Title: Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act
This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reduce the required frequency of student achievement tests in mathematics and reading or language arts. Currently, students must be tested in those areas against state academic content and achievement standards in each of grades three through eight. This bill instead requires that those tests be administered at least once during: (1) grades 3 through 5, (2) grades 6 through 9, and (3) grades 10 through 12.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1601 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Student Testing Improvement and 
Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act supports 
        programs to level the playing field for the most vulnerable, 
        including children of poverty, students with disabilities, and 
        English-language learners.
            (2) Prior to 2001, Federal law required States only to test 
        students once per grade span.
            (3) Following the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act 
        of 2001, which amended the Elementary and Secondary Education 
        Act of 1965, Federal education policy has placed an increased 
        emphasis on testing assessments, requiring students to undergo 
        standardized testing every year in grades 3 through 8.
            (4) Annual Federal testing required by the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 has failed to deliver increased 
        student achievement.
            (5) Reducing the frequency of federally required testing 
        will allow more time for student learning and inspire their 
        natural curiosity and creativity.
            (6) Students will have more time to receive one-on-one 
        instruction and develop critical thinking and problem-solving 
        skills through a well-rounded education and curriculum.
            (7) Moving away from the practice of annually ``teaching to 
        the test'' will empower educators to provide instruction in a 
        way that best inspires and prepares our country's next 
        generation of leaders.
            (8) With grade span testing, our educators will be more 
        able to focus on those students who are most in need but who 
        also lose the most class time preparing for annual tests.
            (9) Grade span testing will allow States the flexibility to 
        develop more meaningful, tailored assessment systems that 
        provide valid, reliable data.
            (10) The yearly testing currently required by Federal law 
        should be replaced with grade span testing.

SEC. 3. ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS.

    (a) Amendment.--Section 1111(b)(2)(B)(v)(I) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(v)), as 
amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95), is 
amended to read as follows:
                            ``(v)(I) in the case of mathematics and 
                        reading or language arts, be administered not 
                        less than once during--
                                    ``(aa) grades 3 through 5;
                                    ``(bb) grades 6 through 9; and
                                    ``(cc) grades 10 through 12;''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect as if enacted on August 2, 2016, and as part of the Every 
Student Succeeds Act.
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