Annual state end-of-year tests have been the mainstay of federal and state accountability systems for nearly 30 years. In spring 2020, given pandemic-related disruptions in learning, the federal Department of Education waived its requirement for annual testing in reading and math. There has been a lively discussion in the field about the pros and cons of resuming testing this spring, given the continuing disruption to schooling. The department effectively ended the debate with its recent letter to chief state school officers. In short, it has maintained the requirement that states administer end-of-year tests to all students and report the disaggregated results publicly.

That’s the right decision. Understanding the full impact of the COVID-19 disruption and developing plans to mitigate its long-term impact requires up-to-date information on academic performance in every school. While this year’s assessment data will be imperfect, some data are better than no data at all. Another year without assessments would negatively affect the goal of advancing equity.

The department has offered states flexibility to shorten the tests, administer them remotely or to give them over the summer or at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Here’s what we think states should do:

  • Administer assessments this spring. Delaying the testing window to the summer or when school begins in August or September would be a mistake. Students and teachers will derive greater benefit if fall testing is reserved for diagnostic assessments that can inform instruction.
  • Do not incorporate the results of state assessments into accountability ratings or otherwise use them to rate schools or apply sanctions. Drawing conclusions about school effectiveness based on exams administered this year is not feasible, and therefore, the results should not be used in state accountability systems. There should be no punitive consequences, nor should the results be used for teacher evaluation.
  • Collect school- and district- level data on students’ opportunity to learn. Even the most basic and limited information about whether students were learning in person or virtually, and how many hours of instruction they had each day/week, will be helpful in understanding the impact of the pandemic.

Read the full article about standardized testing by Laura Slover and Michael Cohen at The 74.