Bill > H451

This bill proposes to pause the implementation or use of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, commonly known as PARCC, a standardized test. Specifically, it prevents the department of elementary and secondary education from using PARCC for determining if students meet graduation requirements or for evaluating the performance of schools and districts. Before PARCC can be used for these purposes, the commissioner of the department must provide the state legislature with a detailed assessment of all associated costs, including those for developing and implementing the test, professional development, technology upgrades, data management, and maintaining student confidentiality. The commissioner is also required to hold at least four public hearings across different regions of the state to gather input from parents, teachers, and administrators, and must provide a summary of these hearings. Preliminary findings from this assessment are due to legislative committees by June 1, 2015, with a final report and recommendations due by September 1, 2015.