SBE Votes to Seek Federal Flexibilities Due to Impacts of COVID-19
Date: 02/26/2021
Author: Jenn Guerrero
At its February meeting this week, the California State Board of Education (SBE) voted to seek flexibility on federal testing, accountability, and reporting requirements and directed California Department of Education (CDE) staff to explore ways for assessing student learning as schools, educators, students, and parents/guardians continue to face the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This action was in response to federal guidance that was released on February 22, allowing states to ask for flexibility to account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools.
The SBE also directed CDE staff to develop a waiver proposal that, among other elements, focuses on a plan for assessments that provide data to parents/guardians, educators, and the public to monitor the progress of students in the areas of English language arts/literacy and mathematics.
If granted, California’s federal flexibility request would:
- 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.
More Details can be found in the CDE’s February 24 news release.
