...if we're able to move forward with a waiver... then we'll just have a different level or different set of accountability tools," he said. "We won't be lessening it. We'll just be changing it to better reflect what's going on...

...graduate, and said it would be hard to tout the need for greater accountability in schools if the state took away an accountability tool. Hanley, 50, said he looks forward to learning more about the challenges and needs facing schools, particularly...

...Early Development, who relayed the State Board of Education's position. The board sees the test as a crucial accountability tool and wants it to stay in place until there is an alternative. "It's the hammer in the system. It's the only...