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationIncreases tax credit for K-12 tuition/textbooks from 25% to 50%, expanding financial support for families and improving educational access to accredited schools.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits Curriculum School Choice

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 13, 2025

SF 204: A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to private instruction, world language instruction, dual enrollment, and the tuition and textbook tax credit, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions.

This bill modifies Iowa's education laws to update requirements for private instruction, world language teaching, dual enrollment access, and tax credits. It requires parents of privately instructed students to submit detailed course outlines and health documentation, while ensuring diplomas from private programs are treated equally to public school diplomas. The bill prohibits altering grammatical gender in world language instruction (e.g., Spanish, French) when teaching languages that use gendered grammar. It also clarifies dual enrollment access for privately instructed students to participate in public school academic and extracurricular activities. The tuition tax credit section is amended to adjust the credit amount for dependent students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnsures equal diploma recognition for private education, expands dual enrollment access, and updates tax credits to support educational access and equity without restricting curriculum or funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 18, 2025

SSB 1065: A bill for an act relating to electronic devices in schools, including student access during instructional hours, school safety plans, and instruction related to the effects of social media in grades six through eight, and including effective date provisions.

This bill requires Iowa public schools to adopt policies restricting personal electronic device use during classroom instruction starting in 2025, with specific guidelines for device storage, emergency communication, and exemptions for students with individualized education plans (IEPs) or 504 plans. It also mandates that health classes in grades six and eight include instruction about social media's effects, as specified in amended curriculum standards (sections 256.11, subsections 3 and 4). School districts must develop model policies for device use, and teachers must receive professional development to deliver the new social media curriculum. The law directly affects all public school students in grades six through eight and their educators, with implementation beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates social media curriculum in grades 6-8 and device restrictions during instruction, enhancing educational standards and safety policies.90% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyRestricts student device use during instruction, mandates social media education, and limits technology access in classrooms per bill requirements.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum School Safety Social Media

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 20, 2025

HF 236: A bill for an act relating to social studies instruction, including instruction in United States government, provided to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve.

HF 236 requires all Iowa high school students (grades 9-12) in public school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to complete one full unit of U.S. government instruction as part of their social studies curriculum, increasing the current requirement from half a unit. The course must cover voting procedures, voter registration, paper ballots, absentee voting, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and civics education including citizen roles in government. This bill directly affects high school students and school districts by mandating specific content within the required social studies curriculum. The change aligns with existing standards but strengthens the depth of civic education for students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates increased U.S. government curriculum requirements, strengthening civics education in Iowa high schools by raising unit requirement from half to full unit.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Iowa · House Feb 20, 2025

HF 253: A bill for an act relating to computer science instruction, including by modifying provisions related to the graduation requirements, the computer science instruction provided by students enrolled in grades nine through twelve, computer science instruction endorsements and authorizations issued by the board of educational examiners, and the computer science professional development incentive fund.

HF 253 requires Iowa high school students graduating in 2029 or later to complete one semester of computer science coursework to meet graduation requirements, which may include classes taken in eighth grade. The bill modifies existing science and math graduation rules to allow up to one unit of computer science to count toward those requirements. School districts must report annually on computer science course offerings, teacher certifications, and student enrollment, while allowing limited waivers for implementation challenges. The law also establishes standards for computer science courses and teacher authorizations to ensure quality instruction.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates computer science coursework for graduation, expanding curriculum requirements and aligning with STEM education goals while requiring district reporting on implementation.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum Teachers

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