(a) As used in this section, “mastery examination” means (1) for students enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive, an examination or examinations, approved by the State Board of Education, that measures essential and grade-appropriate skills in reading, writing or mathematics, (2) for students enrolled in grades five, eight and eleven, an examination, approved by the State Board of Education, that measures essential and grade-appropriate skills in science, and (3) for students enrolled in grade eleven, a nationally recognized college readiness assessment, approved by the State Board of Education, that measures essential and grade-appropriate skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

(b) (1) For the school year commencing July 1, 2015, and each school year thereafter, each student enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive, and grade eleven in any public school shall, annually, take a mastery examination in reading, writing and mathematics during the regular school day.

(2) For the school years commencing July 1, 2013, to July 1, 2017, inclusive, each student enrolled in grades five, eight and ten in any public school shall, annually, in March or April, take a state-wide mastery examination in science during the regular school day.

(3) For the school year commencing July 1, 2018, and each school year thereafter, each student enrolled in grades five, eight and eleven in any public school shall annually take a state-wide mastery examination in science during the regular school day.

(c) (1) Mastery examinations, as defined in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, given to students enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive, pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, shall be provided by and administered under the supervision of the State Board of Education.

(2) Mastery examinations, as defined in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, given to students enrolled in grades five, eight and ten or eleven, pursuant to subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (b) of this section, shall be provided by and administered under the supervision of the State Board of Education.

(3) Mastery examinations, as defined in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section, given to students enrolled in grade eleven, pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, shall be paid for by the State Board of Education and administered by the provider of such nationally recognized college readiness assessment in accordance with the provisions of the agreement between the state board and such provider, pursuant to section 10-14x.

(d) The scores on each component of the mastery examination, as defined in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section, for each eleventh grade student may be included on the permanent record and transcript of each such student who takes such examination. For each eleventh grade student who meets or exceeds the state-wide mastery goal level on any component of the mastery examination, a certification of having met or exceeded such goal level shall be made on the permanent record and the transcript of each such student and such student shall be issued a certificate of mastery for such component.

(e) No public school may require achievement of a satisfactory score on a mastery examination, or any subsequent retest on a component of such examination as the sole criterion of promotion or graduation.

(f) (1) For the school year commencing July 1, 2015, and each school year thereafter, the scores on each component of the mastery examination for students who are English language learners, as defined in section 10-76kk, and who have been enrolled in a school in this state or another state for fewer than twenty school months, shall not be used for purposes of calculating the accountability index, as defined in section 10-223e, for a school or school district.

(2) For the school year commencing July 1, 2015, and each school year thereafter, mastery examinations pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall be offered in the most common native language of students who are English language learners taking such mastery examinations and any additional native languages of such students when mastery examinations in such native languages are developed and have been approved by the United States Department of Education.

(g) Not later than August fifteenth of each school year, the Department of Education shall notify each local and regional board of education of the scores of students under the jurisdiction of the board on the mastery examination administered during the previous school year.

