INDIANAPOLIS (AP): A state legislative committee is backing a bill that would cut the time students will spend taking Indiana's standardized test this year.

The House Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a bill permitting some steps that state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz proposed last week to shave at least three hours from the ISTEP+ exam. The revamped test was to have taken students about 12 hours.

The bill would waive the state law requiring the Department of Education to release non-multiple choice or true/false questions for parents to review. That will cut the number of needed pilot questions, which can be used in future tests.

The committee also supported suspending this year's social studies exam for grades 5 and 7. That will save those students another hour of testing time.