II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1025 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to clarify 

when certain academic assessments shall be administered. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 21, 2015 

Mr. TESTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 to clarify when certain academic assessments 

shall be administered. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Student Testing Im5 provement and Accountability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Elementary and Secondary Education 

9 Act of 1965 supports programs to level the playing 

10 field for the most vulnerable, including children of 

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1 poverty, students with disabilities, and English lan2 guage learners. 

3 (2) Prior to 2001, Federal law required States 

4 only to test students once per grade span. 

5 (3) Following the enactment of the No Child 

6 Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–110), 

7 which amended the Elementary and Secondary Edu8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), Fed9 eral education policy has placed an increased empha10 sis on testing assessments, requiring students to un11 dergo standardized testing every year in grades 3 

12 through 8. 

13 (4) Reducing the frequency of federally required 

14 testing will allow more time for student learning and 

15 inspire their natural curiosity and creativity. 

16 (5) Students will have more time to receive one17 on-one instruction and develop critical thinking and 

18 problem-solving skills through a well-rounded edu19 cation and curriculum. 

20 (6) Moving away from the practice of annually 

21 ‘‘teaching to the test’’ will empower educators to 

22 provide instruction in a way that best inspires and 

23 prepares our Nation’s next generation of leaders. 

24 (7) With grade span testing, our educators will 

25 be more able to focus on those students who are 

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1 most in need but who also lose the most class time 

2 preparing for annual tests. 

3 (8) Grade span testing will allow States the 

4 flexibility to develop more meaningful, tailored as5 sessment systems that provide valid, reliable data. 

6 (9) The yearly testing currently required by 

7 Federal law should be replaced with grade span test8 ing. 

9 SEC. 3. ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS. 

10 Section 1111(b)(3)(C) of the Elementary and Sec11 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)(C)) 

12 is amended— 

13 (1) in clause (v)(I)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘except as otherwise pro15 vided for grades 3 through 8 under clause vii,’’; 

16 and 

17 (B) by inserting ‘‘and the achievement of 

18 students against the challenging State academic 

19 content and student academic achievement 

20 standards’’ after ‘‘proficiency of students’’; 

21 (2) by striking clause (vii); and 

22 (3) in clause (viii), by striking ‘‘, (vi), (vii)’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘and (vi)’’. 

Æ 

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