In a move that might inspire other states to follow suit, Connecticut's governor Dannel Malloy has opted to have the state's juniors to take the SAT instead of a Common Core-aligned test—the Smarter Balanced Assessment—beginning this upcoming school year

"Mr. Malloy, a Democrat, said the change will help cut down on duplicative assessments and reduce the amount of classroom time spent preparing for tests, which has been a frequent concern brought up by parents," according to The Wall Street Journal.

Malloy has been fighting for the change for some time, originally suggesting the switch to U.S. Department of Education secretary Arne Duncan in September of 2014.

Connecticut will cover the costs of the tests for each individual student; the test typically carries a fee of $50 per student. Malloy says this will further help low-income students receive the same opportunities as their more fortunate counterparts.

Though Connecticut will still continue to use the Smarter Balanced Assessment exams for elementary and middle school grade levels, the move is intended to specifically alleviate the strain of too much testing specifically for juniors.

"Many students currently take a variety of tests during their junior year in high school, including college-placement exams like the SAT or ACT, Advanced Placement tests, end-of-year tests and the Smarter Balance Assessment," the article said.

The move shouldn't be a difficult transition, as Malloy said nearly 83% of high school juniors already take the SAT at this time.

According to the article, Garth Harries, the superintendent of New Haven schools, where Malloy made the announcement, "called the change 'a significant victory for common sense.'

In addition to Connecticut, more than a dozen other states currently use the Smarter Balanced Assessment to test Common Core standards.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

08/10/2015