State education leaders learned Monday that The U.S. Department of Education (ED) will require federally mandated standardized exams this school year despite the pandemic.
States, though, will receive “flexibility” in administering assessments in 2021 as a result of the pandemic. Instead of using the tests as an accountability tool, the assessment data will be used as a “source of information for parents and educators to target resources and support.”
“The Department of Education is committed to supporting all states in assessing student learning during the pandemic to help target resources and support to the students with the greatest needs,” said Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. “We also recognize that at a time when everything in our education system is different, there need to be different ways that states can administer state tests like moving them to the fall so that precious in-person learning time this year can be spent on instruction. Balancing these priorities is the best approach.”
ED’s flexibility available to states includes:
- Extending the testing window and moving assessments to the summer or fall,
- Giving the assessment remotely, where feasible,
- Shortening the state assessment, to make testing more feasible to implement and prioritize in-person learning time.
Teachers unions and state education boards nationwide have pushed for federal waivers of standardized testing in order for districts to focus classroom engagement and in-person learning in recent weeks.
In addition to encouraging flexibility around assessments, ED is allowing states to request a waiver for the Every Student Succeeds Act’s accountability and school identification requirements. This flexibility will explicitly include waiving the accountability provisions relating to having a 95 percent test participation rate.
“States are working hard to respond to the unique circumstances they are facing and maintain their immediate focus on supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic development,” said Jessica Cardichon, deputy assistant secretary of K-12, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. “In addition to this guidance, the Administration is working with Congress to secure the additional resources in the American Rescue Plan that are needed to support states and districts in safely reopening schools and responding to the long-term impact of COVID on students and educators.”
