HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is announcing changes to Pennsylvania’s standardized school tests that he says will lower the amount of time students spend taking the assessments.
The Democrat says starting this school year, students in grades 3 through 8 will spend on average 20 percent less time on statewide testing. Some sections of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests have been removed and other sections have been shortened.
Wolf made the announcement Monday.
Wolf says he’s responding to concerns from parents, teachers and students about the amount of time they must dedicate to taking standardized tests.
The PSSAs are administered in grades 3 through 8 in English language arts and math. Science is tested for some grades.
Susquehanna Township School District Superintendent Tamara Willis says the current standardized testing system has “has resulted in a loss of creativity and innovation within our classrooms.”
