The Obama administration announced new guidelines that would limit the amount of standardized tests being administered to public school children.

In a Facebook video message last Saturday, President Barack Obama talked about the complaints he has received from parents who worry about "too much testing, and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning," reports CNN.

In response, he announced that the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) outlined new guidelines that require students to take only the "tests that are worth taking" and are "high quality, aimed at good instruction" and ensure students are "on track."

The DOE also issued a press statement in which it owned up to the role it has played in the proliferation of standardizing testing in America and outlined new principles for measuring student aptitude in their "Testing Action Plan."

"The Administration bears some of the responsibility for this, and we are committed to being part of the solution," the DOE statement read. The statement also acknowledges that current policies have led to "unnecessary testing" with "not enough clarity of purpose."

The guidelines, which are non-binding recommendations for school districts to follow, suggests that students spend no more than two percent of classroom time taking standardized tests, and that parents be notified if their child's school exceeds this limit. It also called on Congress to "reduce over-testing" as it reauthorizes the federal legislation governing the nation's public elementary and secondary schools.

The administration did not point out which tests should be continued or scrapped, and instead is leaving that decision up to the particular districts in each state. The only way that the districts would be required to follow the guidelines is if Congress voted to replace the No Child Left Behind Act with the Obama administration's recommendations.

Still, the administration made note that it does not support the idea of getting rid of the idea of national testing in its entirety. Rather, the announcement said tests should cover "the full range of relevant state standards," and elicit "complex student demonstrations or applications of knowledge and skills."

"I still have no question that we need to check at least once a year to make sure our kids are on track or identify areas where they need support," said Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, according to The New York Times.

Teachers' unions, which has voiced opposition to the amount of testing, praised the guidelines.

"Parents, students, educators, your voice matters and was heard," said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers.

The administration said it would issue further details about the guidelines on testing in January.