Committee advances bill to cut annual statewide assessments; lawmakers debate instructional value and parental notification

The Joint Finance Committee advanced a joint favorable substitute for House Bill 7011, which would change the schedule of Connecticut statewide assessments and postpone implementation until 2026. Sponsors said the measure returns Connecticut to a pre-No Child Left Behind testing cadence (fourth, sixth and eighth grades instead of annual tests in grades 3 through 8) and would reduce time spent on state testing in classrooms.

Supporters argued that annual statewide summative tests provide data too late to drive classroom instruction and that teachers use local interim assessments to guide real-time instruction. Representative Weylander and other backers said reducing required state tests would free instructional time while retaining local formative assessments.

Opponents, including Senator Fazio and Representative Haynes, said statewide assessments are necessary to measure progress, enforce accountability and drive interventions. Representative Haynes also pressed for earlier reading checks and voiced concern about delaying a statewide reading measure tied to Right to Read interventions. Sponsors said parents will receive assessment results under the substitute and that the administration could pursue federal waivers if required by federal policy.

The committee recorded and seconded the motion; a roll call followed and committee votes were held open by the clerk.