HB2032 - Statewide assessment; testing window; revisions

Senate Engrossed House Bill statewide assessment; testing window; revisions State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026 CHAPTER 75 HOUSE BILL 2032 AN ACT amending sections 15-701, 15-741, 15-742 and 15-743, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school assessment and accountability. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 15-701, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 15-701. Common schools; promotions; requirements; certificate; supervision of eighth grades by superintendent of high school district; high school admissions; academic credit; definition A. The state board of education shall: 1. Prescribe a minimum course of study incorporating the academic standards adopted by the state board of education to be taught in the common schools. 2. Prescribe competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the eighth grade and competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the third grade that incorporate the academic standards in at least the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. The competency requirements for the promotion of pupils from the third grade shall include the following: (a) A requirement that a pupil not be promoted from the third grade if the pupil obtains a score on the reading portion of the statewide assessment that does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills as established by the state board. A pupil may not be retained pursuant to this subdivision if data regarding the pupil's performance on the statewide assessment is not available before the end of the current academic year and may not be retained more than once. A pupil who is not retained due to the unavailability of test data and who obtains a score on the reading portion of the statewide assessment that does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills must receive evidence-based intervention and remedial strategies pursuant to subdivision (c) of this paragraph if the third grade assessment data subsequently does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills . (b) A mechanism to allow a school district governing board or charter school governing body to promote from the third grade a pupil who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills pursuant to subdivision (a) of this paragraph if the pupil: (i) Is an English learner or a limited English proficient student as defined in section 15-751 and has had fewer than three years of English language instruction. (ii) Is in the process of a special education referral or evaluation for placement in special education, has been diagnosed as having a significant reading impairment, including dyslexia, or is a child with a disability as defined in section 15-761 if the pupil's individualized education program team and the pupil's parent or guardian agree that promotion is appropriate based on the pupil's individualized education program. (iii) Has demonstrated or subsequently demonstrates sufficient reading skills or adequate progress toward sufficient reading skills of the third grade reading standards as evidenced through a collection of reading assessments approved by the state board of education, which includes an alternative standardized reading assessment approved by the state board. (iv) Receives intervention and remedial services during the summer or a subsequent school year pursuant to subdivision (c) of this paragraph and demonstrates sufficient progress based on guidelines issued pursuant to subsection B, paragraph 7 of this section. (c) Evidence-based intervention and remedial strategies developed by the state board of education for pupils who are not promoted from the third grade. A school district governing board or charter school governing body shall offer more than one of the intervention and remedial strategies developed by the state board of education. The parent or guardian of a pupil who is not promoted from the third grade and the pupil's teacher and principal may choose the most appropriate intervention and remedial strategies that will be provided to that pupil. The intervention and remedial strategies developed by the state board of education shall include: (i) A requirement that the pupil be assigned for evidence-based reading instruction by a different teacher who was designated in that teacher's most recent performance evaluation in one of the top two performance classifications. (ii) Summer school reading instruction. (iii) In the next academic year, intensive reading instruction that occurs before, during or after the regular school day, or any combination of before, during and after the regular school day. (iv) Small group and teacher-led evidence-based reading instruction, which may include computer-based or online reading instruction. (d) A requirement that a school district governing board or charter school governing body that promotes a pupil pursuant to subdivision (b) of this paragraph provide annual reporting to the department of education on or before October 1 that includes information on the total number of pupils subject to the retention provisions of subdivision (a) of this paragraph, the total number of students promoted pursuant to subdivision (b) of this paragraph, the total number of pupils retained in grade three and the interventions administered pursuant to subdivision (c) of this paragraph. 3. Provide for universal screening of pupils in preschool programs, kindergarten programs and grades one through three that is designed to identify pupils who have reading deficiencies pursuant to section 15-704. 4. Develop evidence-based intervention and remedial strategies pursuant to paragraph 2, subdivision (c) of this subsection for pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three who are identified as having reading deficiencies pursuant to section 15-704. 5. Distribute guidelines for the school districts to follow in prescribing criteria for the promotion of pupils from grade to grade in the common schools. These guidelines shall include recommended procedures for ensuring that the cultural background of a pupil is taken into consideration when criteria for promotion are being applied. B. School districts and charter schools shall provide annual written notification to parents of pupils in kindergarten programs and first, second and third grades that a pupil who does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills pursuant to subsection A of this section will not be promoted from the third grade. School districts and charter schools shall identify each pupil who is at risk of reading below grade level in kindergarten and grades one, two and three and shall provide to the parent of that pupil a specific written notification of the reading deficiency within three weeks after identifying the reading deficiency. The notification shall include the following information: 1. A description of the pupil's specific individual needs. 2. A description of the current reading services provided to the pupil. 3. A description of the available supplemental instructional services and supporting programs that are designed to remediate reading deficiencies. Each school district or charter school shall offer more than one evidence-based intervention strategy and more than one remedial strategy developed by the state board of education for pupils with reading deficiencies. The notification shall list the intervention and remedial strategies offered and shall instruct the parent to choose, in consultation with the pupil's teacher, the most appropriate strategies to be provided and implemented for that child. 