ILLINOIS (WAND) - The Illinois State Board of Education said it is seeking a waiver for testing in the spring of 2021.
The board will advocate for waivers from the U.S. Department of Education, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala said in a letter to education colleagues. The Feb. 5 letter said she and state board members "have been deeply engaged in dialogue about spring assessments."
In her call for action on the national level, Alaya said more than 1 million students are still completely learning in a remote setting, even though 77 percent of Illinois school district have some form of in-person learning available. She said less than 200 districts serving under 200,000 students are able to provide fully in-person instruction at this time.
She said she believes supporting students' transition to in-person learning is more important than focusing on assessments.
"Our focus belongs on building our students' reconnection with their teachers and re-engagement in learning in the classroom," Alaya said. "That's why we will advocate for the U.S. Department of Education to make waivers available for spring 2021 assessments."
She said Illinois will apply for waivers if they become an option. She noted assessments are still a very important tool for education.
"Assessment – the practice of collecting evidence about student learning to provide them with feedback and inform instructional design – is still critically important to helping students recover from the pandemic; this practice can and should happen this spring at the classroom and district levels," she said.
Alaya said a collaborative process led to the decision to push for waivers. She said the state board listened and gave consideration to every perspective it heard about.
"Thank you for your passion and your partnership on behalf of Illinois’ students," Alaya said in closing. "Together, we will overcome this pandemic."
