Innovative assessment pilot program; appropriations
The bill requires that the new assessments provide timely results, enabling educators to adjust their instructional methods effectively. It is intended for students in grades three through nine and encompasses critical subjects such as English language arts, reading, and mathematics. Schools operated by either school districts or charter management organizations are eligible to apply for participation on a voluntary basis. Each year, the state board is tasked with expanding the program, ultimately aiming for a diverse representation of urban, suburban, and rural schools by the final year of the pilot.
House Bill 2074 establishes an innovative assessment pilot program in Arizona that is set to span three school years: 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026. The goal of the program is to explore the use of interim innovative assessments that could potentially replace the traditional statewide summative assessments currently in use. The state board of education is mandated to conduct this pilot program and will issue a request for proposals to find a qualified provider who can deliver assessments that are aligned with local educational structures and that accommodate various skill levels.
There is the potential for contention regarding the implementation of such innovative assessments, as they could challenge established testing protocols and raise questions about the reliability and comparability of results with traditional summative assessments. Another point of discussion may center around the equitable distribution of funds provided for the pilot, which allocates increasing amounts—$750,000 for the first year, up to $1,750,000 by the third year. This could lead to debates on how effectively these funds are utilized and whether the investments yield significant improvements in educational outcomes.