U.S. Rep. Steve Israel from New York is joining with 13 Long Island superintendents to spearhead a federal legislation that "could reduce the number of standardized tests taken by students in grades three to eight," said an article in the Times Beacon Record Newspapers' Election 2013 section.

The legislation, called the "Tackling Excessive Standardized Testing Act," or TEST, would "give states the option of choosing an alternative testing schedule that would allow kids in grades three through eight to only take one standardized test per year - English language arts in grades three, five and seven, and math in grades four, six and eight,” said a statement from Israel’s office.

"While some testing is essential to ensure that our students are actually learning what is being taught, I share the same concerns as many of our local superintendents and parents," Israel said in a statement. "We're over testing our students and stifling their creativity."

The act is currently being drafted by the House of Representatives’ Office of the Legislative Counsel, said Samantha Slater, the congressman’s communications director.

"Other elements of the bill, the article said, “include allowing top-performing schools to administer tests less frequently. Schools that rank in the top 15 percent in the state on all the ELA or math tests would be permitted to move to a four-year testing cycle.They must also have a 75 percent passing rate based on the raw scores.”

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Article by KassondraEducationWorld Contributor