Chalkbeat has the story,

The Biden administration said Monday that states must administer federally required standardized tests this year, but schools won’t be held accountable for the results — and states could give shorter, remote, or delayed versions of the exams.

The decision means that schools will have to find ways to safely administer tests to tens of millions of students, many of whom are still learning remotely. It’s the first high-stakes decision for the Biden education department, coming even before its secretary of education nominee has been confirmed, and a signal that the new administration sees test score data as part of its strategy for helping students recover from the pandemic.

“To be successful once schools have re-opened, we need to understand the impact COVID-19 has had on learning and identify what resources and supports students need,” Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant education secretary, wrote in a letter to state education leaders.

While I have been hesitant to support statewide standardized testing this year, I think this is the right call.