This was a shocker – late last night the federal Department of Education approved California’s request for flexibility around required state testing.

You can read about it at Ed Source’s article, California school districts get OK to choose local assessments or statewide tests this spring.

Here’s an excerpt:

California’s plan allows school districts to select their own assessment option or use the state’s Smarter Balanced assessments. Districts will also not be required to administer the California Science Test, which the state board included in its request to the U.S. Department of Education. Other flexibilities, such as extending the timeline for all tests until July 30 and removing the consequences of having less than 95% participation, were also accepted…

 

It’s not ideal, of course, but whatever local assessment option our district chooses is going to be a whole lot better than having to deal with SBAC!

It’s a real shocker – to me, at least – since what at least sounded like a similar request from South Carolina had been denied last week.  The Ed Source article explains the differences in the request, which still seem pretty minor to me, but I’m not complaining (though I bet educators in South Carolina will be!).  You can also read more about last week’s denials here.

This change might make our move to hybrid teaching a little less bad….