(Mineral City, Ohio) A local school district is formally and publicly speaking out against mandatory state testing.
The Tusky Valley Local School District recently announced resolutions designed to showcase their stance against the mandatory state testing for students. The state typically mandates testing for specific grades each year, however, many are outraged by this move in 2021 due to the last year and countless struggles related to COVID-19.
The Tusky Valley Local School Board of Education announced items V and VI during the March 8th, 2021 meeting regarding resolutions urging:
1.) The Ohio General Assembly to waive all state-mandated standardized testing requirements for the 2020-2021 school year, request a waiver from state-mandated testing from the US Department of Education, and declare the Tuscarawas Valley Local School Board’s support for House bills 67 and 40.
2.) Support of the Ohio School Boards Association 2021 Legislative Platform regarding EdChoice Vouchers.
House Bill 67 seeks to “enact section 3313.6120 of the Revised Code with regard to state assessments for the 2020-2021 school year and high school graduation requirements for the 2020-2021 through 2023-2024 school years, to require the Department of Education to seek a waiver from federal accountability and school identification requirements.”
Tusky Valley Superintendent Mark Murphy explained, “TVLSD has never shied away from state testing, especially when the results can be used to shape district priorities, target deficiencies, and establish goals. The Board is completely opposed, however, to testing intended to reveal learning gaps due to the pandemic simply for the benefit of the ‘system;’ not what is best for students or educators. Unnecessary standardized testing consumes days of instruction, adding to the learning loss legislators and state officials are so concerned about. Our primary focus will continue to be LEARNING and driving student achievement and growth forward using a variety of internal, research-based data measurement tools.”
Additionally, Jeff Wensing, Vice President of the Ohio Education Association testified in support of HB67:
“On behalf of our 121,000 members, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of House Bill 67. I want to begin by thanking Representatives Koehler and Bird for sponsoring this legislation as well as Representatives Sobecki and Crossman for sponsoring HB 40. Legislation to waive state and federally required testing this school year is welcomed by educators, parents and students across the state,” he stated. Wensing went on to add, “OEA strongly supports this bill to forego state and federally mandated testing for this school year. The administration of standardized tests is logistically challenging and anxiety-inducing under the best of circumstances. Of course, this year has been anything but the best of circumstances for our members and Ohio’s students. Testing this year would not provide reliable data and would only serve to take away meaningful time from classroom instruction and meeting the needs of students.”
Murphy added that Tusky Valley endorses the 2021 Legislative Platform of the Ohio School Boards Association, especially as it relates to requiring vouchers to be funded in a way that does not deduct from Ohio public school districts or by placing a cap on the amount of money a public school district can lose to vouchers.