4. Parental strategies to assist the pupil to attain reading proficiency. 5. The frequency with which the school district or charter school will provide timely updates and information to the parent on the pupil's progress toward reading proficiency. 6. A statement that the pupil will not be promoted from the third grade if the pupil does not demonstrate sufficient reading skills pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision (a) of this section, unless the pupil is exempt from mandatory retention in grade three or the pupil qualifies for an exemption pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2, subdivision (b) of this section. 7. A description of the school district or charter school policies on midyear promotion to a higher grade. C. Pursuant to the guidelines that the state board of education distributes, the governing board of a school district shall: 1. Prescribe curricula that include the academic standards in the required subject areas pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section. 2. Prescribe criteria for the promotion of pupils from grade to grade in the common schools in the school district. These criteria shall include accomplishment of the academic standards in at least reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies, as determined by district assessment. Other criteria may include additional measures of academic achievement and attendance. D. The governing board may prescribe the course of study and competency requirements for promotion that are in addition to or higher than the course of study and competency requirements the state board prescribes. E. A teacher shall determine whether to promote or retain a pupil in a grade in a common school on the basis of the prescribed criteria. The governing board, if it reviews the decision of a teacher to promote or retain a pupil in a grade in a common school as provided in section 15-342, paragraph 11, shall base its decision on the prescribed criteria. F. A governing board may provide and issue certificates of promotion to pupils whom it promotes from the eighth grade of a common school. Such certificates shall be signed by the principal or superintendent of schools. If there is no principal or superintendent of schools, the certificates shall be signed by an eighth grade teacher. The certificates shall admit the holders to any high school in this state. G. Within any high school district or union high school district, the superintendent of the high school district shall supervise the work of the eighth grade of all schools that do not employ a superintendent or principal. H. A school district shall not deny a pupil who is between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years admission to a high school because the pupil does not hold an eighth grade certificate. Governing boards shall establish procedures for determining the admissibility of pupils who are under sixteen years of age and who do not hold eighth grade certificates. I. The state board of education shall adopt rules to allow common school pupils who can demonstrate competency in a particular academic course or subject to obtain academic credit for the course or subject without enrolling in the course or subject. J. A school district may conduct a ceremony to honor pupils who have been promoted from the eighth grade. K. For the purposes of this section, "dyslexia" means a condition that: 1. Is neurological in origin. 2. Is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities, including difficulties that typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and to the provision of effective classroom instruction. 3. May include secondary consequences such as problems with reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that may impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Section 15-741, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 15-741. Assessment of pupils; definition A. The state board of education shall: 1. Adopt rules for the purposes of this article pursuant to title 41, chapter 6. 2. Adopt and implement a statewide assessment to measure pupil achievement of the state board-adopted academic standards in reading, writing and mathematics in at least four grades designated by the state board. The state board shall determine the manner of implementation. The state board may administer assessments of the academic standards in social studies and science, except that a pupil shall not be required to meet or exceed the social studies or science standards measured by the statewide assessment. 3. Ensure that the tests prescribed in this section are uniform throughout this state. 4. Ensure that the tests prescribed in this section are able to be scored in an objective manner and are not intended to advocate any sectarian, partisan or denominational viewpoint. 5. Ensure that the tests prescribed in this article collect only types of pupil nontest data that are approved by the state board at a public meeting and published on the website of the state board pursuant to paragraph 7 of this subsection. 6. Include within its budget all costs pertaining to the tests prescribed in this article. If sufficient monies are appropriated, the state board may provide achievement test services to school districts that request assistance in testing pupils in grades additional to those required by this section. 7. Survey teachers, principals and superintendents on achievement-related nontest indicators, including information on graduation rates by ethnicity and dropout rates by ethnicity for each grade level. Before the survey, the state board shall approve at a public meeting the nontest indicators on which data will be collected and shall post in a prominent position on the home page of the state board's website a link to the nontest indicators entitled "What nontest data does the state of Arizona collect about Arizona pupils?". The linked webpage shall state the types of data collected, the reasons for the collection of the data and the entities with which the data is shared. In conducting the survey and collecting data, the state board shall not violate the provisions of the family educational rights and privacy act (P.L. 93-380), as amended, or disclose personally identifiable information. 8. Establish a fair and consistent method and standard by which test scores from schools in a district may be evaluated taking into consideration demographic data. The state board shall establish intervention strategies to assist schools with scores below the acceptable standard. The state board shall annually review district and school scores and shall offer assistance to school districts in analyzing data and implementing intervention strategies. The state board shall use the adopted test and methods of data evaluation for a period of at least ten years. 9. Participate in other assessments that provide national comparisons as needed. 10. Require in the contract for the statewide assessment pursuant to this section that test scores and assessment data from the third grade reading portion of the statewide assessment adopted pursuant to this section be received by local educa [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]