Legislators gave unanimous approval last week to steps that officials say will cut about three hours from the time thousands of students will spend taking Indiana’s standardized tests this year, and Gov. Mike Pence quickly signed the bill into law.
The moves come after parents and educators protested testing times for the exams, which were redesigned to align with new state standards. The revamped test was to have taken students about 12 hours—about double from last year.
State schools chief Glenda Ritz proposed shaving at least three hours from the exam, mostly by eliminating some questions.
Legislators also supported suspending this year’s state-required social studies exam for grades 5 and 7, a move that will save those students an hour of testing time.
