The Network for Public Education urged Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to waive all state testing for 2020.
Chalkbeat reports that many states have requested waivers, and two—Colorado and Texas—have canceled testing without waiting for waivers. Recently the Council of Chief School Officers urged a cancellation of mandated state testing.
To see the status of state testing, see this update.
From the update, it appears that New York is the only state still planning to give the tests even though its schools are closed.
It seems likely—although no one knows for sure—that all states will cancel state testing.
No one knows when it will be safe to resume schooling.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
From the update, it appears that New York is the only state still planning to give the tests even though its schools are closed.
That makes a lot of sense.
Dr. Collins gives a good estimate of what he thinks will be happening in the U.S. because of coronavirus. “Here are estimates that if nothing goes right and if we fail to flatten the curve and if health systems are overwhelmed, we might see the deaths of as many as a million and a half people in the United States.”
Planning on testing when schools are closed for an extended period of time, even in the unlikely event that they will reopen, is too cowardly and stupid to even imagine.
It really is breathtaking, isn’t it, Arthur!
This is stupidity and malfeasance of a truly Trumpian level.
What do readers of Diane’s blog think the potential consequences will be (both positive and negative) of cancelling high stakes tests nationally for one year? I am curious to read people’s predictions. Thanks everyone.
No need for predictions. Better to look into history. The high stakes tests have damaged education, students, and teachers. There has been no upside. The tests did not reveal any useful or valid data, other than revealing that charter schools did not raise scores as they claimed they would. (There are people who believe good teaching has a significant impact on test scores, but then, there are people who believe in a Flying Spaghetti Monster ruling the universe. Neither is very scientific.) Getting rid of the tests for a year is entirely positive, and will hopefully signal a permanent end to the high stakes madness and stupidity. That’s not a prediction; it’s a fact.
Test Cancelations
The positives are many
The negatives are few
I can not think of any
Of negatives, can you?
I don’t think it will have any long term impact. I fear the narrative will be something along the lines of, “one of the hidden tragedies of the covid saga is: we weren’t able to assess an entire year of students, we need to prepare for this,” rather than the recognition that they’re a waste of time. My fear is the “shock doctrine” drive to get and “legitimize” technology in the classroom and a further diminishing of the teaching profession.
I see that you work in higher education and are especially interested in a what I would call competency-based professional development with teachers moving through “modules” and earning certificates of competency, many of these in strategies for “effective” classroom management.
The website for that program shows that attention to assessment is a biggie. I would like to turn the question back to you. What value you do attach to national high stakes tests as prescribed by ESSA for specific grade levels and subjects?
The consequences will be that the test makers will make a little less money. That’s pretty much it. The tests are invalid and utterly useless pedagogically.
For a detailed response to your superb question, see this:
https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/why-we-need-to-end-high-stakes-standardized-testing-now/
I think it’s more important to focus on children’s health Than their test scores.
Especially when those test scores come from invalid tests and are pedagogically useless.
There will certainly not be any negative consequences to foregoing the tests. I think it would be very interesting to selectively test students anyway to see if their scores reflect the obvious damage done to their education by not being in school. If, as I expect, there appeared no difference in scores, it would be an other arrow right through the heart of the testing and measurement people.
Since all of the tests children take now show very little agreement, it would seem to me that we might hope that the economic consequences of the Covid might induce some states to save money by not testing. We can always hope.
Love your selective-testing study idea, RT… But who ya gonna get to fund it 😉
“No one knows when it will be safe to resume schooling.”
But everyone (with a brain*) knows when it will be safe to resume testing: never.
That obviously rules out Andrew Cuomo.
And all the people who voted for him in the primary.
Exactly, SomeDAM. Anyone with a brain. Anyone who has examined these tests. Anyone who has thought at all clearly or carefully about the tests or about the “standards” that they purportedly “measure” attainment of. It’s so obvious that the tests are invalid and pedagogically useless and that they distort and trivialize both pedagogy and curricula.
I just received this information from State Representative Chyung [D-IN];
K-12 schools
All K-12 public schools will remain closed until May 1. Non-public schools are also ordered closed. This date may be revised to extend through the end of the 2019-2020 school year if circumstances warrant.
