Thirty-five years ago this weekend, news stories across the nation reported, “The tens of millions of Americans who take standardized exams each year now have an organization to defend their rights.” FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing was launched at a news conference featuring civil rights, education reform, feminist, and student leadersduring the College Board’s annual meeting.
Pressure from grassroots activists and a bipartisan group of policymakers has forced President Trump and Education Secretary DeVos to allow states to suspend federal standardized exam requirements in the wake of the coronavirus. To protect public school children, educators and their families, state leaders must now be pressed to: 1) Apply immediately for waivers of federal assessment mandates by filing a formal request with the U.S. Department of Education to be relieved of Every Student Succeeds Act testing obligations; AND
FairTest is pleased to announce that well-known testing expert Akil Bello has joined our assessment reform team. He will enhance our capacity to win more victories in rolling back standardized testing misuse and overuse while promoting better forms of assessment. You can now reach Akil at akil@fairtest.org
National After Two Decades of Testing Obsession, Scant Progress in Ensuring Bright Prospects for All Students
Not surprisingly, the huge, national college admissions scandal -- with a major testing component -- dominated this week's education news. The fact that so many other stories about standardized exams also appeared attests to the power of parents, educators and activists in making assessment reform a powerful issue.
Florida Students Get More Time for Test Prep, Not Learning
Between expensive test prep, pricey advisors, unethical, and, in this case, downright illegal behavior, ACT and SAT scores are easily “gamed” by those with financial means. To reduce the unfair advantage that people with abundant resources have in our test-reliant admissions system, FairTest leads the national movement for test-optional admissions policies. Today more than 1,000 colleges and universities have test-optional policies that evaluate an applicant's entire portfolio.
FairTest is part of a new Massachusetts coalition with a simple message: It's time for Governor Charlie Baker and the state legislature to make it their number one priority to reinvest $1.5 billion a year in public education, from pre-K through college, with the funding increase not attached to any additional testing.
Our public education system is a key part of what makes Massachusetts a great place to live and work. But testing overkill, combined with austerity school funding, has undermined our schools and our quality of life.
