S. 5597Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Service Academy Testing Enhancement Act of 2026

A bill to promote the use of standardized testing at military service academies and DoDEA schools.

Sponsored by Jim BanksSen. Jim Banks (R-IN)
Introduced September 29, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated October 8, 2026 at 2:51 AM UTC

The Service Academy Testing Enhancement Act of 2026 requires the Department of Defense to expand standardized testing options at U.S. military service academies and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. It aims to ensure that students can meet testing requirements using scores from multiple nationally recognized assessments that measure college‑readiness skills. The bill affects cadets and midshipmen at the service academies as well as 11th‑grade students in DoDEA schools.

Key Provisions

  • The Secretary of Defense must allow each service academy to satisfy any standardized testing requirement with scores from at least three nationally recognized assessments that evaluate math, reading, grammar and writing, analytical reasoning, and possibly other readiness indicators.
  • The Director of DoDEA must ensure that 11th‑grade students in DoDEA schools are offered the chance to take at least three of the same types of standardized assessments.

Legislative Activity

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

September 29, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 29, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

September 29, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued September 29, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 5597

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 29, 2026

Mr. Banks introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To promote the use of standardized testing at military service academies and DoDEA schools.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Service Academy Testing Enhancement Act of 2026.

2.

Promoting the use of standardized testing at military service academies and DoDEA schools

(a)

Military service academies

The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each of the Service Academies (as that term is defined in section 347(d) of title 10, United States Code) may satisfy any standardized testing requirement through scores from any of not fewer than three nationally recognized standardized assessments that are designed to evaluate college readiness and that measure, at a minimum, mathematics, reading, grammar and writing, and analytical reasoning skills. Such assessments may also evaluate critical and logical reasoning, comprehension of literary, historical, or philosophical texts, and other indicators of postsecondary readiness as determined appropriate by the Secretary.

(b)

DoDEA schools

The Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity shall ensure that students enrolled in the eleventh grade are offered the opportunity to take not fewer than three standardized assessments described in subsection (a).