# data[].attributes.headline
The Push for Standardized Testing in a Covid 19 Impacted Education System

# data[].attributes.subject
The Push for Standardized Testing in a Covid 19 Impacted Education System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
LROSER FINAL PADLET News Story Investigation 2

# data[].attributes.headline
States push to ditch or downplay standardized tests during virus surge.

# data[].attributes.subject
States push to ditch or downplay standardized tests during virus surge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Pressure is growing for schools to get some kind of relief from traditional standardized tests as coronavirus cases reach new highs, and education officials in at least a few states are responding.
In Washington, President-elect Joe Biden's administration will have to decide whether to grant states waivers from federally mandated tests soon after he takes office Jan. 20. But the validity and usefulness of tests during the pandemic has been a concern for months. And at this point, states are clearly not content to wait for input or leeway from any new U.S. Department of Education leadership about the issue in general.

On Thursday, the Georgia state board of education voted to virtually eliminate the role state standardized tests play in students' course grades this school year. Board members voted 10-3 to make several end-of-course exams count for just .01 percent of those grades, down from the normal 20 percent, the Associated Press reported. State Superintendent Richard Woods backed the moved. Woods sharply criticized U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' announcement in September that states should not expect testing waivers for the 2020-21 school year, a position that could change after Biden's inauguration of course.

South Carolina announced a similar move late last month regarding end-of-course exams; districts will be allowed to decide how much those tests count for students' grades, instead of the typical 20 percent. The Post and Courier reported that district leaders welcomed the decision.

On Nov. 19, the Virginia education department announced that students can take "local assessments" instead of the state Standards of Learning exams in history, social science, and English writing. "The waivers and emergency guidance will simplify the logistics of SOL testing this year and ensure that [the] COVID-19 pandemic does not unduly prevent any student from earning a diploma," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane. However, the state did not adopt those changes for the science, reading, and mathematics tests required by federal law; Lane told state school board members that it's "unlikely" the feds will waive those tests.

Earlier this month, California announced it would replace traditional Smarter Balanced exams with shorter versions of the test, EdSource reported.

A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers say they want state superintendent Mike Morath to either cancel state STAAR exams this school year, or at least not use them to rate schools and districts. "The last thing they all need right now is the extra and added stress of STAAR," state Rep. Diego Bernal, a Democrat, told the Texas Tribune, referring to educators, parents, and students. Morath gave a noncommital response to the idea, although last summer he said he wanted the exams to be administered as usual. Like all states, Texas got a federal waiver last spring not to give exams that are typically required by the Every Student Succeeds Act. ("STAAR" stands for "State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.")

This kind of momentum isn't universal. Utah recently announced that it plans to forge ahead with its regular standardized exams."We believe there's actually an increased need for us to be able to attain data that can inform and enlighten us about the impacts of this pandemic on student learning," state Assistant Superindendent Darin Nielsen said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Last summer the Council of Chief State School Officers stressed that while state leaders must be "nimble and innovative" in what tests are used and what they're used for during the pandemic, "Assessment tools must continue to play a key role in our education system."
On Friday, a coalition of groups including the National Urban League, UnidosUS, and the Education Trust called on the federal government not to grant waivers from exams because "our families and communities cannot afford to go two years without knowing how well our students are doing in school." The groups also hailed recent federal guidance on assessments and accountability released in October.

'Challenge the Assumption'

