,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ehjg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #h1 #bjad  
,ms4 ,bonamici 7for herself and ,mr4    
,gerlach7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,education and the ,workforce  ,a      
,,bill  ,to amend the ,elementary and   
,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to  
award grants to ,states to improve      
delivery of high-quality assessments1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,support ,making ,assessments ,reliable 
and ,timely ,act or the ,,smart ,act4   
#b4 ,accountability ,subpart #a of part 
,a of title ,,vi of the ,elementary and 
,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj
 ,u4,s4,c4 #gcja et seq47 is amended to 
read as follows3  #faaa4 ,grants to     
improve delivery of high-quality        
assessments and for related activities  
7a7 ,in general ,from the amount        
reserved under section #faad7;b77#e7 and
 subject to subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 

of such section1 the ,secretary shall   
make grants by allocating funds in      
accordance with subsection 7b7 of this  
section to ,states to enable the ,states
 to--  7#a7 develop1 administer1 and    
further align ,state assessments        
required by section #aaaa7;b77#c7 to    
,state content standards required by    
section #aaaa7;b77#a72  7#b7 ensure the 
provision of appropriate accommodations 
as required by section                  
#aaaa7;b77#c77;,c77ix7 to students with 
limited ,english proficiency and        
students with disabilities to improve   
the rates of inclusion in ,state        
assessments of such students2  7#c7     
develop ,state assessment systems       
aligned to the ,state's content         
standards that support systems of       
continuous improvement2  7#d7 support   
local educational agencies in           
identifying uses of assessment data1    
which may include appropriate use of    
student assessment data as one of       
multiple measures of student learning   

for teacher and school leader           
performance and evaluation2 and  7#e7   
carry out the activities described in   
the report required under subsection    
7c74  7b7 ,allocation of funds ,from the
 amount reserved under section          
#faad7;b77#e71 each ,state shall receive
 an allocation for each fiscal year in  
an amount equal to--  7#a7 #d1jjj1jjj2  
and  7#b7 with respect to any amounts   
remaining after the allocation is made  
under paragraph 7#a71 an amount that    
bears the same relationship to such     
total remaining amounts as the number of
 students ages #e through #ag in the    
,state 7as determined by the ,secretary 
on the basis of the most recent         
satisfactory data7 bears to the total   
number of such students in all ,states4 
7c7 ,state report ,not later than #f    
months after a ,state receives a grant  
under this section1 the ,state shall1 in
 consultation with education            
stakeholders1 prepare and make          
publically available a report1 that     

explains how the ,state has used1 or    
will use1 the grant to--  7#a7 improve  
the quality and use of the ,state's     
assessment system1 including assessments
 not required by section #aaaa7;b77#c71 
and for related activities2  7#b7 ensure
 that all summative assessments that are
 used for accountability purposes are   
valid and reliable1 and consistent with 
relevant1 nationally recognized         
professional and technical standards2   
and  7#c7 improve the use of ,state     
assessment data by school leaders1      
educators1 and parents1 and for related 
activities1 such as--  7,a7             
disseminating the assessment data in an 
accessible and understandable format for
 educators1 parents1 and families2  7,b7
 decreasing time between administering  
such ,state assessments and releasing   
assessment data2  7,c7 supporting the   
dissemination of promising practices    
from local educational agencies that    
have successfully used assessment data  
to improve individual student and       

overall school performance2  7,d7       
identifying appropriate uses of         
assessment data1 which may include      
appropriate use of student assessment   
data as one of multiple measures of     
student learning for teacher and school 
leader performance and evaluation2 and  
7,e7 providing professional development 
on assessment and data literacy to      
teachers and school leaders1 including  
on the development and effective use of 
formative and classroom-based           
assessments aligned with ,state content 
standards4  #faab4 ,grants for          
assessment system alignment1 quality1   
and use  7a7 ,in general ,from the      
amount reserved under section           
#faad7;b77#c71 the ,secretary shall make
 grants to ,states to--  7#a7 in the    
case of a grant awarded under this      
section to a ,state for the first time--
  7,a7 carry out audits of ,state       
assessment systems and ensure that local
 educational agencies carry out audits  
of local assessments under subsection   

