From the ECS State Policy Database Assessment--High Stakes/Competency

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary LA Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 Student Assessment and Statewide Standards H.B. 707 Relates to the Louisiana Competency-Based Education Program and the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program. Provides greater clarity to the definition of state content standards. Indicates that criterion-referenced tests will be replaced by standards-based a... More... AZ Signed into law 08/2008 P-12 Assessment Task Force H.B. 2211 Creates a seven-member Task Force on the Arizona Assessment of Achievements Test with members drawn from diverse urban and rural areas who are to be appointed by the State Board of Education. Requires the Task Force to (a) examine the experiences and outcomes... More... CA Proposed Rule COMMENT DEADLINE: 05/07/2007 Rule Adoption 12/2007 P-12 HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAMINATION Title 5 CCR Sec(s) 1200, 1202, 1204, 1204.5, 1205, 1207, 1207.1,1207.2, 1207.5, 1209, 1210, 1211, 1211.5, 1215, 1215.5, 1216, 1217, 1218, 1219,1225 Introduces a fee for local educational agencies (LEA) that order excessive test materials, requires LEAs to submit unlisted accommodations and modifications to Department of Education (CDE) for review and approval, requires charter schools to annually designat... More... CA Vetoed 10/2007 P-12 Exit exams S.B. 123 Requires a school district or state special school to grant a diploma to a pupil with a disability who is scheduled to graduate in a specified year, that has not passed the high school exit examination, has not received a exam waiver, and meets specified crite... More... CA Vetoed 10/2007 P-12 Assessments, Exit Exams A.B. 144 Requires the Department of Education to provide the mathematics portion of the high school exit examination to the Franklin-McKinley School District for administration to pupils enrolled in grade 8 on the dated designated for the administration of that portion... More... MN Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 State Assessment System H.F. 2245 [High School Assessment] Amends state's high school assessment system. Phases out MCA II's and phases in Graduation Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) exam. Establishes achievement levels necessary for passge of exam. (Sections 10 + 36) http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbi... More... VA Signed into law 03/2007 P-12 Standards, Assessment, Professional Development & Code of Conduct Updates S.B. 795 Provides for the phasing out of the eighth grade cumulative history test in the 2007-2008 school year, and the implementation of the United States History to 1877, United States History: 1877 to the Present, and Civics and Economics tests in the 2008-2009 scho... More... AK Adopted 12/2006 P-12 Passing Scores 4 AAC 06.739, .755 Amend rules to the Department of Education and Early Development,dealing with 10th grade standards based assessments. Repeals and readopts new 10th grade proficiency scores in reading, writing and mathematics. Establishes new cut scores for the High School Gra... More... MI Signed into law 05/2005 P-12 Provisions in original MEAP authorizing statute relating to administration of state assessment program H.B. 4142 AN ACT to amend 1970 PA 38, entitled "An act to provide for assessment and remedial assistance programs of students in reading, mathematics and vocational education," by amending section 2 (MCL 388.1082) http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/bille... More... NV Adopted 05/2005 P-12 High School Proficiency Examinations NAC 389.027, .051, .056, .058, .061, .071 Amends provisions governing high school proficiency examinations. NEVADA REG 3705 (SN)... More... OK Signed into law 05/2005 P-12 Achieving Classroom Excellence Task Force S.B. 982, Section 4 Section 4 creates the Achieving Classroom Excellence Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to study the testing requirements for eighth-grade students and high school students. The task force is to study, hold public hearings, and make recommendations ... More... MI Signed into law 12/2004 P-12 Education Assessment Program H.B. 6230 Amends the State School Aid Act of 1979; provides that the Michigan Education Assessment Program tests shall be administered during the last 90 school days, instead of the last 30 school days, of grade 11. http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=get... More... MI Signed into law 10/2004 P-12 Timing of High School MEAP Tests H.B. 6231 Revises the School Code; provides that the Michigan Education Assessment Program tests be administered to pupils during the last 90 days, other than the las 30 days, of grade 11. http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=2004-HB-6231... More... CA Vetoed 09/2004 P-12 High School Remediation Funding Flexibility Program A.B. 2647 Establishes the High School Remediation Funding Flexibility Program for the purpose of providing funding flexibility for remediation instruction for high school pupils in grades 9 to 12 who are at risk of not passing the high school exit examination. Provides ... More... NY Vetoed 09/2004 Postsec. Student Admission Minimum Standardized Test Score A.B. 7143 Precludes the use of a minimum standardized test cut-off score for student admission to or rejection by the