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ND – (NewsDakota.com) North Dakota Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says her new task force on student assessments will look into ways to reduce the number of tests in the state’s classrooms.

Baesler says parents and the public need information about student academic progress. But she says they can get that information with fewer tests. She wants to cut down the number of assessments.

State and federal law requires one student assessment in English, math and science in grades nine through 12. State law also says 11th graders must take the A-C-T college entrance exam.

Baesler says one option is to allow the A-C-T exam to count as the state assessment for high school juniors. She says a key question is, what information does North Dakota need from testing. The assessment task force is looking into the issue. It includes parents, school administrators, testing experts, home educators, legislators, business people and higher education officials.

The group is holding its next meeting in October.