WASHINGTON — Elementary and secondary schools will not be required to do standardized testing, and student borrowers with federal loans can request a reprieve from loan payments while the nation confronts the spreading coronavirus, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on Friday.

“A state that deems it necessary should proceed with canceling its statewide assessments,” the Education Department advised in a broad suspension of testing that has divided parents, students and educators alike since President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

The department also announced that all borrowers with federally held student loans will automatically have their interest rates set to 0 percent for at least 60 days. Those borrowers can also ask their loan servicers to suspend their payments for at least two months without penalty, the department said.

For borrowers who may want to continue payments, such as those enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the full amount of their payment will be applied to the principal if their interest payments are up-to-date.