FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rep. Green Urges Secretary DeVos to Waive High Stakes Testing This School Year

FRANKLIN, Tenn.—Today, Rep. Mark Green sent a letter to Secretary Betsy DeVos urging the Department of Education to waive high stakes testing requirements for the 2020-2021 school year. Green said:

“Requiring high stakes testing during a pandemic is both unnecessary and counterproductive. In hard times like these, we must go the extra mile to support our students and teachers who are struggling, rather than burdening them. Teachers, students, and parents quickly adapted in the wake of this pandemic, and our education system must do the same. I join the ranks of families and schools across the country in urging the Department of Education to acknowledge these challenges and immediately grant any state requests for a one-year waiver of high stakes testing for the 2020-2021 school year.”

“Students can learn safely and effectively in person with the right precautions,” Green continued. “It’s irresponsible for our education system to overlook the challenges of this pandemic and divert resources that could instead be used to close the learning loss gap.”

Earlier this week, Rep. Green called on State and Federal leaders to take action to waive burdensome testing and evaluation requirements during the pandemic.

Rep. Green has been a champion of both students and teachers during his time in the U.S. Congress and the Tennessee State Senate. He has sponsored bills to help students pay off student loans at the federal level, and, in Tennessee, he authored the Teachers’ Bill of Rights. 

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