Press Release: Statement from Councilmember Charles Allen on PARCC testing waiver for DC schools

News Release — Ward 6 DC Council member Charles Allen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2021

Contact: Erik Salmi

The following statement is from DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) on the news that the Office of the State Superintendent for Education has been granted a waiver from PARCC testing for the 2020-2021 school year. In February, Councilmember Allen introduced legislation that would have compelled OSSE to request a waiver on PARCC testing for the school year.

“Our students and teachers have endured so much challenge in the past year as we try to survive a global pandemic. It is a welcome bit of relief that schools won’t be evaluated as if it was a normal year. In February, I drafted emergency legislation with Councilmembers Mary Cheh and Janeese Lewis George to require OSSE to request a waiver. I withdrew the legislation when OSSE assured the Council that it would request the waiver. Thank you to OSSE for making a strong case.  We all want our students back in school – safely and equitably. Until then, this is one less headache for teachers and school leaders to worry about.

But let’s be careful not to confuse PARCC testing, which evaluates schools and school districts, with testing by teachers to assess student learning, which is still happening so we know where our students are and what we need to plan for next year. The point of our evaluations and data collection should always be in furtherance of student success and not just data for the sake of data.”

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