House Bills 4157 and 4158, introduced as a paired pilot, would give districts the opportunity to test alternative summative and growth models for standardized assessments. Representative Green described the bills as an opportunity to pilot test models that measure growth while retaining comparative summative results. "So this offers an opportunity to have a pilot program, so it's not mandatory, but it's a pilot program that we can explore different types of testing ... and that children are only tested 3 times a year instead of having all these testing, done and especially that huge monster at the end of the year," Green told the committee.

Sponsors said the pilot would be voluntary and that districts chosen for pilots could be exempted from the current M-STEP administration while still meeting federal summative-test requirements. When asked if states need U.S. Department of Education permission to change tests, sponsors answered no, provided the replacement meets federal summative criteria. "No. As long as we are meeting the federal requirements for what they're asking for for standardized testing, ... we can conduct it however we want," a sponsor said.

Committee members also pressed on operational details. Representative Burns asked whether the bill’s statutory requirement to deliver results within 14 days referred to business days or calendar days; sponsors said they would accept an amendment to clarify the timeframe. Members also asked whether tests would include essays (which take longer to score) and whether a 14-day turnaround is feasible; sponsors said scoring decisions would be left to hired test developers and that the pilot structure was intended to shorten the long delays districts currently experience in receiving results.

The committee discussed concerns about double-testing. A member asked whether students in pilot districts would be double-tested if M-STEP remains required; sponsors said the bill exempts pilot students from M-STEP during trials because the pilot tests would meet federal summative requirements.

Ending: Committee members asked sponsors to clarify the 14-day results deadline and to consult with test developers about what scoring types (essay vs. multiple choice) are feasible within the proposed turnaround.