7e77#a72  7,b7 prepare and carry out the
 ,state plan under subsection 7e77#f72  
and  7,c7 award subgrants under         
subsection 7f72 and  7#b7 in the case of
 a grant awarded under this section to a
 ,state that has previously received a  
grant under this section--  7,a7 carry  
out the ,state plan under subsection    
7e77#f72 and  7,b7 award subgrants under
 subsection 7f74  7b7 ,minimum amount   
,each ,state with an approved           
application shall receive a grant amount
 of not less than #b1jjj1jjj4  7c7      
,reallocation ,if a ,state chooses not  
to apply to receive a grant under this  
subsection1 or if such ,state's         
application under subsection 7d7 is     
disapproved by the ,secretary1 the      
,secretary shall reallocate such grant  
amount to other ,states with approved   
applications4  7d7 ,application ,a      
,state desiring to receive a grant under
 this section shall submit an           
application to the ,secretary at such   
time1 in such manner1 and containing    

such information as the ,secretary may  
require4  7e7 ,audits of ,state         
assessment systems and local assessments
  7#a7 ,audit requirements ,not later   
than #a year after a ,state receives a  
grant under this section for the first  
time1 the ,state shall--  7,a7 conduct  
an audit of the ,state assessment       
system2  7,b7 ensure that each local    
educational agency under the ,state's   
jurisdiction and receiving funds under  
this ,act--  7i7 conducts an audit of   
each local assessment administered by   
the local educational agency2 and  7ii7 
submits the results of such audit to the
 ,state2 and  7,c7 report the results of
 each ,state and local educational      
agency audit conducted under            
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7--  7i7 in a 
publicly available format1 such as a    
widely accessible online platform2 and  
7ii7 with appropriate accessibility     
provisions for individuals with         
disabilities and individuals with       
limited ,english proficiency4  7#b7     

,resources for local educational        
agencies ,in carrying out paragraph     
7#a77;,b71 each ,state shall develop and
 provide local educational agencies with
 resources1 such as guidelines and      
protocols1 to assist the agencies in    
conducting and reporting the results of 
the audit required under such paragraph 
7#a77;,b74  7#c7 ,state assessment      
system description ,an audit of a ,state
 assessment system conducted under      
paragraph 7#a7 shall include a          
description of each ,state assessment   
carried out in the ,state1 including--  
7,a7 the grade and subject matter       
assessed2  7,b7 whether the assessment  
is required under section #aaaa7;b77#c72
  7,c7 the annual cost to the ,state    
educational agency involved in          
developing1 purchasing1 administering1  
and scoring the assessment2  7,d7 the   
purpose for which the assessment was    
designed and the purpose for which the  
assessment is used1 including           
assessments designed to contribute to   

systems of continuous improvement of    
teaching and learning2  7,e7 the time   
for disseminating assessment results2   
7,f7 a description of how the assessment
 is aligned with the ,state's content   
standards2  7,g7 a description of any   
,state law or regulation that           
established the requirement for the     
assessment2  7,h7 the schedule and      
calendar for all ,state assessments     
given2 and  7,i7 a description of the   
,state's policies for inclusion of      
students with limited ,english          
proficiency and students with           
disabilities4  7#d7 ,local assessment   
description ,an audit of a local        
assessment conducted under paragraph    
7#a7 shall include a description of the 
local assessment carried out by the     
local educational agency1 including--   
7,a7 the descriptions listed in         
subparagraphs 7,a71 7,d71 and 7,e7 of   
paragraph 7#c72  7,b7 the annual cost to
 the local educational agency of        
developing1 purchasing1 administering1  

and scoring the assessment2  7,c7 the   
extent to which the assessment is       
aligned to the ,state's content         
standards2  7,d7 a description of any   
,state or local law or regulation that  
establishes the requirement for the     
assessment2 and  7,e7 in the case of a  
summative assessment that is used for   
accountability purposes1 whether the    
assessment is valid and reliable and    
consistent with nationally recognized   
professional and technical standards4   
7#e7 ,stakeholder feedback ,each audit  
of a ,state assessment system or local  
assessment system conducted under       
subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 of paragraph  
7#a7 shall include feedback on such     
system from education stakeholders1     
which shall cover information such as-- 
7,a7 how educators and administrators   
use assessment data to improve and      
differentiate instruction2  7,b7 the    
timing of release of assessment data2   
7,c7 the extent to which assessment data
 is presented in an accessible and      

