HARRISBURG (WSKG) - The Wolf administration is making changes to standardized testing in Pennsylvania elementary schools. Governor Tom Wolf said Monday that the changes will mean students spending at least 20 percent less time on state exams.
Wolf said throughout his first term, he's heard repeatedly from parents and teachers that federally-mandated state testing sucks up too much class time.
So starting next spring, he said there will be a new test designed to combat that.
"This change will allow students and teachers to focus their classroom time on getting the education they need, rather than preparing for one exam," he said.
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests will still meet state Education Department standards.
"We're not reducing--we're preserving, in fact--the effectiveness for measuring student progress," Wolf said. "We understand the accountability issue, we understand the need for understanding how we're doing in educating our children."
The tests are given to kids in 3rd through 8th grades. They measure competency in English language arts, math, and in certain years, science.