All-state mandated assessments will be canceled for the current academic year. The governor has contacted U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to share the state’s plan and also has asked the Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick to pursue any federal waivers needed to cancel the requirements for accountability, chronic absenteeism and state-mandated assessments.
At the current rate of infection, on April 4th, more than 1 million people will be “infected” with covid19.
This is based on cdc information.
Right now without severe interventions (or maybe even with them in place), every 8 days and 4 hours, infection rates increase by a factor of 10.
Trump and his crew cannot wrap their pea brains around this.
I read that HHS has secretly said that this pandemic will last 18 months. If it takes 12 months for a vaccine and then recovery time, this might be possible. This country doesn’t have the resources to fight such a pandemic. Next to nothing is made in this country and vital time was lost to Trump inattention and lying.
We are supposedly getting $1000 for each adult and $500 for each child in a family. This isn’t enough and the government doesn’t have any money. The GOP HAD to sneak through a tax cut for the wealthy and corporations. Now we pay big time.
………………..
4 days ago
The coronavirus epidemic in the UK will last until next spring and could lead to 7.9m people being hospitalised, a secret Public Health England briefing for senior NHS officials reveals.
carolmalysia,
Here are the numbers in units of 10.
Factor of 10 increase every 8 days. Bottom line:
3/18. 10,000
3/26. 100,000
4/3. 1,000,000
4/11. 10,000,000
4/19. 100,000,000
That’s right. If nothing changes 1/3 of the country will be infected in a month.
Stay safe. This is an equal opportunity virus.
Of course, Trump and his rePUGni-cans, don’t get “equal opportunity.”
Never forget: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/488468-trump-accuses-press-of-siding-with-china-amid-pandemic
Carol, “We are supposedly getting $1000 for each adult and $500 for each child in a family. This isn’t enough and the government doesn’t have any money. The GOP HAD to sneak through a tax cut for the wealthy and corporations.”
Many numbers are being bandied about; I’ve also heard $4k, & distributed every couple of months. At that rate, we could get an unexpected experiment trialling the concept of “basic income”!
What is heartening about the DC conversation is that economic experts from all quarters were pushing the idea a couple of weeks beforehand, and “wa-LA,” the Trump admin picked up the ball. I am accustomed to Trumplandia heading in the opposite direction of intellegentsia: refreshing. At least when it comes to heading off economic disaster [in an election year 😉 ] they’re willing to give something beyond “trickle-down” a go.
As to “the govt doesn’t have any $,” that’s an infinitely plastic idea that gets kneaded as reqd to fit the current agenda… And perhaps our extra-govtl masters [Gates Bezos & club] will get a clue as consumers bite the dust, & decide to plow back in a chunk of what we let them steal from us. (Will they wait for the villagers w/torches is my question…)
Senate Republicans insist on big corporate tax cuts.
Pigs at the trough.
But didn’t you hear. Just a few days ago, the President said that the cases would be down to five in a couple days and then down to zero.
This is what happens when an ignorant moron gets into high office.
End the testing, for good, now:
https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/why-we-need-to-end-high-stakes-standardized-testing-now/
PA testing is cancelled!
“Our school communities are operating within unprecedented conditions,” said Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. “Schools are making extraordinary efforts to remain connected to students and families, to provide food service and to put appropriate systems in place to continue student learning. Assessments should not be the focus of school leaders right now.
“To be clear, all assessments are cancelled for this year,” he added. “The department will submit the requisite waivers to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), but no schools in the Commonwealth will be administering these tests this year.”
Smart!!! Glad to hear this!!!
What on God’s green Earth is the New York BOR waiting for? Why inflict additional psychological stress on teachers and students by prolonging what is an inevitable decision!!!!!!!!!!
I suspect that some folks in New York are in the pay of the testing company or were on their payroll or are looking forward to lucrative consulting contracts with them in the future.
likely they are saying to each other, BUT WE ALREADY PAID FOR IT…
Utah has cancelled the tests, too. https://www.ksl.com/article/46732284/utah-now-has-78-covid-19-cases-as-state-school-board-suspends-assessment-tests
NOW, I don’t want the tests next year, either, because everyone will be out of school for so long that it will take us a while to get back up to speed.
Of course, there should be NO testing at all, but at least not next year.