It’s been dubbed “the opt-out bill.”
But some members of the Senate say that’s a mis-nomer.
The bill allows parents to keep their children from taking certain assessment tests. But Sen. Donald Schiable says under the Senate version, students will still have to take tests required for graduation – like the ACT, the Work Keys Test and the new Civics Test.
"The ACTs and the Work Keys Assessments are required for our scholarships program, and are the primary grade on how our students are doing," said Schiable. "We've been proud to say that we test all of our students. Not all states do that."
Sen. Ole Larson (R-Minot) says it isn’t an “opt out” bill – it’s an “opt in” bill, because it still requires students to take those required tests.
"And then there's discussion saying, 'Oh we're not going to do the Smarter Balance thing, we're not going to be required to take that test," said Larson. "If we used to be able to skip the ACT test, and now we have to, who's going to say that we're not going to be taking Smarter Balance three or four years or sessions from now?"
The bill passed 31 to 15. It goes back to the House for consideration of Senate amendments.