State University of New York and City University of New York; permits overall assessment of student qualifications for admission, including consideratio... More... IL Signed into law 08/2004 P-12 Prairie State Achievement Exam S.B. 2769 Amends the School Code. Provides that no student shall receive a regular diploma without taking the Prairie State Achievement Exam. Provides exceptions. http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=093-0857... More... TX Rule Adoption 07/2004 P-12 Texas Success Initiative 19 TAC 1.4.C.4.54 Amends rules concerning exemption from the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative. Exempts high school students who achieve certain standards on the Mathematics and/or English/Language Arts sections of the exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Ski... More... LA Vetoed 07/2004 P-12 Certificates of Attendance H.B. 740 Provides for the awarding of certificates of attendance by the board of elementary and secondary education to any public high school student who fails to pass the graduation exit exam but has completed all required coursework and all other graduation requireme... More... DE Signed into law 05/2004 P-12 High School Diploma Issuance S.B. 285 Requires the Department of Education to award diplomas based on current rules and regulations for students who graduate in 2004; allows the national panel of experts to examine the performance levels and math cut scores of the Student Testing Program and deter... More... FL Signed by Governor 05/2004 P-12 Postsec. Accelerated High School Graduation, High Stakes Testing, Reading Deficiencies S.B. 364 Revises course requirements in college & career preparatory accelerated high school graduation program; amends requirements for grade point average that must be earned; establishes requirements for selection of accelerated graduation options; authorizes SAT & ... More... WA Signed into law 03/2004 P-12 State Assessment Standards H.B. 2195 1) The high school assessment system shall include but need not be limited to the Washington assessment of student learning, opportunities for a student to retake the content areas of the assessment in which the student was not successful, and if approved by t... More... AL Adopted 03/2004 P-12 Alternate Requirements for Students Failing Exit Test AAC 290-3-1-.02 Allows high schools to confer the High School Diploma on students with disabilities who have failed a subject area test of the Graduation Exam in the area in which they have a disability(s), using alternate requirements for/instead of assessment in conjunction... More... AL Emergency Rule Adoption 03/2004 P-12 Student Assessment Required for High School Diploma AAC 290-4-2-.02 Allows students with disabilities who fail one portion of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam and meet certain other criteria to receive the Alabama High School Diploma. http://www.alabamaadministrativecode.state.al.us/UpdatedMonthly/VolXXIIN6/p189.htm#T1... More... MS Rule Adoption 03/2004 P-12 Graduation Requirements and Exit Examinations THF-1 Revises rules regarding graduation requirements and exit examinations. MISSISSIPPI REG 9026 (SN)... More... TX Rule Adoption 11/2003 P-12 Program Services and Educational Programs 37 TAC 3.91.B.91.41, 91.43 Amends rules relating to basic education. Clarifies that commission youth are administered state educational assessments required to complete a high school diploma. TEXAS REG 90170 (SN)... More... CA Signed into law 10/2003 P-12 Special Education High School Exit Examination S.B. 964 Requires the superintendent of public instruction to develop a request for a proposal for an independent consultant to assess options and provide recommendations for alternatives to the high school exit examination for pupils with disabilities to be eligible f... More... TX Adopted 09/2003 P-12 Performance Standards 19TAC §101.23 & 101.33 Requires the state board to determine the level of performance considered to be satisfactory on the assessment instruments. Sets the "commended" and "met" standards based on spring 2003 operational test forms. The adopted amendment to §101.23 incorporates into... More... TX Rule Adoption 09/2003 P-12 Development and Administration of Tests 19 TAC 101.23, .33 §101.23. Performance Standards. (a)  Except as otherwise provided by the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Subchapter B, the State Board of Education (SBOE) shall determine the level of performance considered to be satisfactory on the assessment instrume... More... IL Signed into law 08/2003 P-12 Student Assessment H.B. 2352 Makes provisions regarding state goals and assessments. Provides for student testing and limits maximum time allowed for all state testing in grades 3 through 8 not to exceed 38 (instead of 40) hours across those grades.Makes changes regarding testing time and... More... MA Rule Adoption 07/2003 P-12 Standards for Competency Determination on MCAS 603 CMR 30.03 Students in the graduating class of 2003 shall meet or exceed the Needs Improvement threshold scaled score of 220 on both the English Language Arts and the Mathematics MCAS grade 10 tests in order to satisfy the requirements of the Competency Determination. Th... More... CT Signed into law 06/2003 P-12 Student Assessment S.B. 1093 § 1 Revises statutes to allow student scores on grade 10 mastery exams to be added to the student's permanent record and transcipt for a student who meets or exceeds the state-wide mastery goal level for any component of the exam; students passing componets of the... More... NC Signed into law 06/2003 P-12 School Competency Test H.B. 801 Modifies the state competency testing program to ensure that high school students who do not pass the competency test are given an opportunity to take an alternative test. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2003/Bills/House/PDF/H801v4.pdf... More... FL Signed into law 06/2003 P-12 High School Graduation H.B. 23 Provides learning opportunities for out-of-state and out-of- country transfer students and students needing additional instruction to meet high school graduation requirements; provides requirements for certain transfer students; provides for alternate assessme... More... NV Signed into law 06/2003 P-12 High School Exit Examination Component S.B. 1 (Omnibus Bill) Addresses the mathematics portion of the high school proficiency exam. A passing score on this exam is required for Nevada students to obtain a high school diploma. The bill requires the Department of Education to reset the passing score in accordance with a... More... TX to governor 06/2003 P-12 Personal Graduation Plans S.B. 1108 (Section 28.0212) Requires the principal or other staff to identify each student who (1) hasn't performed well on assessments; (2) is not likely to receive a diploma before the fifth year of high school and then develop a graduation plan for each student that (1) identifies edu... More... TX Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Reciprocity Agreements H.B. 591 To facilitate the transfer of military personnel and their dependents to and from the public schools of this state, the agency is required to pursue reciprocity agreements with other states governing the terms of those transfers. Reciprocity agreement must pe... More... MN Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Profile of Learning, High School Graduation Requirements, NCLB-Compliant Testing System, State Standards H.F. 302 (multiple provisions) Effective the 2003-04 school year and later, bars the state education commissioner from implementing the profile of learning portion of the state's results-oriented graduation rule, or classroom assessments that schools must use. Replaces references to "result... More... MN Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Postsec. Commissioner Recommendation Required on Provisions of State High School Tests H.F. 302 (multiple provisions) Effective the day after enactment, requires the commissioner to provide written recommendations to the committees of the legislature having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education policy and budget issues by February 1, 2004, that: (1) identi... More... WA Emergency Rule Adoption 04/2003 P-12 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) WAC 180-51-063 Establishes emergency rules to indicate notation on the high school transcript regarding the secondary Washington assessment of student learning (WASL) results. WASHINGTON REG 21518 (SN)... More... MI Signed into law 12/2002 P-12 Protocol for Notification of Suspected Irregularities in MEAP Testing or Preparation H.B. 5049 Requires the department of treasury or any other state agency which suspects irregularities in the administration of or the preparation of pupils for, a Michigan Education Assessment Program test, not to report the irregularities to any person or entity not in... More... AK Adopted 12/2002 P-12 High School Graduation Examinations 4 AAC 06.755 Requires every sophomore to take the high school graduation exam. Juniors who have failed must be retested at least once each school year on the portions of the exam that they have not yet passed. On their school reports, high schools must state the number a... More... AL Adopted 10/2002 P-12 Student Assessment Required for Alabama High School AAC 290-4-2-.02 Establishes rules amending the current rule by delaying implementation of the social studies subject- area test of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam by one year. ALABAMA REG 5859 (SN)... More... CA Vetoed 09/2002 P-12 Data on Exam Failure Rates S.B. 1408 Requires the governing board of each school district that grants a diploma of graduation from high school annually to compile the number of pupils who participate in certain programs, by grade level, who attempted and failed any part of the high school exit ex... More... CA Signed into law 09/2002 P-12 Longitudinal Achievement Data S.B. 1453 Requires the State Department of Education to contract for the development or proposals that will provide for the retention and analysis of longitudinal pupil achievement data on the Standardized Testing and Reporting and English Language Development tests and... More... CA Vetoed 09/2002 P-12 Exit Exam Prep Class A.B. 1794 Authorizes a school district that offers adult education to offer a program, course, or class of supplemental instruction in preparation for the high school exit examination exclusively to persons who complete grade 11 and fail the high school exit examination... More... CA Vetoed 09/2002 P-12 Alternate assessments for exit examination for individuals with disabilities A.B. 2600 Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the advisory committee established by this bill to develop guidelines regarding