understandable format for educators1    
parents1 students1 if appropriate1 and  
the community2  7,d7 the opportunities1 
resources1 and training educators and   
administrators are given to review      
assessment results and make effective   
use of assessment data2  7,e7 the       
distribution of technological resources 
and personnel necessary to administer   
assessments2  7,f7 the amount of time   
educators spend on test preparation2    
7,g7 the assessments that               
administrators1 educators1 parents1 and 
students1 if appropriate1 do and do not 
find useful2  7,h7 the amount of time   
students spend taking the assessments2  
and  7,i7 other information as          
appropriate4  7#f7 ,state plan on audit 
findings  7,a7 ,preparing the ,state    
plan ,not later than #f months after a  
,state conducts an audit under paragraph
 7#a7 and based on the results of such  
audit1 the ,state shall1 in coordination
 with the local educational agencies    
under the jurisdiction of the ,state1   

prepare and submit to the ,secretary1 a 
plan to improve and streamline ,state   
assessment systems and local assessment 
systems1 including through activities   
such as--  7i7 eliminating any          
assessments that are not required by    
section #aaaa7;b77#c7 7such as by buying
 out the remainder of procurement       
contracts with assessment developers7   
and that--  7,i7 are low-quality2       
7,,ii7 not aligned to the ,state's      
content standards2  7,,iii7 in the case 
of summative assessments used for       
accountability purposes1 are not valid  
or reliable and are inconsistent with   
nationally recognized professional and  
technical standards2  7,,iv7 do not     
contribute to systems of continuous     
improvement for teaching and learning2  
or  7,v7 are redundant2  7ii7 supporting
 the dissemination of promising         
practices from local educational        
agencies or other ,states that have     
successfully improved assessment quality
 and efficiency to improve teaching and 

learning2  7iii7 supporting local       
educational agencies or consortia of    
local educational agencies to carry out 
efforts to streamline local assessment  
systems and implementing a regular      
process of review and evaluation of     
assessment use in local educational     
agencies2  7iv7 supporting appropriate  
uses of assessment data1 which may      
include appropriate use of student      
assessment data as one of multiple      
measures of student learning for teacher
 and school leader performance and      
evaluation2 and  7v7 providing          
professional development to teachers and
 school leaders on selecting and        
implementing formative assessments1     
designing classroom-based assessments1  
and assessment and data literacy4  7,b7 
,carry out the ,state plan ,a ,state    
shall carry out a ,state plan as soon as
 practicable after the ,state prepares  
such ,state plan under subparagraph 7,a7
 and during each grant period of a grant
 described in subsection 7a77#b7 that is

 awarded to the ,state4  7f7 ,subgrants 
to local educational agencies  7#a7 ,in 
general ,from the amount awarded to a   
,state under this section1 the ,state   
shall reserve not less than #bj percent 
of funds to make subgrants to local     
educational agencies in the ,state1 or a
 consortium of such local educational   
agencies1 based on demonstrated need in 
the agency's or consortium's application
 to improve assessment quality1 use1 and
 alignment with the ,state's content    
standards4  7#b7 ,local educational     
agency application ,each local          
educational agency1 or consortium of    
local educational agencies1 seeking a   
subgrant under this subsection shall    
submit an application to the ,state at  
such time1 in such manner1 and          
describing that agency's or consortium's
 needs to improve assessment quality1   
use1 and alignment 7as described in     
paragraph 7#a771 and such other         
information as determined by the ,state4
  7#c7 ,use of funds ,a subgrant awarded

 under this subsection to a local       
educational agency or consortium of such
 agencies may be used to--  7,a7 conduct
 an audit of local assessments under    
subsection 7e77#a77;,b72  7,b7 eliminate
 any assessments identified for         
elimination by such audit1 such as by   
buying out the remainder of procurement 
contracts with assessment developers2   
7,c7 disseminate the promising practices
 described in subsection 7e77#f77;,b72  
7,d7 improve the capacity of school     
leaders and educators to disseminate    
assessment data in an accessible and    
understandable format for parents and   
families1 including for individuals with
 disabilities or individuals with       
limited ,english proficiency2  7,e7     
support the appropriate use of          
assessment data1 which may include      
appropriate use of student assessment   
data as one of multiple measures of     
student learning for teacher and school 
leader performance and evaluation2  7,f7
 provide professional development to1   

