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House gives school districts option to use ACT in grade 11 instead of SAGE testing
Summary
Representative Polson’s HB200 passed the House after floor debate. The bill offers districts optional flexibility to administer the ACT in 11th grade as the year-end assessment instead of SAGE, a choice advocates said could reduce testing fatigue and increase student engagement; the bill passed and will be transmitted to the Senate.
Representative Polson presented House Bill 200 on the House floor as an optional change to statewide student-assessment practice. The bill would allow local education agencies to eliminate the year-end SAGE assessment and, at their discretion, administer the ACT in grade 11 as the college-readiness assessment required under federal ESSA flexibility.
Polson said the measure is optional for districts, not mandatory, and framed it as a response to widespread concern about excessive testing. Several members with education backgrounds, including a school counselor who spoke on the floor, supported the bill and said it could reduce testing fatigue and better engage students by aligning the assessment with a test that matters for college admissions. Representative Cutter warned the change could further weaken SAGE; supporters said teacher evaluation systems would still be maintained by other means.
The House voted and the transcript records HB200 passed (70 yes, 2 no). The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