the method and content of alternate assessments to the high school exit examination for those individuals with disabilities wh... More... CA Signed into law 09/2002 P-12 Changes/Clarifications in the exit exam system S.B. 1476 Provides that language arts, with respect to the high school exit exam, refers to English language arts. Requires a school principal, to submit a request for a waiver of the requirement to successfully pass the high school exit examination to the governing boa... More... UT Signed into law 07/2002 P-12 Status of 10th Grade Competency Test H.B. 5007E Modifies the State System of Public Education by extending for one year the pilot status of the tenth grade basic skills competency test.... More... FL Signed into law 06/2002 P-12 Education Code Re-Write: Assessment Cutoff Scores, Accommodations S.B. 20E Grandfathers in the scores of 10th-graders who took the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in spring 2001. Requires that when state board sets higher cutoff scores for 10th-grade FCAT, higher cutoff scores affect only those students who have not yet ... More... TN Signed into law 05/2002 P-12 Exit Exam H.B. 2897 Makes the single exit exam prior to high school graduation optional instead of mandatory; requires results be shared with legislative oversight committee on education. - Amends Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 60.... More... OH Signed into law 11/2001 P-12 Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) Provision S.B. 1 Delays the requirement for students to pass all five tests to receive a high school diploma from the class of 2001 to the class of 2007. Provides an alternative graduation requirement for students who pass all of the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) except for one... More... CA Signed into law 09/2001 P-12 High School Exit Exam A.B. 1609 Specifies that 2000-01 school year is the only year in which ninth-graders may take the high school exit examination. Creates new section requiring the state superintendent to contract for an independent study regarding the requirement of passage of the high s... More... DE Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 Changes in the States Assessment System S.B. 106 This piece of legislation makes adjustments in the states High Stakes assessment system. These changes include looking at measures other than state test scores to determine if students are up to standards. In addition it changes the titles of the state's dif... More... AK Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 2 Year Transition for the High School Grad. Requirement S.B. 133 Relates to a 2 year transition for implementation of the public high school competency examination; establishes an essential skills examination as a high school graduation requirement; provides for an effective date.... More... WA Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 Delays Assessments S.B. 5686 Delays assessments timelines in areas other than reading and math.... More... NV Signed into law 06/2001 P-12 Assessments, National Board Certification, Professional Development S.B. 3A Relates to achievement and proficiency examinations administered in public schools; revises provisions governing the increase of salary for a teacher who is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; requires school districts to creat... More... IN Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Accountability System S.B. 165 Eliminates language that defined "expected [school] performance level" by student attendance rates, remediation rates, assessment scores and graduation rates; replaces it with definition of "student performance improvement level" which refers to "improvement i... More... NV Signed into law 05/2001 P-12 Informational Pamphlet on the High School Proficiency Examiniation A.B. 318 Requires the department to develop an informational pamphlet concerning the high school proficiency examination; requires boards of each school district to provide a copy to each junior high, middle school or high school within the school district for posting.... More... CO Signed into law 03/2001 P-12 CSAP Test Results H.B. 1196 Allows local school districts to review the writing portion of a student's Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) test in order to help improve that student's writing skills.... More... OK Signed into law 05/2000 P-12 Assessment S.B. 491 Modifies the Oklahoma School Testing Program by administering a norm-referenced test in the third-grade beginning with the 2000-2001 school year to continue until the third-grade criterion-referenced test (CRT) is implemented. Field testing of the third grade... More... DE Signed into law 05/2000 P-12 Professional Development and Educator Accountability Act S.B. 260 Creates the Professional Development and Educator Accountability Act. Beginning in 2002, at least 20% of educator's performance evaluation will be tied to student improvement -- teachers and administrators who fail to measure up can be dismissed. Establishes m... More... MN Signed into law 05/2000 P-12 Profiles of Learning S.F. 3286 Amends the Profile of Learning. Highlights: Allows districts to phase in the number of content standards required of students for graduation; empowers teachers to participate in the decision about student standard requirements; allows districts to permit this... More...