Schools in D.C. will not administer standardized tests this academic year, marking the second consecutive year students will not have to sit through the high-stakes exams.

Interim State Superintendent of Education Shana Young asked in March for a one-time waiver to the federally-mandated tests from the U.S. Department of Education, which granted the request Tuesday. A similar waiver, which applies to D.C. Public Schools and charter schools, was granted last year.

Administrators traditionally use scores on the end-of-year Partnership for Assessment of Readiness in College and Careers exams to gauge students’ academic performance and direct resources to schools that need additional help. 

But with the vast majority of public school students still learning from home, Young said testing this year would not paint an accurate picture of student achievement. Planning for the standardized exams, also known as PARCC, would divert attention away from getting students back to in-person learning, she added.

“Limited school and staff time and resources must be prioritized to ensure that students successfully adjust to new routines and schools are able to maximize instructional time,” Young said in the application to the federal government.

She said the city will not mandate students show up to campuses to take tests in person. And having students take the exams remotely would lead to different testing conditions, creating equity issues. 

In a statement, Young said the city values the assessments for helping advance student learning. The District is planning to resume standardized testing next year, she said. Some D.C. students lack stable internet and access to digital devices or do not have quiet home environments, she said. 

The decision to cancel the exams this year are a relief to many teachers and parents, who argued the tests would be too academically and emotionally disruptive for students during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Scott Goldstein, executive director of EmpowerEd, an organization that advocates for D.C. teachers, said preparing for and administering PARCC tests can eat away at several weeks of class time. 

Testing also creates stress for students and teachers, who have already faced significant strain this academic year. 

“That’s time we’re taking away from students continuing to learn,” he said.

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, who co-sponsored a measure last month directing city officials to apply for the testing waiver, said students’ scores on standardized exams would not tell educators anything new.

Research widely shows the pandemic has disproportionately affected students of color, students from low-income families and students with disabilities, exacerbating long standing achievement and opportunity gaps. 

 “We don’t need standardized tests to tell us that,” she said.