In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MIDTESOL) organization urges state departments of education and associated educational professionals to prioritize protecting the health and safety of vulnerable populations, including students, their caregivers, their teachers, and other educational staff when developing and communicating plans related to English language and other testing requirements for learners of English.
Such efforts to protect the health of English learner populations and their communities should include flexibility with assessment timing and clear communication of testing related rights in accessible formats (including native language communication) to districts and families. Clear notification about the options available to families to opt out of testing requirements without negative consequences should be highlighted as well.
If testing is required, state departments of education, school districts, and schools must recognize that the testing results for many students may be both invalid and unreliable due to a variety of uncontrollable variables affecting the delivery of the tests, extreme disruptions to learning environments, and the unprecedented stress that students and educators are experiencing, all of which may prevent students’ ability to demonstrate their full scope of knowledge and skills on an assessment. Thus, test results from the 2020-2021 school year should be interpreted and used only with extreme caution and any decisions using the results should be based on a preponderance of additional supporting data.
This statement is similar to the statement made recently by the TESOL International Association, of which we are an affiliate.