(P.A. 78-194, S. 2, 9; P.A. 82-387, S. 1, 2; P.A. 83-454, S. 2–4; P.A. 84-293, S. 2, 5; P.A. 88-136, S. 23, 37; P.A. 90-324, S. 1, 13; P.A. 92-58; 92-262, S. 3, 42; P.A. 93-353, S. 38, 52; P.A. 94-245, S. 33, 46; P.A. 97-247, S. 5, 27; P.A. 03-168, S. 1; 03-174, S. 1; P.A. 05-245, S. 9, 51; P.A. 06-135, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 18; P.A. 13-207, S. 1; P.A. 14-39, S. 10; 14-217, S. 115; P.A. 15-238, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 295; P.A. 17-14, S. 12; P.A. 17-173, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 82-387 added Subsecs. (b) and (c) requiring retesting of students who tested below the state-wide level of expected performance on any component of the ninth grade proficiency exam and prohibiting use of the exam or any retest for purposes of determining promotion or graduation; P.A. 83-454 amended Subsec. (a), moving ninth grade exam to eighth grade, effective July 1, 1984, and providing for transition year test in the ninth grade and amended Subsecs. (b) and (c), making technical revisions; P.A. 84-293 amended Subsec. (a) substituting “ninth” grade test for “eighth” grade test up to and including the 1986–1987 school year, inserted new Subsec. (b) re fourth grade state-wide mastery exam, and new Subsec. (c) re sixth and eighth grade state-wide mastery exam, relettering former Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d) and adding provision re retesting using the eighth grade test, inserted new Subsec. (e) also re retesting on the eighth grade test and relettered former Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (f), adding provision to include mastery exam and changing limitation on use of test from “a condition of promotion or graduation” to prohibition of use as “the sole criterion” of promotion or graduation; P.A. 88-136 deleted obsolete provisions including Subsecs. (a) and (d) re proficiency examination and relettered remaining Subsecs.; P.A. 90-324 in Subsec. (c) limited the taking and retaking of the eighth grade mastery examination to prior to September 1, 1993, inserted new Subsecs. (d) and (e) re tenth grade mastery examination and relettered former Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (f); P.A. 92-58 inserted new Subsec. (f) concerning educational mastery and relettered the existing Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (g); P.A. 92-262 amended Subsec. (c) to add the requirement for certain ninth grade students to take or retake the eighth grade mastery examination; P.A. 93-353 amended Subsec. (e) to change the requirement for taking or retaking the examination to failure to pass each component required pursuant to Subsec. (a) rather than failure to pass each component, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-245 deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (e) providing for the retaking of the examination by students who failed to meet a state-wide standard for remedial assistance and relettered the remaining Subsecs. and changed the date for implementation of mastery certification, effective June 2, 1994; P.A. 97-247 made technical changes and in Subsec. (c) added the reference to approval by the State Board of Education pursuant to Sec. 10-34 to describe endowed or incorporated high school or academy, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 03-168 redesignated existing Subsecs. (a) to (c) as Subsec. (a)(1), (2) and (3), added new Subsec. (b) re testing in April, added new Subsec. (c) re grades tested beginning in the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 school years, added new Subsec. (d) re examination provided by and administered under supervision of the State Board of Education, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (e) and (f), and added Subsec. (g) re federal requirements and funding, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 03-174 amended formerly designated Subsec. (d) by allowing recordation of mastery scores if a student meets or exceeds goal level on any component rather than on each component and by requiring the issuance of a certificate of mastery, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by permitting testing in March, effective June 30, 2005, and added Subsec. (h) re kindergarten assessment tool, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (g) to remove prohibition against the spending of state and local funds in conformance with the No Child Left Behind Act, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (h) to advance development date to October 1, 2007, and to provide that tool not be used as a measurement for program accountability, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 13-207 replaced former Subsecs. (a) to (c) with new Subsec. (a) re definition of “mastery examination” and new Subsec. (b) re mastery examination in reading, writing and mathematics and state-wide mastery examination in science, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) to (f) as Subsecs. (c) to (e), amended redesignated Subsec. (e) by deleting reference to endowed or incorporated high school or academy, deleted former Subsec. (g) re testing in conformance with No Child Left Behind Act, redesignated existing Subsec. (h) as Subsec. (f) and amended same by deleting provision re within available appropriations and replacing “October 1, 2007” with “April 1, 2014”, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-39 deleted former Subsec. (f) re kindergarten assessment tool, effective May 28, 2014; P.A. 14-217 amended Subsec. (b)(1) by deleting requirement that mastery examination in reading, writing and mathematics be taken in March or April, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 15-238 amended Subsec. (a) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and amending same by deleting “science” and making provisions applicable to students in grades 3 to 8, adding Subdiv. (2) re examination for students in grades 5, 8 and 10, and adding Subdiv. (3) re nationally recognized college readiness assessment for students in grade 11, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “2013” with “2015”, deleting “ten or” and adding “during the regular school day” in Subdiv. (1), and replacing “grade five, eight, ten or eleven” with “grades five, eight and ten” and adding “during the regular school day” in Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (c) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and amending same by adding “, as defined in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section, given to students enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive,” and “subdivision (1) of”, adding Subdiv. (2) re mastery examination given to students in grades 5, 8 and 10, and adding Subdiv. (3) re mastery examinations given to students in grade 11, and amended Subsec. (d) by adding “, as defined in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of this section,” and deleting “tenth or” and provision re retaking mastery examination, effective June 30, 2015, and applicable on and after the effective date of an agreement between the State Board of Education and a provider of a nationally recognized college readiness assessment for the provision and administration of a college readiness assessment as part of the grade eleven mastery examination requirement; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 added Subsec. (f) re English language learner scores and native language mastery examinations, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 17-14 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by replacing reference to grade ten with reference to grade eleven, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “and each school year thereafter” with “to July 1, 2017, inclusive” and making a conforming change in Subdiv. (2) and adding Subdiv. (3) re mastery examination in science, and amended Subsec. (c)(2) by adding reference to grade eleven and replacing “subdivision (2)” with “subdivisions (2) and (3)”, effective July 1, 2017; P.A. 17-173 amended Subsec. (f)(1) by replacing references to the school performance index and district performance index with “accountability index, as defined in section 10-223e, for a school or school district”, and added Subsec. (g) re notification of student scores not later than August 15th, effective July 1, 2017.