New York State Education Department has approved a measure to get rid of timed standardized tests for third-eighth grade students.

"The tests, given in English and math, have become a source of contention in recent years. Department officials said the move was meant to ease concerns raised by teachers, administrators and parents,” said The New York Times.

The move has been met with praise from many who are optimistic that the change will better help students work at their own pace when taking English and Math statewide exams.

Not everyone is happy, though.

Success Academy charter school founder Eva S. Moskowitz told the New York Times she was perplexed by the change and unsure how to move forward.

“I don’t even know how you administer a test like that…[the purpose of assessments] is in a reasonable amount of time, to determine what a student knows and is able to do,” she told the Times.

Moskowitz heads a charter school network that routinely boasts high test scores and student achievement, but has been criticized for pushing out underperforming students through over-disciplining them and not accommodating their needs.

New York’s Education Department has decided to get serious about making changes to education in the state after about 20 percent of all eligible students in grades 3-8 sat out of last spring’s statewide exams.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

1/28/2016