By Eric Gorski
The Denver Post

Colorado students will get some relief from standardized testing next academic year after the governing board of a multi-state testing association voted to rein in the length of math and English exams.

Sixth-grader Quincy Stover takes part in a practice session while preparing for the PARCC tests at Fort Logan Northgate School in Sheridan on March 5. (Craig F. Walker, Denver Post file)

The time given over to PARCC English and math tests beginning in 2015-2016 will be reduced by about 90 minutes in each grade. The board also consolidated two spring testing windows into one at the end of the school year, acknowledging complaints from states and schools.

The governing board — which is made up of education commissioners and superintendents of PARCC member states, including Colorado — approved the changes in a two-part vote, the last of which was Wednesday, the Colorado Department of Education said.

“This is a move in the right direction,” Colorado Education Commissioner Robert Hammond said in a statement Thursday. “As long as we have the PARCC tests in Colorado, we need to listen to our educators, parents and students and adapt as necessary to ensure that the test are as easy as possible to administer while protecting accuracy and reliability.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday signed into law hard-fought testing legislation that streamlined literacy and other assessments for students in kindergarten through third grade and eliminated PARCC testing for high-school sophomores and juniors.

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