State education chief asks to skip standardized tests
State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice is asking the federal government to waive the requirement that Michigan’s school children take standardized tests this spring.
What Happened: Standardized testing is required every year for every student in the U.S. by the Department of Education. Rice believes testing will be difficult to organize due to the coronavirus pandemic and that the past year of chaotic schooling will lead to a decline in test results.
The government allowed schools to skip standardized tests last year as the pandemic raged and many students were pushed into online education. In the fall, Rice asked then Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to waive the testing requirement this year as well, which she refused. Rice hopes the incoming secretary will be more sympathetic to his request.
“Without uniform testing conditions, adequate participation, and appropriate test security measures, summative assessment results will misrepresent achievement,” Rice wrote in his request to acting secretary Phil Rosenfelt.
You can read more on Bridge Michigan.
