Section 161.855 - Work groups to convene, members, recommendations - state board to adopt and implement standards, when - pilot assessments - certain persons performing work to be employees of the district1. By October 1, 2014, the state board of education shall convene work groups composed of education professionals to develop and recommend academic performance standards. The work groups shall be composed of individuals as provided in section 160.514. The state board of education and the work groups shall follow the procedures and conduct the public hearings required by section 160.514. The state board of education shall convene separate work groups for the following subject areas: English language arts; mathematics; science; and history and governments. For each of these four subject areas, the state board of education shall convene two separate work groups, one work group for grades kindergarten through five and another work group for grades six through twelve.2. The work groups shall develop and recommend academic performance standards to the state board of education by October 1, 2015. The work groups shall report on their progress in developing the academic performance standards to the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives on a monthly basis.3. The state board of education shall adopt and implement academic performance standards beginning in the 2016-17 school year. The state board of education shall align the statewide assessment system to the academic performance standards as needed.4. The department of elementary and secondary education shall pilot assessments from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium during the 2014-15 school year. Notwithstanding any rules adopted by the state board of education or the department of elementary and secondary education in place on August 28, 2014, for the 2014-15 school year, and at any time the state board of education or the department of elementary and secondary education implements a new statewide assessment system, develops new academic performance standards, or makes changes to the Missouri school improvement program, the first year of such statewide assessment system and performance indicators shall be utilized as a pilot year for the purposes of calculating a district's annual performance report under the Missouri school improvement program. The results of a statewide pilot shall not be used to lower a public school district's accreditation or for a teacher's evaluation.5. Any person performing work for a school district or charter school for which teacher certification or administrator certification is regularly required under the laws relating to the certification of teachers or administrators shall be an employee of the school district or charter school. All evaluations of any such person shall be maintained in the teacher's or administrator's personnel file and shall not be shared with any state or federal agency.Added by 2014 Mo. Laws, HB 1490,s A, eff. 8/28/2014.