This is meant to support states who find they need additional flexibility beyond the three options listed in the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) February 2021 letter to state chiefs. This rationale accompanies the Assessment Flexibility Guidance (ED614803) posted by the Center for Assessment on March 9, 2021. State leaders should select and modify aspects of this document as they see fit to help make their case for their waiver request. The Center for Assessment believes that decisions about statewide summative testing during the spring of 2021 should be informed by local contexts and state policy priorities. Some state leaders may conclude it is appropriate and feasible to move forward with testing, while others will determine conditions suggest another alternative as the best course of action. The authors believe state leaders should be afforded flexibility when it is determined that the risks outweigh the potential benefits.