A principal shared with me a letter he received, with the following information:
New York State Education Department is canceling the English language arts tests, grades 3-8.
No word yet on math tests, but they seem sure to be suspended too.
The virus is spreading, not contained.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Good news during a difficult time
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Technically, they’ve suspended the shipping – the memo didn’t cancel the exams. I quote: “The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you that the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has suspended the shipments of Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) Tests that were originally scheduled to arrive in schools March 16-18. This action was taken in response to the school and district closures due to COVID-19. The opening of the computer-based testing window for ELA, scheduled for March 23, has been suspended as well.”
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Bill Heller,
Your reading is correct. NY has “suspended” the exams, not canceled them. My bet: they will never be given because schools are unlikely to reopen until September.
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and then, in all honesty, how can the 2020-21 year be “tested” — there will be no more foundational (statistically valid) logic in doing so
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This is so ridiculous. We need to close the schools and suspend the tests nationally. Another example of the utter lack of leadership from our federal government.
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Do you think Gov. Cuomo is doing such a good job? Don’t you think every utterance of his is tinged with politics? He has an ax to grind with just about everyone of both political parties. Why didn’t he order SED to cancel the exams? He can’t get through five minutes of a press conference without demonizing sometime.
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Nothing but complaints for what these leaders are doing. So sad!
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Too little, too late is a commentary, not a complaint.
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I so agree with Bob Shepard.
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“No, I’ve always viewed it as very serious. There was no difference yesterday from days before.”
–Our Liar in Chief, Today
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Stephen Colbert went on a rant last night in front of his patio fire about this disingenuous statement.
“No, Mr President, you do not get to say that. It is on tape.”
The fact is that he does get to say it so long as he gives the right its red meat of anti-immigration, opposition to abortion, and support of liberal gun ownership.
The fact that no one is talking about how we do an election in November if the coved is still about is proof that the body politic is diseased. Like the disputed 2000 election, neither party is prepared to take obvious steps to attack a fairly simple problem.
Ohio has postponed their election rather than extended it. Back in Andrew Jackson’s day, polls were open for weeks. Since it was unreasonable to assume that every citizen could access the polls on a given day, they extended the time.
I would propose that we do voting next fall in a window that extends time for voting considerably. This would allow access to polls not filled with people, but mostly vacant of people like early voting or auto registration is now. This time or the next, this is what voting during a time of social distancing looks like. Obviously, absentee balloting can be used as well to thin voting lines and tamp down diseases.
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Roy,
Good points. We could also adopt mail in ballots. Though you have to find a secure way to get them to people.
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Tests should be cancelled, period. Not suspended or postponed. We already know what they will show. Economic determinism re-confirmed. Yes, as useful as all the evidence that proves circles are round.
And, and in the ending of the exams, some of the time lost to the “hoax” virus can be reclaimed when classes resume in the form of instruction rather than test preparation and administration.
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Well, we wouldn’t want to cut into Pear$on’$ profits, would we? That’s the important thing.
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ALL good points, Bob, Fred, Bill, Diane and flos56.
And, good riddance to the tests, too.
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What about getting a waiver or canceling or just eliminating the NYS regents exams and awarding diplomas based on credit accumulation?
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I am wondering when we hear about the regents exams. They cannot possibly expect these kids to learn the same way when they are learning remotely. I really hope these decisions are made quickly.
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The list is growing. Tennessee stands poised to waive the 180 day mandate and cancel the tests. Our very republican representative wrote me that teachers had enough to worry about already. It was on the news last night that the bill was moving through the process. Meanwhile my niece is preparing to homeschool her children, and our system is trying to get us to do stuff online. My internet will last about five days into this matter before it slows to a crawl.
Will the presence of diseases caused by hyper-populated areas of the world mean the end of association as we know it? What of society without mass gathering? What of the association between freedom of movement and the other freedoms we enjoy?
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This is an existential crisis. Standardized testing just got pushed into irrelevancy. The school year is effectively over. Stay healthy.
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Rage,
Exactly right. #priorities
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Take care of yourself. Blogs like this are more important than ever.
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College Board must be feeling the pinch. My daughter told me last night that SAT and AP tests are going to be allowed to be taken at home? I’m not sure if this is true since it’s coming from masses of social distancing teens, but I can tell you that I would like to see the College Board take a huge financial hit and David Coleman wind up in an unemployment line.
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Lord Coleman has already cashed in so heavily that he’s set for life, but it would be altogether lovely to see this happen. No worries, though. One of the Billy Gates astroturf privatization organizations would pick him up.
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The virus in a sick way with an O’Henry-esque twist has become the antidote and vaccine for other viruses with which we have coped daily – especially in recent years.
Weather.com notes that the canals in Venice are clearer than ever. Pollution is down as are harmful emissions.
The “two months too late” acknowledgment by the WH for many is the first wake up call to the mismanagement and incompetence managing the country and exposing the gutting of essential government departments and government inaction. And, exposing “deny, deter, deny” leadership even to the ‘base.’
All consuming state standardized annual tests and their tentacles of routine benchmark testing are being shut down.
The virus as tragic as it is, has unanticipated consequences of us looking at what really matters – and sadly as we saw with Hurricane Katrina, exposing to the world inequities and haves and have not. (no internet at home; minimum wage employees out of work; the list goes on and on)
For the non-believers, the virus is a wake up call that science is real, that experts matter, that collaboration and teams enhance leadership, and that bold leaders are decisive after they are informed. And, that “the common good” matters in the U.S. and the planet.
When we get through this – and we must – maybe we will learn and take a hard look at the impediments of inequity, stupidity, and arrogance so rivers stay clean, policies serve all, authentic learning matters, kids need to be kids, social supports are more necessary than ever —– and on and on
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I hope you’re correct! Environmental studies showed that after 9/11, there was a dramatic change/decrease in air pollution since air travel, rail travel and auto travel was drastically reduced or restricted. I can remember the silence….I live outside of DC (in MD) very close to an airport, a very busy rail line runs close to my home and there are many highways nearby. I have noticed a decrease in the plane/train noise in the past week.
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What about the HS Regents?
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