Mathematics

See Which States Have Cancelled Spring Tests Because of Coronavirus

By Catherine Gewertz — March 17, 2020 3 min read
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UPDATED 4/1/20, 12:10 am EDT

The coronavirus is closing tens of thousands of schools across the country (see EdWeek’s map for the latest). Most states have closed all their schools statewide. These moves to stem the spread of the virus have rippled through every facet of school life, and assessment is one of the big pieces that has been thrown into disarray.

States are required to get federal permission to suspend or cancel statewide tests, since they’re required by federal law. The U.S. Department of Education said March 12 that it would consider “targeted” waivers federal testing requirements because of the “extraordinary circumstance” of the coronavirus.

On March 20, the department shifted to a broader approach that lets most states bypass all federal testing requirements. By March 31, it granted initial approval of assessment waivers for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Bureau of Indian Education.

We started by posting a short list of states that had cancelled testing or were seeking waivers. As kept you updated, the list grew longer. And within three weeks, the entire national testing landscape had changed.

Alabama: U.S. Department of Education granted initial approval of testing waiver

Alaska: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Arizona: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Arkansas: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Bureau of Indian Education: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

California: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Colorado: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Connecticut: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Delaware: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

District of Columbia: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Florida: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Georgia: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Hawaii: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Idaho: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Illinois: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Indiana: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Iowa: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Kansas: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Kentucky: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Louisiana: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Maine: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Maryland: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Massachusetts: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Michigan: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Minnesota: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Mississippi: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Missouri: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Montana: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Nebraska: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Nevada: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

New Hampshire: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

New Jersey: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

New Mexico: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

New York: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

North Carolina: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

North Dakota: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Ohio: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Oklahoma: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Oregon: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Pennsylvania: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Puerto Rico: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Rhode Island: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

South Carolina: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

South Dakota: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Tennessee: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Texas: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Utah: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Vermont: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Virginia: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Washington: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

West Virginia: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Wisconsin: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Wyoming: U.S. DOE granted initial approval of testing waiver

Image: AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file, edited by EdWeek

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.