By RYAN QUINN
Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice says he vetoed Senate Bill 624, which would have let counties use exams other than the SAT as their 11th-grade standardized test, partly because it “directly conflicts” with existing West Virginia law.
His written veto message, released Thursday, says: “The comprehensive statewide student assessment adopted prior to the testing window of the 2017-2018 school year shall continue to be used for at least a total of four consecutive years.”
That line was added to state law through the 2017 bill that banned West Virginia from using Smarter Balanced, the standardized test at the time. The state repeatedly has changed its tested grade levels, subjects and the tests themselves recently, hampering the ability to see year-to-year trends in educational achievement.
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