Senate Bill 266 proposes amendments to the statewide education improvement and assessment program and the school performance and accountability program. It introduces a new definition for "N-size," revises the goals of the assessment program to include a variety of assessment tasks, and specifies the inclusion of constructed response items and other item types in assessment instruments. The bill mandates statewide assessments in mathematics, English language arts, and science across various grade levels and allows for alternative assessments approved by the U.S. Department of Education. It outlines provisions for student participation, the use of standardized tests like the SAT or ACT for high school assessment, and the protection of student anonymity in assessment results. The bill also changes the schedule for destroying student data to one determined by the state contract with the testing entity and includes provisions to protect student data privacy.

Additionally, the bill revises the definitions and identification processes for "Comprehensive support and improvement schools" and "Targeted support and improvement schools," removing the specific date of the New Hampshire consolidated state plan and allowing for identification based on a schedule set in the plan. It lowers the graduation rate threshold for comprehensive support and improvement schools from 69% to 67% and subjects these schools to corrective and technical assistance. The bill also modifies the process for establishing statewide performance targets, requiring legislative oversight committee approval before submission to the joint legislative committee on administrative rules. The act is set to take effect on October 01, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 189:10-a, 77-G:2, 77-G:5, 91-A:5, 189:28, 189:65, 189:67, 193:3, 198:40-a, 21-N:4, 189:68, 193-E:5, 186-C:3-a
As Amended by the House: 193-C:2, 193-C:3, 193-C:6, 193-C:11, 193-C:12, 193-H:1, 193-H:2
Version adopted by both bodies: 193-C:2, 193-C:3, 193-C:6, 193-C:11, 193-C:12, 193-H:1, 193-H:2
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 193-C:2, 193-C:3, 193-C:6, 193-C:11, 193-C:12, 193-H:1, 193-H:2