((a)) ** General prohibition** Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law and except as provided in subsection (b), no funds provided to the Department of Education or to an applicable program, may be used to pilot test, field test, implement, administer or distribute in any way any federally sponsored national test in reading, mathematics, or any other subject that is not specifically and explicitly provided for in authorizing legislation enacted into law.

((b)) ** Exceptions** Subsection (a) shall not apply to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study or other international comparative assessments developed under the authority of and administered to only a representative sample of pupils in the United States and in foreign nations.section 9543(a)(6) of this title