Just in: CAL. DEPT OF ED RESPONDS TO CRITICISM BY DECIDING TO RESTORE DATA FROM OLD STATE TESTS TO WEB SITE.

LA Times Education Reporter tweets:

Howard Blume ‏@howardblume beginning at 4:35 PM - 28 Aug 2015

Just in: Cal.Dept of Ed responds to criticism by deciding to restore data from old state tests to familiar part of web site.

Earlier, the state had removed data from old test in prep for upcoming results from new tests. Officials had discouraged comparisons.

Word is that much lower % of students will be "proficient" per new test, which differs in content & form from prior STAR exam.

State officials had suggested/implied that state law gave them the authority or mandate to remove old results to avoid faulty comparisons.

That position caused firestorm among critics, who called for transparency & continued access to data with instructional/research value.

State officials pointed out that the old data was still accessible although harder to find online.

As of Friday morning, the state was working on web site changes that would make the old data more accessible.

By later Friday, state ed said the data would simply be restored where people were used to finding it, in interests of transparency.