ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
nationally
standardized tests; public view
Purpose
Exempts from public records law any nationally standardized test administered to Arizona pupils under specified conditions, and requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules to allow parents and the general public to view the 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 a policy relating to the public viewing of the state’s criterion-referenced Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test, the adopted rules relating to the Stanford 9 test do not specifically address public viewing requirements. S.B. 1135 requires the State Board of Education to adopt such rules.
Additionally, the bill 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 bill.
Provisions
1. Exempts from public records laws a nationally standardized student test administered to Arizona pupils and specified documentation or materials related to the test when the test is both copyrighted and would be deprived of value if the test content is known to pupils before test administration.
2. Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules, including the following, allowing parents of pupils and the general public to view the nationally standardized norm-referenced test:
a) The rules must include procedures that prohibit pupils from viewing the test before the test is administered to those pupils.
b) The rules must prohibit the duplication or photocopying of the nationally standardized norm-referenced test.
c) The rules must prohibit any other activities that violate federal copyright protection to the copyright holders of both the tests and related testing materials.
3. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
January 23, 2002