Sec. 14.5. (a) As used in this section:
(1) "college and career readiness educational standards" means Indiana standards that a high school graduate must meet to obtain the requisite knowledge and skill to transition without remediation to postsecondary education or training, and ultimately into a sustainable career; and
(2) "cut scores" means the scores that define a student's performance on an assessment, including passing, failing, or falling into a performance category.
(b) The state board shall adopt Indiana college and career readiness educational standards. The educational standards must do the following:
(1) Meet national and international benchmarks for college and career readiness standards and be aligned with postsecondary educational expectations.
(2) Use the highest standards in the United States.
(3) Comply with federal standards to receive a flexibility waiver under 20 U.S.C. 7861, as in effect on January 1, 2014.
(4) Prepare Indiana students for college and career success, including the proper preparation for nationally recognized college entrance examinations such as the ACT and SAT.
(5) Maintain Indiana sovereignty.
(6) Provide strict safeguards to protect the confidentiality of student data.
(c) The state, or the state board on behalf of the state, may not enter into or renew an agreement with any organization, entity, group, or consortium that requires the state to cede any measure of autonomy or control of education standards and assessments, including cut scores. The state board may not adopt Common Core (Common Core State Standards Initiative) or an assessment or test, except as provided in this subsection, that is produced solely by the United States government or a consortium of states. However, the state board is not prohibited from incorporating as part of Indiana's statewide assessments any assessment, part of an assessment, or series of questions if the assessment, part of an assessment, or series of questions is aligned to Indiana's academic standards.
(d) The state board may adopt emergency rules in the manner provided in IC 4-22-2-37.1 to implement this section. As provided in IC 4-22-2-37.1 for an emergency rule adopted under this section to be effective after one (1) extension period, the rule must be adopted in conformity with the procedures under IC 4-22-2-24 through IC 4-22-2-36.
As added by P.L.286-2013, SEC.13. Amended by P.L.31-2014, SEC.1; P.L.239-2015, SEC.2.