When the Bend-La Pine Schools wanted to figure out if it should change when school begins for high school students, it began by looking at the data. But what’s so great about data?

The state — with some cooperation from the Bend school district — has actively undermined efforts to research student performance. So why does research and data matter when it comes to student start times but not when it comes to what they do in school?

As research goes, it’s pretty ironclad on the issue of student sleep. The body clocks in adolescents spring forward about two hours after puberty. The body actually changes when it releases the hormone melatonin, changing when teens get sleepy. Many students go from early birds to night owls, as Bulletin reporter Markian Hawryluk recently wrote.

The reason is not all biology. Homework, sports, other extracurriculars and jobs can pile up. Add in the distractions provided by smartphones, top it all off with a lack of personal discipline and many students have unhealthy sleep habits.

The lack of sleep can translate into poorer academic performance. Teens who get less sleep are more likely to suffer from depression and do poorly in their studies than those who get more rest.

Based on that research, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with a two-pronged recommendation in 2014. It said parents should encourage healthy sleep habits and — middle and high schools should delay the start of class to 8:30 a.m. or later. “Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common — and easily fixable — public health issues in the U.S. today,” said pediatrician Judith Owens, lead author of the policy statement.

Bend-La Pine Schools announced Tuesday it might be changing school start times for the 2019-20 school year. It will either keep the current schedule or switch. The current class schedule is 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for elementary schools, 7:45 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. for middle schools, and 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. for high schools. The proposed switch would be to 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for elementary schools, 8:45 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. for middle schools, and 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. for high schools.

Beginning April 9, the district is going to gather feedback from the community on the possible switch on its website and in public meetings. That’s a smart recognition from the district about the impact of any switch on so many families.

What’s curious about this research-based approach to making a policy decision about school start times is how different it is from the sabotage-the-data approach to testing student performance.

Participation in statewide testing has been abysmal in Oregon. For instance, less than 1 percent of high school students at Summit High School in Bend took the Smarter Balanced test just a few years ago. That turnout and similar episodes throughout the state should have been a loud wake-up call for Oregon policymakers. Instead, it was just what they ordered.

Why? The decision to take the test is made ultimately by parents and students. But Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Legislature made dodging the test easy.

It began with conservatives and the state teachers union forming a united front against the testing. For some conservatives, the testing represented big government trying to dictate what should be local decisions. And the teachers’ union has never been particularly happy about standardized testing. It could lead to more scrutiny of teacher performance. The Legislature moved forward with changes to make it easy for students to opt out. Brown agreed.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Shay Mikalson has been critical of the state tests and urged the state to allow districts more flexibility in picking a test they want.

Sure, there can be problems with any standardized test — from the time the test takes to the fairness and accuracy of its results. The problem is parents and policymakers need to be able to compare how Oregon students are doing. Undermining the test is an effective way to prevent a data-driven effort to gauge the effectiveness of schools. But what’s so great about data?