By Juliet Williams
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown announced Wednesday that he has signed legislation that could reduce the use of standardized tests in calculating the annual rankings of California schools.
Under the bill, the Academic Performance Index rankings will be calculated using a combination of test scores, attendance and graduation rates, as well as other as yet undetermined measures to gauge student learning.
Those measures could include whether students are promoted to the next grade or prepared for college-level courses.
Brown signed SB1458 by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, which requires that standardized test results make up no more than 60 percent of the index rankings for high schools starting in 2016. The law maintainsthe current formula for elementary schools and middle schools, where test scores should account for at least 60 percent of the ranking...