But he said, student data obtained from the tests was important to help education officials create policy and target resources where they are most needed. When federal funding is distributed to states, he said, “we have to make sure we are laser-focused on addressing inequities that have existed for years. ... Every bit of data helps.”
The Education Department announced this week how much money each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico would receive from the $122 billion in funding for K-12 schools that was included in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act.
Cardona made the comment during a question-and-answer period at the CCSSO conference when he was asked what he hoped to learn from the exams. His CCSSO appearance came a day after 548 members of the academic research community sent Cardona a letter, urging him to award states waivers from the exams because they will “exacerbate inequality” and “produce flawed data.”
They also urged Cardona to invest in “more holistically evaluating school quality” by “developing new measures of educational opportunities.”
Cardona said Tuesday that he would be willing to “reexamine what role assessments” play in education — but not immediately. CONTINUE READING: Education Secretary Cardona stands firm on standardized testing mandate amid criticism - The Washington Post