By David Plank and Scott Hill
Commentary

On the football field, a talented quarterback often calls the option play, holding off on the decision to run or pass to the last possible moment. This gives him time to survey the field and choose the best option for moving the ball forward.

Policymakers have options, too. Given the chance, they can wait and watch before making a key decision. When it comes to testing in California's education system, this is a great time to call the option play.

Last summer California – along with 40 other states – adopted the Common Core Standards, academic goals for what students should learn and when they should learn it. These new standards are different but also better than what we have.

But putting them into practice will take a lot of work. We will have to redesign curricula, develop new instructional materials, and retrain teachers.

Most important, however, is developing new assessments to measure whether California students are mastering the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.

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