Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §6202, first ¶, as amended by PL 2001, c. 454, §29, is further amended to read:

The commissioner shall establish a statewide assessment program, known as the Maine Education Assessment, to measure and evaluate on a continuing basis the academic achievements of students at grades 4, 8 and 11 in the content areas of the system of learning results established in section 6209 specified by the commissioner. The commissioner may elect to provide for the use of alternative measures of student achievement in grade 11. This assessment applies to students in the public elementary and secondary schools and in all private schools approved for tuition whose school enrollments include at least 60% publicly-funded students, as determined by the previous school year's October and April average enrollment. The assessment program must be adapted to meet the needs of exceptional students as defined in section 7001, subsection 2 or other students as defined under rules by the commissioner.

Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §6202-A, sub-§§3 and 4, as amended by PL 2003, c. 712, §2, are further amended to read:

3. Public high school graduation decisions; learning results endorsements; annual targets. By the 2007-2008 school year, public high school graduation Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, each school administrative unit may award learning results endorsements in addition to the high school diploma awarded pursuant to section 4722.__The awarding of the learning results endorsements must be determined by student achievement of the standards of the system of learning results in English language arts, health and physical education, mathematics, science and technology and social studies, based on the school administrative unit's local assessment system established pursuant to this section in addition to other requirements as established by school board policy. By the 2009-2010 school year, public high school graduation must be determined by student achievement of the standards of the system of learning results in all content areas of the system of learning results, based on the school administrative unit's assessment system established pursuant to subsection 1 in addition to other requirements as established by policy of the school board.