EAST MAINE SCHOOL DISTRICT 63: Spring Testing: An Update

By Press release submission

Mar 6, 2021

East Maine School District 63 recently issued the following announcement.

An Important Announcement About Spring Testing

March 2021

All public schools within the State of Illinois are required to administer a variety of federal and state assessments every spring. Typically, these assessments provide our district and state with information related to how our students are growing academically compared to peers throughout Illinois.

As you are well aware, our district made a number of instructional changes due to COVID-19 restrictions. And we are not alone in those changes - districts throughout the state and country have made similar changes due to the pandemic. Because of the hardships that school districts, students, and families have faced over the past year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) lobbied the U.S. Department of Education for spring testing waivers. Recently, however, the Illinois State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Carmen Ayala, shared a message that the U.S. Department of Education will not allow any public school district across the country to bypass spring assessments. This means that District 63 will be required to assess hybrid and remote learners this spring.

As we move forward with spring testing, below are a few key points to keep in mind:

Our testing window for administering most of these assessments will take place between March 15 and May 14. Many of these assessments require multiple days to complete, so test sessions will be scheduled strategically so as not to overwhelm students.
If your student(s) currently attend(s) school for in-person learning, you do not need to do anything - students will take their required assessments during the school day.
If your student(s) attend(s) school remotely, communication will be sent to you soon about a schedule for testing your remote learner(s) in-person. Unfortunately, Illinois does not allow for these assessments to be administered remotely.
While it is strongly discouraged by ISBE, due to this year’s unique circumstances, parents may refuse to have their remote learner(s) come into school to take the assessments. More information for how to opt-out will be provided soon.

Again, more information will be coming your way in the near future. We appreciate your partnership as we navigate yet another challenge with state testing this spring, and know that we appreciate all that you do - and have done - to make this school year as successful as possible.

Original source can be found here.