Kansas State Board of Education members are weighing the options and cost of changing how students are tested each year.

Deputy Education Commissioner Brad Neuenswander recommended to the board on Wednesday that Kansas use a blended testing system, including tests developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.

Kansas is part of that group, which is developing tests for math, reading and language arts to be given first in spring 2015.

Kansas is among 21 states involved in the consortium. The University of Kansas would still administer the tests developed by the consortium.

The university has developed tests in the past and some board members wondered if Kansas could continue with that practice and at what cost.