Devos asks Congress to delay standardized exams

WASHINGTON » The national standardized test regarded as a crucial barometer of student achievement could be postponed until 2022 due to the coronavirus, the Education Department announced Wednesday.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called on the National Center for Education Statistics -a branch of the Education Department responsible for the federal tests - to stop further spending in preparation for the January exam.

She also wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that removing the mandate to take the test should be an act of Congress and called on legislators to postpone it.