WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a push by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today unanimously passed an education bill that includes a pilot program he and other lawmakers, including Senator Susan Collins, advocated for granting states greater flexibility related to federal testing requirements.

“This education bill is a victory for teachers and school leaders across America who want nothing more than the federal government to be a partner in the classroom, rather than a roadblock,” Senator King said. “This pilot program is an important step in moving away from high-stakes, one-size-fits-all testing regimes towards innovative assessment models that focus on the individual needs of learners and help set up students to achieve success. I look forward to continuing to strengthen the bill as it heads to the Senate floor.”

The program, which passed by a vote of 22-0 as part of a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), would allow states like Maine greater flexibility to develop and test out proficiency-based assessment systems in lieu of federally-mandated statewide tests. Senator Collins helped improve the provision with an amendment during the Committee’s markup. Maine has been a leader in advancing a proficiency-based education model, a fact which Senator King witnessed firsthand last month when he visited several Portland-area schools and held a roundtable with school administrators and teachers. As the state and local school districts work to develop and implement new assessment models, Senator King urged the HELP Committee to validate their efforts in the ESEA reauthorization.

The bill now heads to the Senate floor where Senator King plans to work with his colleagues to ensure that eligible states are able to take advantage of this opportunity to pilot innovative assessment systems.

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