and time for teacher collaboration on   
designing classroom-based assessments   
and improving assessments and data      
literacy for1 teachers and school       
leaders1 which may include providing    
additional planning time to analyze     
student and team data and designing     
instruction based on data analysis2     
7,g7 improve assessment delivery systems
 and schedules1 including by increasing 
access to technology and exam proctors1 
where appropriate2  7,h7 hire           
instructional coaches1 or promoting     
educators who may receive increased     
compensation to serve as instructional  
coaches1 to support educators to develop
 classroom-based assessments1 interpret 
assessment data1 and design instruction2
 and  7,i7 provide for appropriate      
assessment accommodations to maximize   
inclusion of students with disabilities 
and students with limited ,english      
proficiency1 including by providing the 
assessments described in section        
#aaaa7;b77#f74  #faac4 ,national        

activities ,from the amount reserved    
under section #faad7;b77#d71 the        
,secretary shall provide technical      
assistance to ,states to improve ,state 
understanding of existing flexibility in
 design and implementation of           
high-quality1 streamlined ,state        
assessment systems to meet the          
requirements of section #aaaa7;b77#c71  
including by--  7#a7 informing ,states  
of innovative designs in ,state         
assessment systems that meet the        
requirements of section #aaaa7;b77#c72  
7#b7 providing technical assistance to  
,states on including appropriate        
assessment design and accommodation     
strategies that meet the requirements of
 section #aaaa7;b77#c7 and provide for  
inclusion of all students in ,state     
assessments2  7#c7 providing technical  
assistance to ,states conducting audits 
of ,state assessment systems under      
section #faab7;e71 including by         
providing resources such as templates   
and guidelines for data collection and  

for making audit results publicly       
available2  7#d7 conducting             
,departmental review of existing        
regulation and guidance for any language
 that unnecessarily confuses or inhibits
 innovation and flexibility in          
assessment design and implementation1   
and making revisions where needed1      
consistent with the requirements of     
section #aaaa7;b77#c72  7#e7 collecting 
information on ,state development of new
 and innovative assessment systems that 
meet the requirements of section        
#aaaa7;b77#c72 and  7#f7 reporting on   
such new and innovative assessment      
systems to the ,committee on ,education 
and the ,workforce of the ,house of     
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and        
,pensions of the ,senate4  #faad4       
,funding  7a7 ,authorization of         
appropriations  7#a7 ,national          
assessment of educational progress ,for 
the purpose of administering the ,state 
assessments under the ,national         

,assessment of ,educational ,progress1  
there are authorized to be appropriated 
#gb1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjaf1 and  
such sums as may be necessary for each  
of the #e succeeding fiscal years4  7#b7
 ,state assessments and related         
activities ,for the purpose of carrying 
out this subpart1 there are authorized  
to be appropriated #fjj1jjj1jjj for     
fiscal year #bjaf1 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the #e         
succeeding fiscal years4  7b7           
,reservation of appropriated funds ,from
 amounts made available for each fiscal 
year under subsection 7a77#b71 the      
,secretary shall--  7#a7 reserve        
one-half of #a percent for the ,bureau  
of ,indian ,affairs2  7#b7 reserve      
one-half of #a percent for the outlying 
areas2  7#c7 reserve #bj percent to     
carry out section #faab2  7#d7 reserve  
#c percent to carry out section #faac2  
and  7#e7 reserve the remainder 7after  
reserving funds under paragraphs 7#a7   
through 7#d77 to carry out section      

#faaa1 except that--  7,a7 for any      
fiscal year for which the funds         
appropriated under subsection 7a77#b7 of
 this section are equal to or greater   
than #dej1jjj1jjj1 each ,state that     
receives a grant under section #faaa    
shall use the grant to carry out        
paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#e7 of section 
#faaa7;a72 and  7,b7 for any fiscal year
 for which the funds appropriated under 
subsection 7a77#b7 of this section are  
less than #dej1jjj1jjj1 each ,state that
 receives a grant under section #faaa   
shall only be required to use the grant 
to carry out paragraphs 7#a7 through    
7#c7 of section #faaa7;a74  #faae4      
,definitions ,in this subpart3  7#a7    
,local assessment ,the term local       
assessment means an academic assessment 
carried out by a local educational      
agency that is separate from an         
assessment required by section          
#aaaa7;b77#c74  7#b7 ,state ,the term   
,state means each of the #ej ,states1   
the ,district of ,columbia1 and the     

,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico4  4