State Asks To Suspend Standardized Tests For Next School Year

ATLANTA, GA – Georgia schools will ask the U.S. Department of Education to waive standardized testing for the 2020-21 school year in order to allow schools to focus on recovering from the coronavirus shutdowns, Governor Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced Thursday.

In the announcement, officials said it would be "counterproductive" to continue with standardized testing in the upcoming school year, as schools will be transitioning back to in-person instruction.

"We believe schools' focus should be on remediation, growth and the safety of students," officials said in the announcement. "Every dollar spent on high-stakes testing would be a dollar taken away from the classroom."

In early March, Georgia suspended standardized testing requirements as schools began to close in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The state then received approval from the U.S. Department of Education to cancel all remaining standardized tests for the 2019-2020 school year.

The state plans to submit a waiver to the Department of Education to suspend the 2020-21 Georgia Milestones assessment and CCRPI school and district rating. The Georgia Department of Education also plans to suspend teacher evaluation summative rating for 2020-21.