Video & Transcript Research : 'standardized tests'
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TX
Transcript Highlights:
- , or excuse me, testing the standards.
- We're about to spend $50 million on more standardized testing.
- So the STAR test is designed to do four things. It is designed to test state standards.
- It's really the only test that is exclusively designed to test state standards.
- It is designed to test state standards.
Bills:
HB8
Keywords:
HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround
Summary:
The House Committee on Public Education met to hear House Bill 8, which would replace STAAR with a new assessment and accountability system beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The chair described the bill as reducing testing time, limiting benchmark tests, adding beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments, requiring faster score turnaround, involving Texas teachers in test development, and tightening accountability timelines and transparency rules. Members also discussed provisions on A-F ratings, cut scores, CCMR, local accountability plans, and TEA reporting requirements.
Committee members and invited witnesses split sharply on the bill’s approach. Supporters, including the chair, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, and Ed Trust’s Nicholas Munyon Penny, argued the bill would reduce high-stakes pressure, provide quicker and more actionable data, limit over-testing, and better align assessments to Texas standards while preserving criterion-referenced accountability. They said the new system would help teachers and parents intervene sooner and would improve transparency, including parent access to student responses and automatic rescoring in some writing cases.
Opponents, including Rep. Hinojosa and student witness Ella Moran, argued the bill still increases testing and replaces one high-stakes test with multiple TEA-created tests. Moran testified that STAAR creates anxiety, disrupts instruction, and does not reflect real learning, while Hinojosa said the House had previously passed a better bill based on a nationally norm-referenced model and criticized the new proposal as a concession to the Senate. Questions also focused on AI scoring of writing, rescoring rates, and whether the bill’s new accountability rules would be reliable and fair. The committee did not take a final vote during the portion provided, but the chair said a vote on HB 8 would be called after public testimony later in the day.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- , or excuse me, testing the standards.
- So, you can lower the state's standards and then we will no longer test that question.
- We're about to spend $50 million on more standard... Testing.
- So the STAAR test is designed... to do four things. It is designed to test state standards.
- It's really the only test that is exclusively designed to test state standards.
Bills:
HB8
Keywords:
HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- refle standardized tests aren't always refle standardized tests aren't always refle accurate<00:13
- <00:14:01.519>
tests attest to this um standardized tests attest to this um standardized tests - <01:05:32.440>
testing assessment standardized testing assessment standardized testing currently - their standardized tests by penalizing their standardized tests by penalizing their school<01:18:
- <01:21:13.320>
could standardized test scores sure you could standardized test scores sure
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- as more testing.
- I like to refer to it as the only standard because it is the only test that's available to compare states
- I like to refer to it as the only standard because it is the only test that's available to compare states
- they're testing and testing and testing, and I understand what we're asking as a state.
- It's just they find themselves in the proverbial loop of testing, testing, testing for their students
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Pre-K through 12 Education received a Department of Education presentation from Deputy Commissioner Juan Copa on Florida’s K-12 assessment system, including FAST progress monitoring, end-of-course exams, science, writing, alternate assessments, English language acquisition testing, and VPK progress monitoring. Copa reported year-over-year gains in ELA and mathematics, noted that end-of-course and science results also improved, and explained how assessment data are used for school grades, third-grade promotion, graduation requirements, and other accountability measures. He also reviewed the independent study required by SB 1048, which recommended keeping PM3 as the primary accountability measure, proceeding cautiously on further test-length reductions and remote testing expansion, and using PM1/PM2 only as supplemental evidence in limited cases.
Committee members focused on whether the new system is improving student outcomes enough, what supports teachers and schools need to use the data effectively, and how Florida compares nationally. Chancellor Dr. Burns said the department is emphasizing implementation of the new standards, high-quality instructional materials, coaching, professional learning, collaboration, and school improvement support, and also pointed to resiliency education standards and mental health supports. Copa said Florida’s latest NAEP results remain mixed but still generally outperform the nation in some grades, while members pressed for more information on best practices, other states’ approaches, and how districts are using the data.
