But Illinois educators want a pass because of pandemic disruptions.
Despite pleas from school districts nationwide — including about 700 in Illinois, as well as the state’s superintendent of education — federal education officials still expect every public school system in the country to administer federally mandated standardized tests to their students this spring, while the pandemic rages.
“To be successful once schools have reopened, we need to understand the impact COVID-19 has had on learning and identify what resources and supports students need,” Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant secretary in the federal Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in a Feb. 22 letter sent to state school superintendents. “We must also specifically be prepared to address the educational inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In addition, parents need information on how their children are doing.”
While the federal government is pushing for standardized testing, state administrators are working to provide maximum flexibility to Illinois districts: “In advocating for testing waivers, Illinois Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala has noted more than 1 million schoolchildren in Illinois were still in remote learning full-time. ‘We believe that bringing students back in-person only to immediately begin state testing will have a detrimental effect on the goals of supporting their social-emotional wellbeing, mental health, and reconnection with the school community,’ Ayala wrote in a letter to federal authorities.”
Published on: MAR 05, 2021
Defending the Early Years joined a coalition of educators requesting that the Biden Administration #CanceltheTests
In response to the Biden Administration’s refusal to keep its campaign promise of ending standardized testing of our public school children and our frustration that they are putting testing ahead the needs of children just as they return to in-person learning during the pandemic, we joined forces with six other organization to ask the Biden Administration and Secretary Cardona to cancel the tests during the pandemic.