Suspend State Assessments In 2020-21 School Year

The bill suspends the administration of state assessments, contingent on a change to federal law or a waiver of federal law from the federal department of education, for the following instructional areas for the 2020-21 school year:

• Science administered to students enrolled in grades 5, 8, and 11;
• Math administered to students enrolled in grades 3 through 8;
• English language arts administered to students enrolled in grades 3 through 8; and
• Social studies administered to students enrolled in grades 4 and 7.

The bill prohibits a school district from using student academic growth measures or student performance measures when evaluating teachers and principals for the 2020-21 school year.

The bill requires a school or a school district to implement the school plan type that was assigned in the preceding school year. The bill requires the department of education, in determining the number of school years that a school or school district is on performance watch, to exclude the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, and count the 2021-22 school year as if it were consecutive to the 2018-19 school year.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)