Several members requested follow-up information, including the independent review report, breakdowns of PM1/PM2/PM3 results by grade and subgroup, details on VPK outcomes by provider type and full-day versus half-day programs, and data on use of the CLT versus SAT/ACT for graduation concordant scores. The committee also discussed third-grade retention outcomes, computer-based testing, district assessment calendars, and whether some districts still administer additional local testing. No votes were taken on legislation, and the meeting adjourned after Senator Davis moved to adjourn.
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
Education Pre-K - 12 Feb 11th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- The test.
- They sought as more testing.
- I like to refer to it as the only standard because it is the only test that's available to compare states
- in the testing testing testing.
- It's just they find themselves in the proverbial loop of of testing testing testing for their students
WY
AR
Arkansas 2026 1st Special Session
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE AND HOUSE Feb 3rd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Well, they're testing relatively over the same standards all these years.
- Well, they're testing relatively over the same standards all these years.
- I mean, we, those different tests, whether there's AC. relatively over the same standards all these years
- What year did we test? Was that... I don't think we tested in '21. We did not test in 2020. Okay.
- What year did we test? Was that, I don't think we tested in 21. We did not test in 2020. Okay.
Summary:
The committee received a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability, and achievement as part of the adequacy study. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act, the 2003 Quality Education Act, and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required course offerings, graduation requirements, career and technical education pathways, and recent additions such as success-ready pathways, Arkansas history, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a comparative chart showing how the laws and requirements changed over time, and staff agreed to provide one.
The presentation then turned to the federal ESSA plan and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained the state’s long-term goals for 2030, including 80% proficiency in ELA and math, 52% of English learners on track to English proficiency, and 94%/97% four- and five-year graduation rates. They reviewed 2025 assessment results showing proficiency rates generally in the 30s, with English learners and students with disabilities performing lowest and white students highest. They also discussed school support and improvement categories, equitable access to educators, and report card/public reporting requirements, noting that some ESSA-related measures such as the school index, equity labs, and certain 2024 report card data were not currently available or not being calculated. Members questioned whether those ESSA commitments were being met and asked staff to follow up with DESE, including whether the legislature can revise the ESSA plan.
The committee also reviewed the Arkansas Accountability Act and related assessment data. Staff described the Atlas assessment system, alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities, ELPA 21 for English learners, ACT results, and NAEP comparisons. They reported that no student group met the 80% proficiency goal in 2025, Arkansas’s ACT composite score declined slightly over time, and Arkansas generally trailed national and SREB averages on NAEP. Members asked for additional data, including historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. The meeting ended with agreement to invite the Department of Education to a future meeting to answer questions about missing data, equity labs, report cards, and ESSA compliance.
WI
Wisconsin 2026 1st Special Session
Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency Apr 15th, 2026
Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency
Transcript Highlights:
- What role did the testing vendor play in designing and conducting the standard-setting process?
- I'm going to give my colleagues a chance to ask some questions. ...standardized testing anymore.
- And second of all, why standard setting and looking at test questions, reviewing whether this test is
- testing at the same time we have... ...working with DPI on standardized testing.
- Superintendent Underly struggled to interpret the implications of new test score standards.
AR
Arkansas 2026 Regular Session
EDUCATION COMMITTEE - SENATE AND HOUSE Feb 3rd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Well, they're testing relatively over the same standards all these years.
- Well, they're testing relatively over the same standards all these years.
- I mean, we, those different tests, whether there's AC. relatively over the same standards all these years
- What year did we test? I don't think we tested in '21. We did not test in 2020.
- was that i don't think we tested in 21 we did not test in 2020 okay did test in 2021 okay so so would
Summary:
The committee received a lengthy Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability systems, and adequacy requirements. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act through the 2003 Quality Education Act and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required coursework, standards for accreditation, career and technical education, graduation requirements, and recent additions such as computer science, personal finance, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a chart comparing the major laws and repeals over time, and staff agreed to provide one.
The presentation then turned to federal ESSA requirements and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained Arkansas’s long-term goals for proficiency, English learner progress, and graduation rates, and reported 2025 ATLAS proficiency results, which remained below the 80% goal across student groups. They also reviewed English learner progress, graduation rates, school support and improvement, and equitable access to educators. Data showed gaps by subgroup and by school poverty/minority concentration, with Title I and high-poverty schools more likely to have emergency/provisional teachers and less experienced staff. Members questioned the lack of recent data for some ESSA measures, including equity labs and school index calculations, and asked staff to follow up with the Department of Education.
The committee also discussed NAEP results, ACT scores, and teacher quality measures under the state accountability act. Arkansas’s NAEP performance remained below national averages in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, and ACT composite scores and benchmark attainment were also reviewed. Members asked for additional information on historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. No formal votes were taken; the main action was agreement to request additional information from DESE and to schedule department follow-up at a future meeting.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- How hard was your test to become licensed? It was rigorous. TCEQ set those standards.
- Regular testing is essential to maintain these standards.
- On testing and licensing, or on water standards? Water standards.
- And where we have equal standards for testing, equal standards for protection, but we've just decided
- Okay, so the test for you all to meet those standards is not just that it meets a drinking water standard
Keywords:
water filtration, public drinking water, health and safety, well maintenance, water quality, Edwards Aquifer, water conservation, reclaimed water, aquifer storage, environmental protection, public utility agency, dissolution, local government, regulatory framework, municipal authority, Texas Water Bank, Texas Water Trust, water rights, water banking, instream flow
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Members, we do have a resource witness from the TCEQ on test and licensing and water standards.
- On testing and licensing or on water standards? our standards. Chair calls Michelle Risco.
- standards?
- So, I mean, is that a situation that we're in where we have equal standards for testing, equal standards
- So the, the test for y'all to meet those standards is not just that it meets the drinking water standard
Keywords:
water filtration, public drinking water, health and safety, well maintenance, water quality, Edwards Aquifer, water conservation, reclaimed water, aquifer storage, environmental protection, public utility agency, dissolution, local government, regulatory framework, municipal authority, Texas Water Bank, Texas Water Trust, water rights, water banking, instream flow
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee (4-14-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- Professional testing standards require that optometric licensure exams be validated for the purpose of
- Professional testing standards require that optometric licensure exams be validated for the purpose of
- The current testing standards provided by the MBO...
- And this is our gold standard for test delivery. K5010. Um, as you've heard from NBEO and K5010.
- And this is our gold standard for test delivery.
Keywords:
0:22 – Roll Call
0:30 – Approval of minutes
1:04 – Department of Veterans Affairs
2:06 – Board of Pharmacy
3:20 – Board of Optometric Examiners
39:26 – Board of Nursing
40:07 – Board of Emergency Medical Services
41:52 – Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
44:36 – Transportation Cabinet: Department of Vehicle Registration
45:36 – Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
47:00 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Medicaid Services
49:59 – Cabinet for Health & Family Services: Department for Community-Based Services, 958, all
Summary:
The subcommittee approved the minutes from the previous meeting and then took up several regulations. The first was a Department of Veterans Affairs regulation, with a staff amendment, to allow nurse practitioners to apply for the Veterans Affairs nurse loan repayment program year-round and to make technical drafting changes. The committee heard from the Office of Kentucky Veteran Centers, then adopted the staff amendment and approved the regulation without objection.
The main item of the meeting was the Board of Optometric Examiners’ proposed amendment to 201 KAR 5:010, which would allow applicants to use the Optometry Examining Board of Canada written exam in place of part one of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry exam for licensure. The board said the change would improve access to care, provide an additional pathway for Canadian-trained candidates, and still require applicants to pass the remaining national board parts. Opponents, including NBEO officials, ARBO, Pearson VUE, and several optometrists, argued the Canadian exam is not equivalent, does not test the same biomedical science content, is not validated for U.S. scope of practice, and raises concerns about test security, transparency, and portability across states. They urged the committee to find the amendment deficient or vote no.
Committee members questioned both sides about prior communication with the board, whether Kentucky would be the first state to adopt such a change, the rationale for the proposal, and the cost difference between the exams. Supporters said the board had received some written comments and one phone call, and that the proposal was driven by access concerns and the presence of Canadian students. Opponents said they had not had direct discussions with the Kentucky board before the hearing. No final vote on the optometry regulation is reflected in the transcript excerpt, but the committee heard extensive testimony and rebuttal before moving on.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- has to be a test that assesses the state standards that are set by the state.
- Whatever test you use has to test your state's standards.
- Normative or criterion is the way you grade the test, not what standards the test is based on.
