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CP27688642 — In this Oct. 1, 2013, file photo, Amy Lawson, a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Lake Elementary School in Middletown, Del., teaches an English language arts lesson. The school has begun implementing the national Common Core State Standards for academics. The Common Core standards will quickly become more tangible for four million U.S. school kids beginning March 18, 2014, who will help field test the two main assessments created based on the standards.(AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)

Starting this week, millions of US students to field test Common Core-based assessments

Mar 21, 2014 22:03:00

WASHINGTON – What’s on the new Common Core-based assessments?

More than 4 million kids in U.S. schools will soon have a clue.

Field testing begins this coming week in 36 states and the District of Columbia on separate assessments developed by two different groups of states to align with the standards.

Participating students will be asked to sit for hours in front of a computer or use a No. 2 pencil to answer questions.

The scores won’t count and the actual tests won’t be used for another year.

These field tests are a chance to judge factors such as the quality of each test question and the technical capabilities of schools to administer the tests.

The field tests come as the standards face political push-back in many states.

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