AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Legislature opened in January with students, parents, teachers and school administrators across the state clamoring that making youngsters pass a nation-leading 15 state-mandated standardized tests to graduate high school was far too many.

While some leading business groups worried about watering down high academic standards and said it might leave students ill-prepared for the demanding jobs of tomorrow, the sustained backlash against too much testing largely drowned them out — and lawmakers listened.