Committee approves substitute renaming assessment program, shifting grades and adding benchmark schedule

The Senate Education Committee agreed to a committee substitute for Senate Bill 912 that renames the statewide assessment program and revises which grade levels are covered and how growth is measured.

The substitute renames the Comprehensive Statewide Student Assessment Program as the Comprehensive Statewide Student Growth Assessment Program and changes the applicable grades from 3–12 to 4–12. For grades 4–8 the substitute requires the program to be composed of benchmark assessments administered in the first 30 days of the school year, repeated at midyear, and at the end of the school year to measure student progression in reading and mathematics. Counsel also noted the substitute removes obsolete language referring to a code section being repealed by another bill.

There were no amendments offered during the committee discussion and the committee agreed to the substitute. The vice chair moved that the committee substitute be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass; the chair declared the motion adopted.

What happens next: The substitute will be reported to the full Senate for further consideration.