Mar 19, 2020

Kan. Education Commissioner: K-12 tests cancelled this year

Posted Mar 19, 2020 6:00 PM
Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson during Tuesday's news conference in Topeka.
Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson during Tuesday's news conference in Topeka.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson on Thursday said state standardized tests will be cancelled this year because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

Watson told reporters that because the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t allow virtual testing, tests are off this year unless something changes “dramatically.” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced an executive order on Tuesday that temporarily shuttered schools.

“It would just be impossible for it to be done in the manner that it should be done from a confidentiality perspective,” Watson said of the school tests.

A Kansas education task force rolled out guidelines to help school districts, teachers and parents navigate remote learning.