Students around the state will spend less time taking standardized tests starting next school year.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced this week changes to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment or PSSA tests. They will be condensed from three weeks to two weeks and will be held later in the school year, according to a news release.

The 2017-18 PSSAs will still be held over three weeks starting April 9, though the Department of Education will remove one math and one English language arts section and reduce questions in the science section.

These changes will allow the schedule to be condensed starting with the 2018-19 school year, when it will be given over two weeks and districts will be able to start testing as late as April 25.

“We are continuing to respond to the concerns of students, parents and teachers about the amount of classroom time spent on standardized tests,” Wolf said in the release.

Brian White, Butler School District superintendent, said he believes the changes will be positive.

“I think it's a good first step. I'll be curious to see how they make sure the test is still valid,” White said.

White said he also would like to see the test result data applied to teacher and principal evaluations more quickly. Under the current system it takes until the following November to get the school performance profile results, he said.

“The structure changes of the state assessments this school year, along with the proposed changes for '18-19, will allow educators and students increased opportunities to engage with the curriculum in collaborative learning environments,” said Marie Palano, Seneca Valley School District supervisor of analytic and federal programs. “At Seneca Valley, we will remain focused on providing authentic learning opportunities to highlight various measures of student success.”

Elsewhere in the state, education officials were complimentary of the change.

Dolores McCracken, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, issued a statement about the announcement: “Gov. Wolf gets it on standardized testing. He's heard and understands what teachers, parents, and students have been saying for a long time — that the PSSA testing schedule should be pushed later into the academic year to allow for more quality instructional time. He also understands that less time spent on testing allows for more time spent teaching and learning.”