Kara Blevins

Dr. Carney & Dr. Reinard

IDC-201-703
2/23/21

Media Scoop

Article Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/standardized-testing-education-department-2021/

The article I chose is about how the Biden administration is pushing for standardized

testing to continue this year regardless of the ongoing pandemic. This is the opposite of what the

Trump administration did last year (which was to allow districts to cancel standardized testing).

There will be accommodations made for this testing to keep teachers, students, and faculty safe.

The modifications include moving the testing dates back until the summer or fall, remote testing,

and shortened versions of the tests. Ian Rosenblum (assistant education secretary) wrote a three-

page letter to state education heads regarding this information. Rosenblum mentions they realize

the impact of Covid-19 as he states in his letter, “We know, however, that some schools and

school districts may face circumstances in which they are not able to safely administer statewide

summative assessments this spring using their standard practices." While mentions the safety

circumstances, he fails to mention the impact of online learning on students and how that may

affect their standardized test results. Many teachers and faculty members aren’t happy with the

decision to move forward with this year's standardized testing due to the high-stress students

have been under since learning online. Teachers unions were also unsupportive and the President

of the America Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten spoke out, “Biden administration's

plan "misses a huge opportunity to help our students" and instead suggested, "locally developed,

authentic assessments that could be used by educators and parents as a baseline for work this

summer and next year." Do you believe we missed an opportunity to help relieve stress from our

students?
Kara Blevins
Dr. Carney & Dr. Reinard
IDC-201-703
2/23/21
-Chart below taken from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/remote-students-are-

more-stressed-their-peers-classroom-study-shows-n1257632

The problem that I have with this scenario is the push for standardized testing. I already

believe that these tests in no way show each student's full capability and intellect, but instead,

turn students into numbers and results. I completely agree with Randi Weingarten’s statement,

there was a chance to help relieve pressure from students and teachers and Biden’s

administration didn’t take that opportunity. All of these students are essentially being

homeschooled, and as a former homeschooler, I know how hard learning at home or online can

truly be. I’m very fortunate to have been acclimated to online learning before this pandemic, but

I cannot imagine the millions of children struggling right now. The question I’m asking myself

after reading this article is why are we making it harder on these teachers and students? (As well

as parents). These standardized tests will certainly bring stress upon students as many are already

feeling behind or lost in school. I understand that we need a baseline for next year, but at what

cost? There are other ways besides high stake school rankings. Toward the end of the article

Becky Pringle, who is the president of the largest education union in the U.S. (Nation Education

Association) made a wonderful point, "…tailor assessments that can determine where students
Kara Blevins
Dr. Carney & Dr. Reinard
IDC-201-703
2/23/21
are and help design an educational experience that fully supports their academic, social and

emotional needs." What I love about this statement is how she mentions social and emotional

needs- something I think the Biden Administration is forgetting that these students have!

https://www.ted.com/talks/maddison_dawn_does_standardized_testing_kill_individuality

-A video about standardized testing and ways we can showcase students achievements,

intelligence, and individuality.

Overall, I believe this article sheds insight on who is looking out for our students and who is

looking out for statistics. Now that some students around the United States are going back to in-

person classes they are going to have to readjust. Standardized testing could resume as normal

next year and for this year there could be tailored assessments to truly help see where the

students are and what we can do for them. It’s time that we made testing more about the students

and what we can do for them rather than what the test results can do for us. This could

potentially be the end of standardized testing and the start of something more beneficial if we

allowed it! I believe a lot has changed since Covid-19 and if we were going to change something

for good, it should be standardized testing. However, I feel for these students as they will most

likely have to go through standardized testing during this time. Perhaps the Biden administration

will show some leniency on these stressed students.

Regarding the article overall, I liked that it wasn’t bias toward or against standardized

testing, it was simply giving us the facts. While CBS News usually leans left, I felt that the story

was covered in an appropriate matter and with numerous opinions. The reporter, Kate Smith, has

years of experience not only with CBS News but also with Bloomberg News. After researching

the same story through numerous different news sites I concluded that this article is indeed

factual and can be considered credible. The article is published on a site that ends in .com which
Kara Blevins
Dr. Carney & Dr. Reinard
IDC-201-703
2/23/21
is usually considered unreliable for scholarly research, however, I believe for a news story, this

source was sufficient.

Source

Smith, K. (2021, February 23). Biden administration won’t let states cancel standardized testing

but will allow delays. Retrieved February 23, 2021, from

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/standardized-testing-education-department-2021/
Kara Blevins
Dr. Carney & Dr. Reinard
IDC-201-703
2/23/21