Selected Colorado schools will begin using new tests in 2009 as part of an experiment that will help shape the replacement for the state's widely criticized CSAP tests.

The state Board of Education vote Wednesday is among the first steps in a massive school reform effort authorized by the legislature last spring.

Schools selected for the pilot project will administer tests that help students plan for careers or higher education. Those schools also will participate in the Colorado Student Assessment Program during the pilot testing period.

Wednesday's board vote approved tests by six manufacturers for the pilot project.