- So if I teach the standards as a teacher and I have a test over those standards, am I teaching to the
- So the STAAR test, or any standardized test, in your opinion, doesn't really assess that?
Bills:
HB8
Keywords:
HB 8, Texas public school accountability, school accountability, public school transparency, STAAR, state assessments, instructionally supportive assessment program, Student Success Tool, Texas Education Agency, TEA, accountability ratings, A-F ratings, through-year assessment, benchmark testing, norm-referenced assessment, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plan, school district performance, campus turnaround
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- These are tests from the 90s.
- The EPA has set standards.
- So did you test for PFOS or anything like that? Did we test? Well, I guess...
- Then came the test results.
- Testing? As far as they, we haven't done our own testing.
Keywords:
hydrogen sulfide, public health, environmental regulation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, ground level concentrations, emissions limit, emissions limits, ground-level concentrations, air quality, PFAS, agriculture, environmental protection, health risks, criminal offense, chemical regulation, preproduction plastic, water quality, pollution control, industrial waste, emissions
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- Right now, there are no consistent or enforceable standards for how smoke damage should be tested.
- smoke testing and restoration while statewide standards are being finalized.
- Today, California has no enforceable statewide standards for testing or remediation of smoke damage.
- As a result, Statewide standards for testing or remediation of smoke damage.
- Sequencing and genetic testing are becoming a standard part of clinical care.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
- Standards assessments or is it a general standardized test assessment that you're really wanting to look
- and state standard testing is.
- To implement our state standards or just to have a standardized test to go over this is just to obtain
- They would just be required to take the test, not to Implement any certain standards.
- , standardized testing.
Bills:
SB683, SB1579, SB1389, SB1387, SB1390, SB1391, SB2063, SB1829, SB2060, SB1842, SB1398, SB1212, SB2158, SB102
Keywords:
education, tax credit, student support, private school, Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit, financial assistance, homeschooling, qualified expenses, property tax, valuation increase, taxpayer rights, homestead, protest process, school choice, tuition assistance, income limits, parental choice, accreditation, sales tax, motor vehicles
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- I think what I'm hearing is the proficiency standard is the problem, the testing, the putting one more
- I think what I'm hearing is the proficiency standard is the problem, the testing, the putting one more
- Members, I just want to point out that the bill itself does not call for standardized testing.
- I do not want to have additional standardized testing associated with...
- I do not want to have additional standardized testing associated with cursive writing.
Summary:
The Education and Employment Committee heard and passed HB 921, which adds cursive writing to required instruction for grades 2 through 5 and requires students to demonstrate proficiency by the end of fifth grade. The bill sponsor argued cursive is important for historical literacy, everyday signatures, and possible early identification of learning differences. Opponents and several members supported teaching cursive but objected to the testing/proficiency requirement, saying students and teachers are already overburdened and that reading cursive is not currently part of the standards. Some members also raised concerns about fairness to charter schools and the bill’s application only to public schools. Despite those concerns, the bill passed 21-0 and was reported favorable.
The committee then took up PCS for HB 1405, a major rewrite of Florida’s juvenile prevention and truancy statutes in Chapter 984, covering children in need of services/families in need of services. The bill updates definitions and procedures, strengthens truancy intervention, requires earlier and more detailed school reporting, adds parent involvement through child study teams, allows virtual participation, and sets review timelines for shelter placement. Sponsors said the goal is prevention and family support rather than punishment, with court involvement only after school-based intervention. Members asked about school compliance, court capacity, parent accountability, and whether all counties have child study teams; the sponsors said the bill expects CSTs in every school and can escalate cases to court and, if needed, to prosecutors for noncompliant parents.
Public testimony on the juvenile justice bill was supportive, including from the Department of Juvenile Justice, youth services groups, and juvenile justice advocates. In debate, members praised the modernization effort and the emphasis on early intervention and family participation, while also noting the bill’s size and suggesting further attention to attendance thresholds. The PCS for HB 1405 was then approved unanimously and reported favorable. The committee adjourned after completing its agenda.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (01/29/2026)
Education Policy and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- and that's because the state test is tied to those standards and so they want to ensure that they're
- and that's because the state standards and that's because the state test<00:32:14.640>
is <00: - /c><00:32:16.320>
and <00:32:16.559>so test is tied to those standards and so test is tied - Um, you can take any statewide, uh, nationally standardized, norm-referenced test.
