States will need to administer annual standardized achievement exams to students this year, but they can modify or delay the tests, the U.S. Department of Education said Monday.
In a letter to state education leaders, acting Assistant Education Secretary Ian Rosenblum wrote that the Biden administration will not consider "blanket waivers of assessments" this year.
Under federal law, states must administer annual exams in key subjects including reading and math to students in third through eighth grade and once in high school. The results of those exams can be used to judge schools, and sometimes teachers, on their performance, and they can trigger improvement efforts.