SACRAMENTO – (INT) – State educators are coming to realize the limits the pandemic has put on student achievement.

Federal testing, accountability and reporting is required but federal guidance issued this week gives some slack to the states.

The State Board of Education voted Wednesday to explore other options for assessing student learning and to seek relief from the federal accountability.

Board’s proposal:

• Decouple state assessments from federal accountability requirements, as applicable. Instead, any data collected would be used to inform local educators, parents, and the public and align resources to student supports.

• Waive federal penalties for student testing participation rates of less than 95 percent on the state’s Smarter Balanced English language arts and math assessments.

• Extend the window by which schools must complete test administration to July 30 for both the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Assessments for California (ELPAC), which measures English learners’ progress toward language proficiency, as applicable.

• Waive administration of the state’s science test altogether for 2021.

Story Date: March 6, 2021