MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) _ Students at two public high schools in central Connecticut are no lingering taking midterm exams.

The Record-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1RIZK2b ) members of the Meriden Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to eliminate midterms at Maloney and Platt high schools for the 2015-16 school year.

The board’s curriculum committee said Tuesday that teachers and administrators wanted more instructional time, and less time preparing for exams.

School board members say there was some resistance to the move, but both schools ultimately favored it after considering what they could do without the exams.

Final exams for high school courses are state mandated and are still required.

Teachers will now focus on consistent performance-based assessments, which officials say serve students and teachers better.