Wednesday's announcement comes one week after House Democrats sent a letter to Gov. Jack Markell urging that 11th-graders be allowed to take the SAT in lieu of the state Smarter Balanced assessment, which is tied to the Common Core standards. The change takes effect this spring. Administration officials noted that the SAT is being redesigned to align with Common Core standards. They also said they are continuing to work to reduce the testing burden on students while still allowing educators to measure academic progress. Meanwhile, some lawmakers are planning to try to override Markell's veto of a bill allowing school students to opt out of standardized tests without penalty.