DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State education officials have approved new science standards and have taken a significant step toward replacing the Iowa Assessments with other tests. The Iowa State Board of Education unanimously voted on Thursday to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, which sets learning expectations in classrooms for grades K-12.

Learning will focus less on memorization and put more emphasis on the scientific process, such as analyzing data, developing a model and constructing a logical argument. The board also voted to start the rule-making process that would allow for the adoption of the Smarter Balanced exams. The tests give students harder or easier questions based on if they answered previous correctly, which better pinpoints their ability.