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Utah House advances HB 177 to broaden student assessments, lawmakers spar over testing costs
Summary
House Bill 177, the product of an interim task force, would add constructed-response items and mandated writing assessments in grades 6 and 9, expand subgroup reporting and require annual reviews; sponsors said it aims to improve accountability, while critics warned of increased testing time and a $7 million price tag.
House Bill 177, a five-year plan to change how Utah measures student learning, drew extensive debate on the House floor Thursday as sponsors argued the bill will provide more valid assessments and opponents warned of costs and time lost to testing.
Representative Rowan, sponsor of HB 177, described the measure as the culmination of a task force that logged roughly 70–75 hours of meetings and multiple public hearings. "No child should be left behind," Rowan said, framing the proposal as an effort to make assessment data that teachers and parents can use to improve instruction. The bill would add constructed-response items to criterion-referenced tests and create a direct writing assessment, mandated in grades 6 and 9.
The measure also directs the State Office of Education to adopt rules for disaggregating test…
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