2014 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10 - Education and Culture
Chapter 163c - Education Evaluation and Remedial Assistance
Section 10-14n - Mastery examination.

(a) As used in this section, “mastery examination” means an examination or examinations, approved by the State Board of Education, that measure essential and grade-appropriate skills in reading, writing, mathematics or science.

(b) (1) For the school year commencing July 1, 2013, and each school year thereafter, each student enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive, and grade ten or eleven in any public school shall, annually, in March or April, take a mastery examination in reading, writing and mathematics.

(2) For the school year commencing July 1, 2013, and each school year thereafter, each student enrolled in grade five, eight, ten or eleven in any public school shall, annually, in March or April, take a state-wide mastery examination in science.

(c) Mastery examinations pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall be provided by and administered under the supervision of the State Board of Education.

(d) The scores on each component of the mastery examination for each tenth or eleventh grade student may be included on the permanent record and transcript of each such student who takes such examination. For each tenth or 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. Each tenth or eleventh grade student who fails to meet the mastery goal level on each component of said mastery examination may annually take or retake each such component at its regular administration until such student scores at or above each such state-wide mastery goal level or such student graduates or reaches age twenty-one.

(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) Not later than April 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Education shall develop and implement a state-wide developmentally appropriate kindergarten assessment tool that measures a child’s level of preparedness for kindergarten, but shall not be used as a measurement tool for program accountability pursuant to section 10-16s.

(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.)

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.