WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday that testing U.S. schoolchildren annually in math and reading is critical for measuring their educational progress, setting the stage for what is likely to be a contentious Capitol Hill debate on the federal role in education.

His speech — on the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s introduction of a landmark education equity bill — was the Obama administration’s latest effort to make its case for federally mandated testing. Civil rights groups and state education chiefs have also voiced support for it.

“I believe parents, teachers, and students have both the right and the need to know how much progress all students are making each year towards college- and career-readiness,” Duncan said in remarks prepared for delivery. “That means all students need to take annual, statewide assessments that are aligned with their teacher’s classroom instruction in reading and math in grades 3-8, and once in high school.”

With Republicans newly in charge of both houses of Congress, Senate education Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has said his top education priority is fixing the No Child Left Behind Act, which expired in 2007. His first hearing is expected the week of Jan. 20 with a focus on testing.