Weaver Sides With No State Testing

Both Putnam and Cumberland County Schools want the state to not penalize districts over state testing this school year.

Representative Terri Lynn Weaver serves on the House Education Committee. She said she agrees with the systems’ position.

“I am all for the concerns of the parents,” Weaver said. “We do not need to go down that path of making testing detrimental to our evaluation and penalizing our school.”

Weaver said all the legislature paused all standardized testing in the spring. The Education Committee is set to meet at the end of September to discuss what to do about the evaluations.

“It is hard to gauge your classroom when your classroom is literally not in your classroom,” Weaver said. “It is a little unfair to require all these testings when basically they are not in the classroom. So, it is hard for teachers to take part and to give those tests.”

Weaver said the State Department of Education is worried about children falling behind in class if testing is dismissed. Weaver said she disagrees with the argument since children are adaptable to learning.

“The department can not demand that all these tests go forward when in fact we are not in the same playing field, period,” Weaver said. “I will stand with the school board, and I will definitely stand with these resolutions in favor of allowing us to be on a pause until we get back where we used to be.”

Weaver said schools would still be accountable for ensuring students receive the education they need. She said she understood parents’ concern about testing overall because school systems just days into the school year are already worried about testing.