Excerpts of recent editorials of statewide and national interest from Ohio newspapers:

The (Toledo) Blade, March 13

Relax, high school juniors: The College Board has rolled out the revised SAT, one of the key standardized tests in college admission, to make it less tricky, more straightforward — and altogether easier.

The goal of the redesign is “to make it much more like the work that kids are already doing in high school,” the CEO of the College Board said. The logic may be sound, but not everyone sees cause for celebration.

Critics lament what they call another softening of the American mind. The revision “dumbs down” the SAT, said a former education official in the George W. Bush administration.

Others see common business sense at work. The ACT test, also accepted by colleges, is gaining in popularity for being perceived as less confounding, and the College Board wants to regain market share…

The need for a more user-friendly SAT does seem to reflect a lower level of achievement across secondary education. Ask any college instructor of first-year students: The general level of preparation isn’t what it used to be.

The revised SAT seeks to measure students where they are. In any case, the results of a standardized test should be just one indicator among many of a college applicant’s worthiness.