ARIZONA STATE SENATE

RESEARCH STAFF

KIMBERLY J. YEE

LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 542-3171

Facsimile: (602) 542-7833

TO: MEMBERS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

DATE: March 7, 2001

SUBJECT: Strike Everything Amendment to S.B. 1096 (hazing; educational institutions; prohibition) relating to nationally standardized tests; public viewing

Purpose

Exempts from public records laws the state’s nationally standardized test under specified conditions, and requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules to allow parents and the general public to view the state’s nationally standardized test.

Background

State law requires the State Board of Education to adopt and implement a nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement test that measures skills in the subject areas of reading, language arts and mathematics. Nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement tests are designed to measure student performance compared to students in the same grade in other states. Currently, Arizona administers the nationally norm-referenced Stanford 9 achievement test.

While the State Board of Education has adopted rules relating to the public viewing of the state’s criterion-referenced Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test, the rules do not address public viewing requirements related to the Stanford 9 test. The strike everything amendment to S.B. 1096 requires the State Board of Education to adopt such rules.

Additionally, the strike everything amendment exempts the Stanford 9 and other nationally standardized student tests and related materials administered in the state from being subject to public records laws. States such as Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Kentucky have similar state regulations related to public viewing exemptions of nationally norm-referenced achievement tests.

There is no discernable fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this amendment.

Provisions

1. Exempts from public records laws specified documentation or materials associated with a nationally standardized student test in Arizona if the test is both copyrighted and will be deprived of value if the test content is known to pupils before administration of the test.

2. Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules that allow parents of pupils and the general public to view the statewide nationally standardized norm-referenced test.

(a) Requires the rules to include procedures that prohibit pupils from viewing the test and the secure form of the test before the test is administered to those pupils.

(b) Requires the rules to prohibit the duplication or photocopying of both the nationally standardized norm-referenced test or the secure form of that test.

(c) Requires the rules to prohibit any other activities that violate the copyright protection afforded by federal law to the copyright holders of both the tests and related testing materials.

3. Provides for a general effective date.

KJY/jas