- nationally standardized norm reference test.<05:07:53.840>
If <05:07:54.000>you <05:07:54.240
Summary:
The committee held a hearing on House Bill 1571, which would direct the Department of Education to review and revise statewide academic standards and curriculum and make an appropriation. Representative Kristen Noble, the sponsor, said the bill is intended to update outdated standards, especially in math, and to have the department create a list of high-quality curriculum and materials aligned to the revised standards. She noted she would likely amend the bill to change a requirement that districts “shall” select from the list to “may,” and said a misplaced crossed-out section would need to be restored and moved by amendment. She also said assessments would need to be updated to match any new standards.
Testimony from Marie Banfield strongly supported the bill and the move away from a mandate, arguing that current standards are outdated and that Common Core and related standards have not improved student outcomes. She criticized the math standards for emphasizing multiple strategies and written explanations over computation, and said stronger standards would better support students, including those with learning or communication challenges. She also argued that New Hampshire should follow examples such as Massachusetts, which she said used rigorous standards successfully.
Nate Green of the Department of Education did not take a position on the bill but explained that the bill would affect statewide academic standards, state assessments, and potentially federal compliance. He distinguished academic standards from minimum standards in statute, said any standards revision would require work with content experts, State Board approval, and then a corresponding assessment update that could take about two years. He estimated assessment development costs could range from about $200,000 to $500,000 for minor revisions and $1 million to $2 million for a wholesale new set of standards. He also said the bill would apply to public and charter public schools, not private or homeschool students, and that the department does not currently provide a statewide list of curriculum materials because curriculum decisions have historically been local.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (01/29/2026)
Education Policy and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- , and that's because the state test is tied to those standards and so they want to ensure that they're
- and that's because the state standards and that's because the state test<00:32:14.640>
is <00: - /c><00:32:16.320>
and <00:32:16.559>so test is tied to those standards and so test is tied - Um, you can take any statewide, nationally standardized, norm-referenced test.
- nationally standardized norm reference test.<05:07:53.840>
If <05:07:54.000>you <05:07:54.240
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Legislative Oversight Committee for the Education Improvement Program (03/17/2026)
Transcript Highlights:
- > standardized testing, and raising all standardized testing, and raising all students<00:28:44.640><
- standards because you don't want to test standards because you don't want to test something<00:48
- one set of standards that you align your state test to.
- So you change math standards, you can't submit a social studies test, right?
- one set of standards that you align your state test to.
Summary:
The Legislative Oversight Committee met to review statewide education improvement and assessment issues under RSA 193-C:8-a, with the chair focusing on curriculum frameworks, academic standards, and resource elements tied to the state’s adequate education statutes. The chair walked through the statutory relationship between minimum standards for public school approval, academic standards, and local control of curriculum, noting that New Hampshire law requires curriculum frameworks to guide what students should know and be able to do while leaving districts flexibility in instruction. He also raised concerns that some subject areas appear to have current frameworks or standards while others do not, and suggested the committee may need to consider an amendment creating a curriculum frameworks and academic standards coordinator at the Department of Education.
Nate Green, director of the Division of Education Analytics and Resources, explained that the terms “academic standards” and “curriculum frameworks” have evolved over time and are often used interchangeably, but can mean different things depending on the subject area. He said the state’s more prescriptive standards largely developed after No Child Left Behind, especially in math, ELA, and science, while older or less-tested subjects such as arts, physical education, and health often retained looser framework-style documents. Green outlined one possible approach of standardizing terminology, but also said New Hampshire could instead define curriculum frameworks separately as a combination of standards, curriculum, and instructional approaches. He emphasized that state standards must support statewide consistency and assessment, while local districts retain control over how they teach.
Committee members discussed how these distinctions affect different grade levels and subjects, using examples from math and science to show that minimum standards are broad while academic standards are more specific and grade-level based. Green described how science standards are organized by physical science, life science, and earth/space science across grade bands, while math standards are more directly tied to individual grades. No votes were taken and no formal action was reported during this portion of the meeting; the discussion remained informational and exploratory as members considered whether statutory language or departmental organization should be updated.