The Illinois State Board of Education received notification yesterday that the U.S. Department of Education will make waivers available for accountability standards for schools but will not waive Spring assessments.
In communication sent out by Dr. Carmen Ayala, Superintendent of ISBE, she says that ISBE will apply for the maximum flexibility available, including seeking the available waivers for summary designations and the 95% assessment participation requirement for schools.
In the U.S. Department of Education communication today, the department says that the assessments are necessary to understand the scope of the impact of remote learning and COVID-19 has had on the American education as a whole. The Department of Ed also says that parents need to understand how their children are doing in terms of achievement. Assistant Secretary of the Office of Secondary and Elementary in Education Ian Rosenblum said in the communication that assessments also play a large role in measuring educational equity between school districts and states.
Ayala says that ISBE will be issuing follow up information and a guide for assessment in public schools as soon as possible.