It makes sense, as Georgia did, for states to reduce or eliminate consequences of exams specifically for students, said Chad Aldeman, a senior associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a nonprofit education consulting group. But he worried that educators are "running away from all consequences" of tests that could be helpful and not punitive during the pandemic.
"If the stakes are about more support and more money, we should want to overidentify students and schools, and err on that side," Aldeman said. He added that states should release at least preliminary results from exams as soon as possible to the parents and the public to make them more valuable. He said that if states effectively emphasize the tests role in assisting students and educators, "Maybe we don't have to be so concerned about security and cheating" on exams that might be administered in new ways this school year.
But in addition to longstanding skepticism about the role standardized testing plays for educators and students, headaches about how to administer in-person tests are looming as a big issue this year. Some Ohio district leaders are objecting to the idea of requiring students who are learning remotely take tests in person. And more broadly, there's concern about how much the general public will care about or rely on typical standardized test results during such widespread disruptions in schooling.
"At the end of the day, there's going to be an asterisk around any 2020-21 [test] results if they're given," Stephen Pruitt of the Southern Regional Education Board told our colleague Sarah D. Sparks in July.
Even more than an asterisk, the pandemic should underscore that the traditional standardized tests mandated by federal law simply haven't worked as desiged, and push the Biden administration and others to rethink the entire system, said Joshua Starr, the CEO of PDK International, a professional association of educators.
"This is the time to actually challenge the assumption that the state testing regimes will give us what we want," said Starr. "I have no confidence that state standardized tests this year will do that. I don't know that they've ever done that, and they certainly won't do it this year."
While Starr said that formative assessments, for example, could be useful to students and educators. But he said that in general, given the pandemic's clear and disproportionate impact on underserved students and communities, education leaders should move straight into directing more resources and support to students and families in need, without depending on tests to do so.
The ability of tests to discern trend lines in a typical fashion has also been disrupted beyond the point of being useful, including for accountability, said Daniel Koretz, a research professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who focuses on assessments. And more broadly, he said, potential disruptions for students at home and other factors unique to the pandemic present an environment that tests simply can't control for.
"Even for diagnostic testing, there is a pretty high risk I think that we would not be able to trust comparative data," Koretz said, adding, "I wouldn't want to see what little instruction we're able to give kids now consumed by test prep."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
States Push to Ditch or Downplay Standardized Tests During Virus Surge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pressure is growing for schools to get some kind of relief from traditional standardized tests as coronavirus cases reach new highs, and education officials in at least a few states are responding.In Washington, President-elect Joe Biden's administration will have to decide whether to grant states waivers from federally mandated tests soon after he takes office Jan.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Talbot schools to reopen for STUDENTS; teacher Unions resist return to classrooms.

# data[].attributes.subject
 Talbot schools to reopen for STUDENTS; teacher Unions resist return to classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
EASTON - Talbot County Public Schools announced it will proceed with its plan to reopen classrooms to students next week despite state and local teacher unions' concerns about returning before the COVID-19 metrics indicate it's safe.

The school district had hinted on Wednesday last week that it would resume its hybrid learning model at the beginning of February to allow for two days of in-person schooling for students each week.

One day later, Gov. Larry Hogan called on school systems to get students back into classrooms no later than March 1. Hogan's announcement prompted a mixed reaction from local school districts, educators and parents.

While the need for students to return to school buildings is widely accepted, teacher union leaders say they're concerned educators aren't getting vaccinated quick enough to justify heading back before COVID-19 spread is more under control.

Talbot County Education Association President Andrew Burke told The Star Democrat the local union is in favor of resuming in-person classes, but only once the health metrics the state health and education departments set to guide reopenings are met.

The state agencies said in the middle of last year that students should not be in classrooms in communities where the averaged daily new case rate per 100,000 people is above 15 and the positivity rate is greater than 5%. But it appears the state is now asking school systems to disregard that guidance.

Talbot County has not reported a case rate below 15 for more than two months. The local school system has not had its general population students in classrooms since Nov. 19 based on that data.

"We are confused by the sudden disconnect with our safety plan as posted for many months to follow the science of the metrics," Burke said of the change in guidance from the state. "These data do not yet indicate a safe threshold for a return to schools."

Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost struck a similar chord in a letter to Hogan and State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon. Bost said the leaders "scrubbed from state guidance the health metrics around positivity rate and cases per 100,000, which were previously used to guide reopening decisions locally."

"You accused others of shifting goalposts, while you didn't just move them, you now deny their existence," Bost wrote. "Is the positivity rate no longer important? Are cases per 100,000 no longer something to worry about?"

When asked during a news conference whether schools should still use those metrics, Hogan did not say, but said data show schools are not a main cause of community transmission. "Everyone wants to get kids back in school," he said, adding students "need an opportunity at least" to do so.

Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Jinlene Chan said at an earlier news conference that "school reopening decisions should not be based on the availability of vaccinations or the level of vaccinations among staff."

A spokesperson for Talbot County Public Schools said about 300 of the district's more than 670 employees had gotten a shot of COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday. Fifty more are scheduled to get vaccinated by the county health department on Friday.

Burke said the local teacher union wants "all staff who wish to be vaccinated to do so prior to a return to work."

"We respect the delayed vaccinations snafu. We acknowledge it's beyond our control," he said, but a majority of TCPS staff having been vaccinated should be a requirement for schools to reopen for in-person learning.

