(ABC 57) – Michigan education leaders are urging U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to waive student assessments in the state.

Educators want to focus more on children’s immediate needs instead of testing.

Michigan’s annual M-Step tests are slated to begin on April 13 and run through May 28.

Michigan schools have been closed throughout the state until April 5, and teachers say it will be hard to prepare for testing in such a short time.

Educators plan to instead help students become re-acclimated to regular schooling once the period of E-learning is over.