SB 915, as amended, Hill. Standardized testing: inadequate or improper test conditions.
Existing law imposes various requirements on a testbegin delete sponsor orend deletebegin insert sponsor, also known as aend insert testbegin delete agencyend deletebegin insert agency,end insert with respect to the administration of standardized tests for purposes of postsecondary education. Existing law provides that a test sponsor that intentionally violates these provisions is liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $750 for each violation. Existing law provides that these requirements do not apply to instances where the cancellation of all test scores results from the complete disruption
of the administration of the test, such as by natural disasters, national emergencies, inadequate or improper test conditions, answer sheet printing errors, or testing agency errors.
This bill wouldbegin delete require,end deletebegin insert require a test agency,end insert where there has been a complaint or a notice of inadequate or improper test conditions relating to an administration ofbegin delete theend deletebegin insert anend insert Advanced Placement test,begin delete the test agencyend delete to immediately initiate an investigation. The bill would require the school in charge of the test site to
cooperate with the test agency’s investigation by providing information requested by the test agency, as specified. If the test agencybegin insert, upon completing the investigation,end insert determines that the inadequate or improper test conditions will prevent it from reporting valid test scores, the bill would require thebegin delete school in charge of the test siteend deletebegin insert test agency to immediately notify the school in charge of the test site of the decision and the school to notify the affected test subjects of the decision within 2 business days, andend insert to provide all affected test subjects with at least 5 business days’ prior notice of an opportunity to retest. The bill would require such a retest to be administered within 30 calendar days of the
completion of the investigation.
The bill would requirebegin delete testend delete proctorsbegin delete of an administration of theend deletebegin insert administering anend insert Advanced Placement test to create a seating chart, including the seat location of each test subject, for each Advanced Placement test administered at the test site. The bill would further require the school in charge of the test site to retain and preserve each such seating chart for at leastbegin delete 2 yearsend deletebegin insert one yearend insert after the administration of the Advanced Placement test to which that seating chart
applies. The bill would require the school in charge of the test site to submit these seating charts to the test agency upon its request to assist with its investigation of a complaint or notice of inadequate or improper test conditions.
A violation of these requirements would subject a test sponsor to the civil penalty referenced above.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 99160.5 is added to the Education Code,
2to read:
(a) begin deleteTheend deletebegin insert Aend insert test agency shall immediately initiate an
4investigation upon learning of a complaint or a notice of inadequate
5or improper test conditions relating to an administration ofbegin delete theend deletebegin insert anend insert
6 Advanced Placement test. In order to expedite the investigation
7and ensure a timely resolution, the school in charge of the test site
8shall cooperate with the test agency’s investigation by providing
9
information requested by the test agency withinbegin delete seven calendarend delete
10begin insert
five businessend insert days. Ifbegin insert, upon completing the investigation,end insert the test
11agency determines that the inadequate or improper test conditions
12will prevent it from reporting valid test scores,begin delete the school in charge begin insert the test agency shall immediately notify the school
13of the test siteend delete
14in charge of the test site of the decision and the school shall notify
P3 1the affected test subjects of the decision within two business days,
2andend insert shall provide all affected test subjects with at least five
3business days’ prior notice of an opportunity to retest. That retest
4shall be administered within 30 calendar days of the completion
5of the investigation.
6(b) begin deleteTest proctors of an administration of the end deletebegin insertProctors
7administering an end insertAdvanced Placement test shall create a seating
8chart, including the seat location of each test subject, for each
9Advanced Placement test administered at the test site. The test
10agency shall provide seating chart templates for use by each test
11site. The school in charge of the test site shall retain and preserve
12each seating chart created pursuant to this subdivision for at least
13begin delete two yearsend deletebegin insert one yearend insert after the administration of the Advanced
14
Placement test to which that seating chart applies. The school in
15charge of the test site shall submit these seating charts to the test
16agency upon its request to assist with its investigation of a
17complaint or notice of inadequate or improper test conditions.
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