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State K-12 Leaders Promise To Cancel Standardized Exams This Year
A sign outside of Kettering Elementary School in Long Beach announces that school will be closed until April 20th. (Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist)
California public school students will not have to take their annual standardized tests this year, state schools officials promised on this morning.
Nearly all of California’s K-12 public schools have closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak — and many schools may not reopen before the summer.
Federal law requires all students from third through eighth grade, as well as some high school students, to take benchmark standardized tests every year. But this year, state schools Supt. Tony Thurmond said that’s unrealistic.
“It is not even feasible to expect that we could assemble students in a way where they could take the test. Even if we could, one would have to wonder what educational value those tests would produce.”
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To follow through on that promise, state officials will have to jump through some hoops first. They’ll need to ask the U.S. Department of Education for a waiver from the annual testing requirement.
During a webinar for school officials statewide Wednesday, Thurmond also hinted that Newsom might soon issue an executive order canceling the exams.
In many schools, the coronavirus closures fell right in the middle of what would’ve been testing season. In Los Angeles Unified — the state’s largest district — schools could have started giving students these tests last week.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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