Senate votes to limit use of student testing data

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland senators say the state should wait to use student testing data to make decisions on teachers’ jobs until the Common Core standards are solidly established.

The Senate passed a measure Thursday that postpones use of these tests for teacher evaluations until the 2016-17 school year. Sean Johnson of the Maryland State Education Association says the delay would ease educators’ minds.

Adam Mendelson, a spokesman for the association, says schools that change testing standards often need up to six years to align their curricula.

Next year, when students take a new standardized test based on Common Core standards, their scores will provide a baseline. Johnson says administrators will understand the data better when they can compare years.

A parallel bill is pending in the House Ways and Means Committee.