With more plot twists than a daytime soap opera, the question of whether state testing in public schools will take place has finally been settled. Kind of.
Schools still have to offer the tests, which usually take place around this time of the year, but, according to a statement adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education, parents can choose to have their kids sit this year out if they would just be coming to the school for the test.
The statement says that the Board supports the right of parents and guardians to make decisions about the education of their children. The statement notes that the testing waiver was not granted by the United States Department of Education, but there is no penalty if not everyone takes the test.
The statement ends with, “Given that coronavirus infection rates are increasing in Michigan, and many students are still attending school remotely, the State Board of Education supports the guidance to parents and legal guardians that these students need not be brought into school solely for the purpose of state assessment, and will not be required to come into school for the sole purpose of taking the assessments.”
How individual school districts decide to administer the tests and how they will use the data is being worked out, but for now, the pressure is off individual students to be physically present for the testing.
Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland
