Newtown, Conn. Students Are Granted A Waiver On Exams

NPR | By Eyder Peralta

Published March 7, 2013 at 1:06 PM EST

The student victims of the Connecticut school shooting rampage that left 20 first-graders and six educators dead in December have been granted an unprecedented one-time waiver on taking standardized tests.

The AP reports:

"The state Board of Education and state lawmakers voted Wednesday to approve measures allowing Newtown children in grades 3 through 8 to skip the Connecticut Mastery Tests that are being administered statewide this month."

Officials with the U.S. Department of Education OKd the waiver earlier this week.

The Connecticut Mirror reports that the tests are required by federal "No Child Left Behind" laws.

Eyder Peralta

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.

See stories by Eyder Peralta

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