Superintendent Dr. Kelly Griffith said in a notice to families Wednesday the district is "continuing to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to all staff who have requested them as they become available through the Talbot County Health Department and/or Choptank Community Health."

"I know we would all like to see the vaccination plan move more quickly, but the pace is dependent upon the quantity of vaccines distributed to our county," Griffith said. She said protocols, such as temperature checks, social distancing, wearing face coverings, and hand washing and sanitizing will be implemented to keep students, teachers and staff safe.

The district is "excited" to welcome students back into its school buildings, Griffith said, and it looks "forward to making the most of every day in our commitment to provide the best possible education in the safest environment possible."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Talbot schools to reopen for students; teacher unions resist return to classrooms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EASTON - Talbot County Public Schools announced it will proceed with its plan to reopen classrooms to students next week despite state and local teacher unions' concerns about returning before the COVID-19 metrics indicate it's safe.

# data[].attributes.headline
Schools must give students standardized tests this year, Biden administration says.

# data[].attributes.subject
Schools must give students standardized tests this year, Biden administration says.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
States will need to administer annual standardized achievement exams to students in 2021, but they can modify or delay the tests, the U.S. Department of Education said Monday.

In a letter to state education leaders, acting Assistant Education Secretary Ian Rosenblum wrote that the Biden administration will not consider "blanket waivers of assessments" this year.

Under federal law, states must administer annual exams in key subjects including reading and math to students in third through eighth grade and once in high school. The results of those exams can be used to judge schools, and sometimes also teachers, on their performance, and they can also trigger improvement efforts.

The requirement to administer state exams was waived by former education secretary Betsy DeVos in spring 2020, when most U.S. schools shut down as a result of COVID-19.

The new guidance from the Biden administration comes before its secretary of education nominee, Miguel Cardona, has been confirmed. During his confirmation hearing in early February, Cardona didn't say whether the federally required exams should be waived again this year. He said it was important to assess student progress, but that schools probably shouldn't bring students back in-person just to administer an exam.
Biden's education pick Miguel Cardona: Here's where he stands on key issues
States can decide whether to shorten the annual exams, administer them remotely, or delay giving them until summer or fall, the new guidance says. Also, schools won't be held accountable for the results of how students perform.

"Certainly, we do not believe that if there are places where students are unable to attend school safely in person because of the pandemic that they should be brought into school buildings for the sole purpose of taking a test," wrote Rosenblum.

The issue of standardized testing has divided the education community, and this policy decision was no exception.
Will teachers have to get a COVID vaccine?:Schools may require staff to get a vaccine for coronavirus in the future
The announcement embodied a "frustrating turn" for the administration, after a series of successes in supporting children through the pandemic, said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation's largest teachers' union.

"As the educators in the classroom, we have always known that standardized tests are not the best way to measure a child's development, nor do they particularly help kids or inform best practices for teaching and learning," she wrote in the statement. "That is especially true in these unprecedented times, when students and teachers alike are remaking the school experience in the most unlikely of circumstances."

But Council of Chief State School Officers CEO Carissa Moffat Miller said she supported the federal requirement, writing in a statement Monday that the announcement "acknowledges the real, varied challenges that educators, students, and families are facing across the country.

"State education leaders and CCSSO deeply value assessment as a tool to know where students are academically, identify inequities, and inform decision-making, including ensuring supports get to the students who need them," she added.

The National Parents-Teacher Association released a survey Monday which found that 52% of parents surveyed favored end-of-year testing this spring "to measure the impact of the pandemic on student learning."

Usually, state achievement tests are administered to students in the spring. They allow "a clearer picture of where children are academically and help equip parents to effectively advocate on behalf of their child's learning," said PTA leader Leslie Boggs.

"As underscored by the results of the survey, parents and educators alike should have meaningful data on student learning and progress" in order to tailor learning, she added.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Schools must give students standardized tests this year, Biden administration says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
States will need to administer annual standardized achievement exams to students in 2021, but they can modify or delay the tests, the U.S. Department of Education said Monday. In a letter to state education leaders, acting Assistant Education Secretary Ian Rosenblum wrote that the Biden administration will not consider "blanket waivers of assessments" this year.

# data[].attributes.headline
Research tells us standardized admissions tests benefit under-represented students. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Research tells us standardized admissions tests benefit under-represented students. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
COMMENTARY: Research tells us standardized admissions tests benefit under-represented students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ACT and SAT are better measures of college readiness than state tests, proponents say.