Indiana is requiring in-person standardized testing for elementary, middle and high school students this spring.
A letter from the state Department of Education says these standardized tests — ILEARN and IREAD — are too important to take remotely, that doing so could risk inaccurate results.
By state and federal law, schools must administer these assessments. Parents cannot opt out.
Monroe County Community School Corporation board president Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer says the in-person requirement is frustrating for many parents.
“If I were a parent, and I were concerned about our family’s health and compromising it and wanting to keep my kid home, I would be talking to the state Board of Education, talking to my state legislators, talking to the governor about forcing people to come in that don’t want to, don’t feel safe," Fuentes-Rohwer says.
Some advocates for remote standardized tests point to other assessments administered remotely, such as last spring’s AP exams.
Suggestions from the state include scheduling remote and in-person students’ separately and scheduling groups on different days.
MCCSC will require masks, social distancing and frequent hand sanitizing while testing. Each student will have their own device and workspace. Parents will have to screen their child for COVID-19 symptoms before sending them to school.
The school district will release specific testing schedules within the upcoming weeks.
