OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska will pay $8.8 million to contractors next year for statewide standardized testing of public school students.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Nebraska State Board of Education on Friday authorized Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt to negotiate contracts with the state’s testing providers for another year.

Blomstedt said the current contractors delivered this year’s testing relatively free of issues.

The board authorized contracting with ACT for a third year of high school testing. The $1.5 million contract includes providing the ACT college entry exam plus writing for all public school juniors and access to online ACT prep and the PreACT.

The board also authorized $6.1 million to contract with NWEA for state standardized testing for third- through eighth-grades for the 2018-19 school year.