Dive Brief:
- Delaware revealed this week that it will drop the Smarter Balanced exam to measure high school juniors' college readiness, instead opting for the SAT.
- As a reason for the switch, Education Week reports that Delaware is citing the "time-saving aspect of making a college-entrance exam do double-duty as the test for federal accountability."
- Delaware state Secretary of Education Steven Godowsky said that Delaware's "students deserve an exam that helps them gauge their college and career readiness, and our teachers deserve an exam that provides them with the information they need to guide their instruction," adding that the move will reduce the overall burden of testing.
Dive Insight:
Delaware’s move ties into the recent trend of states abandoning tests tied to the Common Core State Standards. “Colorado ditched PARCC for the SAT, and Montana dropped Smarter Balanced for the ACT,” Education Week reports.
Delaware will still, however, use the Smarter Balanced exam for students in grades 3-8, according to Education Week.
With ESSA now signed into law, the trend is likely to progress as states come up with new ways to measure accountability and continue their move to reduce testing burdens on both educators and students.
New York, meanwhile, is considering a move to scrap Common Core entirely.