KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri students will get a break from state assessment tests this school year because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven made the announcement in a video posted to social media sites of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
"There is a time and a place for statewide required assessments and now is not the time,'' Vandeven said in a video statement. "Effective immediately, Missouri will be cancelling statewide required assessments for this school year.''
“There is a time and a place for statewide required assessments and now is not the time. Effective immediately, Missouri will be cancelling statewide required assessments for this school year.”
— Missouri DESE (@MOEducation) March 19, 2020
-@MoCommissioner pic.twitter.com/5GetlpBVrm
Earlier Thursday, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced that all 555 schools, including charter schools, in the state had shut down voluntarily as of 1:30 p.m.
"Rest assured, that we are taking this issue off of your plates, so you can serve the needs of our children," Vandeven said.
Vandeven said she expects a waiver from the federal government related to required state assessments to be announced soon.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has yet to announce any additional school closures, though most Kansas City area schools on the Missouri side are closed through at least April 6.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly ordered all in-person classes canceled for the rest of the academic year.
