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Committee approves measure letting ESA students take alternative nationally norm‑referenced tests
Summary
The subcommittee voted to let students in the Education Savings Account program use the TCAP or a nationally norm‑referenced achievement test, with members debating comparability of results and safeguards for accountability.
The K‑12 Subcommittee adopted an amendment and approved HB 1881, a bill that would let students using Education Savings Accounts take the state TCAP or a nationally norm‑referenced standardized test.
Opponents argued that allowing alternate tests would undermine direct comparisons between public and private options; Representative Mackenzie called it "changing the whole thing" and urged the committee not to abandon side‑by‑side comparisons. Sponsor Chairman Slater said the change is about alignment: private schools may use different curricula and should be able to select a test aligned to their instruction. Representative Watt noted that private schools receiving funds must be accredited as tier 1–3 and said those authorization safeguards provide a check on quality. After debate the committee approved the bill and sent it to full Education (5 ayes, 2 noes, 1 present not voting).
Members asked that authorization and accountability safeguards be monitored as the bill moves forward. The committee record shows active disagreement about whether the state test should remain the single comparative measure, with members on both sides emphasizing data and accountability.
