relative to school assessments of statewide academic areas.

This bill clarifies that the state's standardized testing program will only cover reading and language arts, mathematics, and science, while leaving history, government, geography, civics, and economics as required subjects to be taught but assessed locally. Under the new rules, local school boards must ensure their own tests for these non-tested subjects align with state standards and local learning goals. The legislation also specifies that statewide exams should focus on measuring student understanding of key concepts and skills rather than broad content coverage. These changes take effect on August 13, 2024, and directly impact how schools in the state evaluate student performance in various academic areas.