Standardized testing is happening for students this year.
It’s something the federal government hopes will reveal the
pandemic’s impact on education.
The decision by President Joe Biden wasn’t expected
considering school officials from the Hudson Valley and across the state have
been urging the federal government to hold off on standardized testing this
year.
As the pandemic throws a curveball at standard learning, the
government wants to know where students stand in their education.
The tests will look different though. They’ll be shorter,
students can take them remotely, they can be
taken later in the year and results will not be used to evaluate schools.
Grades 3-8 are scheduled to take two state assessments while
high schoolers must take three Regents - the English, math
and science exams.
Local school officials have been adamantly against
standardized tests this year saying that it’s a waste of resources.
"The dollars that have been earmarked for standardized assessments, yes
they should go to tests -- tests for COVID-19. So, that schools that haven't
been open all year can finally welcome their children back," says White
Plains Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Ricca.
A spokesperson for the State Department of Education issued this statement, saying: “We are
disappointed by this decision, we are examining all possible options.”
The president of the New York United
Teachers Union is weighing in saying, “In
a year that has been anything but standard, mandating that students take
standardized tests just doesn’t make sense.”
While educators are trying to push testing back to next
fall, elementary school students could begin taking their tests as soon as
this April.