I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1601 

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

when certain academic assessments shall be administered. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2017 

Ms. SINEMA (for herself and Mr. ZELDIN) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

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 supports programs to level the playing field for 

10 the most vulnerable, including children of poverty, 


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1 students with disabilities, and English-language 

2 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, which amended the Ele7 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 

8 Federal education policy has placed an increased 

9 emphasis on testing assessments, requiring students 

10 to undergo standardized testing every year in grades 

11 3 through 8. 

12 (4) Annual Federal testing required by the Ele13 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 has 

14 failed to deliver increased student achievement. 

15 (5) Reducing the frequency of federally required 

16 testing will allow more time for student learning and 

17 inspire their natural curiosity and creativity. 

18 (6) Students will have more time to receive one19 on-one instruction and develop critical thinking and 

20 problem-solving skills through a well-rounded edu21 cation and curriculum. 

22 (7) Moving away from the practice of annually 

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

24 provide instruction in a way that best inspires and 

25 prepares our country’s next generation of leaders. 


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1 (8) With grade span testing, our educators will 

2 be more able to focus on those students who are 

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

4 preparing for annual tests. 

5 (9) Grade span testing will allow States the 

6 flexibility to develop more meaningful, tailored as7 sessment systems that provide valid, reliable data. 

8 (10) The yearly testing currently required by 

9 Federal law should be replaced with grade span test10 ing. 

11 SEC. 3. ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS. 

12 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 1111(b)(2)(B)(v)(I) of 

13 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(v)), as amended by the Every Stu15 dent Succeeds Act (Public Law 114–95), is amended to 

16 read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(v)(I) in the case of mathematics 

18 and reading or language arts, be adminis19 tered not less than once during— 

20 ‘‘(aa) grades 3 through 5; 

21 ‘‘(bb) grades 6 through 9; and 

22 ‘‘(cc) grades 10 through 12;’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

2 subsection (a) shall take effect as if enacted on August 

3 2, 2016, and as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act. 

Æ 


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