LANSING, Mich., June 26, 2020 — A bipartisan group of legislators sent letters to State Superintendent Michael Rice and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos requesting a delay in standardized testing following the COVID-19 pandemic. The letters follow resolutions introduced in both chambers this week, urging a pause on standardized tests that determine school funding. State Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Huntington Woods), who signed the letters and supported the resolution, issued the following statement:
“Our teachers and schools have done an admirable job adjusting their lesson plans to accommodate remote learning during this unprecedented crisis, but missing an extended period of in-classroom instruction has undoubtedly set our students back. We need to focus on providing support to our schools and students in the wake of this pandemic, and placing the burden of securing funding through test scores on our students is unfair and counterproductive.”
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