The U.S. Department of Education said Monday that it will not allow states to skip the federally mandated standardized tests this year, but will give them some flexibility. In March 2020, the Education Department granted waivers to all 50 states, excusing them from testing requirements as they started closing schools due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus outbreak. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act—the main federal law that governs K-12 education—states must test all students for English, math, and science every year from grades three through eight and once in high school. In the Feb. 22 letter (pdf) to states, the department said that states will not receive “blanket waivers of assessments” like last year. However, the department said it would allow states to move tests to the summer or fall, or they can offer shortened versions of tests or administer the tests online. In addition, the department told …