Missouri Lawmaker Wants Tests Made In-State

A lawmaker is drafting legislation to require Missouri universities create statewide tests for school children.

State Rep. David Wood on Tuesday said creating new tests in the state will help prevent teachers from instructing children based on Common Core standards.

Those standards outline goals for student learning in each grade, such as when to learn division. They were adopted to create consistent, high-quality standards for education nationwide, but some Missouri lawmakers say they take control of education away from the state.

Work groups are reviewing those standards and could recommend that the state Board of Education nix them in October.

Wood says drafting standardized tests in Missouri would prevent educators from teaching current standards in order to get students to pass a test aligned with Common Core.