The state’s largest teachers union is disappointed by a resolution by the Arizona State Board Education which indicates support for standardized testing for all students this spring.
The Arizona Legislature canceled these tests last school year due to the pandemic. The Trump administration also waived federal requirements. While it's not clear what federal and state lawmakers will decide for this school year, some board members said in a Monday meeting that they want to collect data on how the pandemic has impacted student learning.
Arizona Education Association feels the tests don't give teachers any guide to how to better instruct our students or provide great opportunities for them since results aren't ready until the end of the school year or when students have already moved on to the next grade.
She thinks the tests are even more unnecessary during a pandemic.
“The AEA just doesn’t necessarily believe that having standardized tests will give us any additional information than we already have," she said. "We feel like at a local level there’s enough data to really see where students are at.”
The AEA worries that if there a testing waiver given at a federal level, Arizona might decide not to take that waiver and instead test students.
