Delaware legislation · 153rd General Assembly
Delaware SJR15: Dept. of Education/SAT/Reevaluate
Status: Signed into law, July 23, 2026
DIRECTING THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REEVALUATE THE USE OF THE SAT IN DELAWARE, ENGAGE EDUCATORS IN MODERNIZING THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A COHERENT HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, AND DEVELOP ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND READINESS.
What the bill says
From the introduced text, May 14, 2026:
Legislation Document SPONSOR: Sen. Buckson & Sen. Sturgeon & Rep. K. Williams Sens. Lawson, Lockman, Pettyjohn, Sokola, Walsh; Reps. Harris, Hilovsky, K. Johnson, Kamela Smith DELAWARE STATE SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15 DIRECTING THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REEVALUATE THE USE OF THE SAT IN DELAWARE, ENGAGE EDUCATORS IN MODERNIZING THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A COHERENT HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, AND DEVELOP ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND READINESS. WHEREAS, the SAT has historically been used as a college entrance exam rather than a high school proficiency metric; and WHEREAS, under Delaware's current School Success Framework, Grade 11 SAT ELA and Math proficiency are academic achievement indicators for high schools, creating a disconnect between instruction and accountability; and WHEREAS, standardized testing, including the SAT, has been used in Delaware as a tool to measure whether students meet criterion-based state standards proficiency, and as a metric for such considerations as college entry and specific scholarship awards; and WHEREAS, historical data from Delaware's 2015-2016 transition to the SAT showed that school proficiency rankings varied significantly, reflecting patterns consistent with broader instructional and access disparities observed across multiple assessments; and WHEREAS, students' family income, parental education, and access to test preparation services strongly correlate with higher SAT scores, raising concerns about fairness and equity for …
Sponsors
- Eric Buckson (R, 16) · primary sponsor
- Laura Sturgeon (D, 4)
- Kimberly Williams (D, 19)
- David Lawson (R, 15)
- Elizabeth Lockman (D, 3)
- Brian Pettyjohn (R, 19)
- David Sokola (D, 8)
- John Walsh (D, 9)
- Kerri Harris (D, 32)
- Jeff Hilovsky (R, 4)
- Kendra Johnson (D, 5)
- Kamela Smith (D, 15)
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor
- : Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENT
- : Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 10 On Its Merits
- : Assigned to Education Committee in House
- : Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
- : Reported Out of Committee (Education) in Senate with 5 On Its Merits
- : Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in Senate
Votes
- Passed (SM) (July 1, 2026): 40 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Passed (2/3) (June 10, 2026): 20 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is SJR15?
- SJR15 is a bill in the Delaware Legislature (153rd General Assembly): Dept. of Education/SAT/Reevaluate.
- What does SJR15 do?
- DIRECTING THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REEVALUATE THE USE OF THE SAT IN DELAWARE, ENGAGE EDUCATORS IN MODERNIZING THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A COHERENT HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, AND DEVELOP ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND READINESS.
- What is the status of SJR15?
- Signed into law as of July 23, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor (July 23, 2026).
- Who sponsored SJR15?
- Eric Buckson (R, 16), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SJR15?
- On the Delaware Legislature website: https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=143315
Source: official Delaware record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.