Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

Montana joined at least half a dozen other states last month in asking the federal government to waive its required standardized testing for schoolchildren this spring. But under a new directive issued by the U.S. Department of Education last week, schools across the state will be required to administer the testing this year, despite the ongoing pandemic.

In a letter announcing the decision, the department said standardized test results will be critical in gauging the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on learning, and will give parents an indication of how their children are doing.

“We must al...