If Michigan students return to classrooms this school year, they won’t have to take the M-STEP test.
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced Friday that students in states that have closed schools will not have to take federally-mandated assessments this year.
Michigan requested a waiver for that earlier this week. State education officials said administering the test this year would be unfair and counterproductive. The M-STEP had been scheduled to start in mid-April and run through May 28.
"Students need to be focused on staying healthy and continuing to learn,” DeVos said in a statement. "Teachers need to be able to focus on remote learning and other adaptations. Neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this difficult time.”
The U.S. Department of Education added that since student test scores are used in statewide accountability systems, “any state that receives a one-year waiver may also receive a waiver from the requirement that this testing data be used in the statewide accountability system due to the national emergency.”
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