President Joe Biden's administration wants a lower stakes environment for state standardized testing this year as the pandemic continues to upend schools and classroom instruction across the country.

But the umbrella labor group that represents teachers in New York is not happy about the testing requirement for states. 

The New York State United Teachers, in a statement, knocked the move by the Biden administration over testing. The organization has previously backed a waiver of testing for students in grades 3 through 8, as well as high school testing requirements. 

“In a year that has been anything but standard, mandating that students take standardized tests just doesn’t make sense,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “As the educators in the classroom, we have always known that standardized tests are not the best way to measure a child’s development, and they are especially unreliable right now. We need to ensure that our students who have been hit hardest during the pandemic receive the support they need. Sizing up students with inequitable and stressful exams is not the solution.”

The Biden administration on Monday said schools would not be held accountable for the test results, and states can give shorter or delayed versions of the exames. But NYSUT, in its rebuke, criticized any approach that would once again require testing. 

“We have grave concerns that standardized tests at any level can be administered in any sort of equitable way,” NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene T. DiBrango said. “Students deserve better. Regardless of what flexibility the federal government provides, no student should be forced to come to school in-person just to take a test.”