TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas State Board of Education members are considering a proposal for a multistate group to develop new, standardized tests for public schools.
The proposal on Wednesday’s agenda comes from the state Department of Education.
Commissioner Diane DeBacker said the department wants the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium to develop math, reading and language arts tests to be given first in spring 2015.
Kansas is among 21 states involved in running the consortium, which is based in Washington state. Under the department’s plan, the University of Kansas would still administer the tests developed by the multistate group.
The university has developed tests in the past.
The new tests would be based on multistate, common core standards. The standards have been attacked by conservatives as endangering local and state control of education.
