LOS ANGELES (AP) - California is giving schools at least one year to breathe easy before they are held accountable for results on new tests aligned to the Common Core standards.
At a meeting in Sacramento, the state's Board of Education suspended its school accountability system for the 2014-15 school year. The move is intended to give teachers and students time to adjust to standardized tests aligned with the Common Core standards.
The suspended Academic Performance Index uses student results on statewide tests to rank schools and to identify those that need improvement.
School board President Michael Kirst said the state wants to make sure it is measuring student growth, not just baseline performance, on the new Smarter Balanced tests.
The Common Core benchmarks adopted by a majority of states around the nation have come under fire in recent years, largely from conservatives who decry them as a federal infringement on school policy. The standards were approved for implementation by individual states, though the U.S. Department of Education encouraged their adoption through initiatives like Race to the Top.
In California, by contrast, the Common Core standards have been largely embraced by district leaders, parents and teacher unions.
Kirst said even if the new test results aren't used on the state index, they will still be reported at the school, district and state level. "They'll be held accountable to the public," he said.