Testing Bill Heads Back To House

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Senators want more work on a bill that would force the state Department of Education to relaunch a contract competition to pick state standardized tests with rules that would benefit the ACT organization.

House and Senate negotiators tacked the language onto House Bill 434, a must-pass bill that transfers money in the budget. Senators sent the bill back for more work after House members passed it Tuesday.

Local school superintendents have supported Iowa-based ACT as Mississippi’s test provider. This year, Mississippi is using a test written by Pearson PLC for a multistate group.

ACT dropped out of Mississippi’s contract competition because it objected to some state requirements, including a third-party study proving ACT’s tests align with Mississippi’s Common Core-linked curriculum.

The bill removes that and other requirements ACT opposed.