Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act

Bill: 115-hr-1601
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ-9]
Introduced: 2017-03-17
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments

Elementary and secondary education

Language arts
Latest action: action_date: 2017-03-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-03-17
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act</strong></p> <p>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. </p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1601 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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act . 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. 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.