Secretary DeVos to Waive ESSA Requirements
March 20, 2020
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic “can bypass standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year.” After receiving a “proper” request, the Department “will grant a waiver to any state that is unable to assess its students due to the ongoing national emergency, providing relief from federally mandated testing requirements for this school year.” Secretary DeVos states in the release that “neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this difficult time,” and that “students are simply too unlikely to be able to perform their best in this environment.” She continues: “Our actions today provide turnkey flexibilities for state and local leaders to focus on the immediate needs of their students and educators without worrying about federal repercussions.”