LANSING, Mich., Sept. 9, 2020 — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently notified State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice and other state school chiefs across the country that states should not anticipate any waivers to the federal requirement to administer statewide summative assessments for the 2020-2021 school year. State Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), who introduced House Bill 6017 to pause the state mandate that districts administer standardized tests, issued the following statement:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced our students, parents and teachers to face new challenges while working to continue learning outside of the classroom. Distance learning is a necessary step to ensure the safety of our students and teachers during this crisis, but it can never truly replace in-person classroom learning. Taking away instructional time to administer lengthy standardized tests to prove what we already know simply doesn’t make sense, unless you’re Betsy DeVos looking to reward her friends who own for-profit testing companies and punish teachers who dared to share their health concerns. Standardized testing has never been about the kids, and it certainly isn’t now.”
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