The Kansas State Board of Education is being urged by its analysts to allow more achievement testing options for the state's high school students.
The board is considering tests created by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group of states that came together to create new testing standards.
The recommendation says Smarter Balanced assessments should be used for younger students. School districts and high school students could then choose from the Smarter Balanced test or other assessments like the ACT and SAT.
But board member Jim McNiece, from Wichita, questioned whether multiple testing options are worth the extra cost.
“It sounds well and good to give everybody choice and everybody what they want, but dollars and realities come to bear on your decisions,” McNiece said.
The goal of the high school testing is to better assess how well a student is prepared to enter college or the workforce. The Board of Ed could vote on the recommendation next month.
