Third through eighth graders across Pennsylvania are beginning to take shorter standardized tests this week.
This year’s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests- commonly known as PSSAs- have one less math section and one less English language arts section, as well as fewer science questions, according to state department of education spokesperson Nicole Reigelman:
“It puts the focus back on the teaching and learning, and less on actually taking assessments,” she said.
Reigelman says next year, the window for the PSSA’s will be cut even more- from three weeks down to two and the tests will be given in late April.
In addition, a new model is set to be introduced by the state this fall that will use other factors to gauge how schools across the state are performing, relying less on standardized tests.