Testing Resistance & Reform News: October 17 - 23, 2013

What a week!  There's been so much coverage of the escalating movement against high-stakes that it's hard to keep up.  Just look at our growing list of allies in these news reports: parents, students, teachers, school administrators, academic testing experts, community activists, world famous authors, public officials, Republican lawmakers and even Zombies!

Famed Authors and Illustrators of Children's Books Call on Pres. Obama to Cut Back Testing
http://fairtest.org/FT-Press-Release-on-Chidrens-Authors-Letter

Standardized Tests Turn Kids Off From Reading
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2013/1023/Authors-illustrators-to-Obama-standardized-tests-turn-kids-off-to-reading

Student Zombies Protest Standardized Testing
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2013/10/zombie_crawl_opt_out_standardized_testing.php

Parents' Opt Out Campaign Forces School to Cancel Test
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/parents-opt-city-test-article-1.1492127

New York Lawmakers Call for Ed. Chief's Resignation
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/10/8534767/lawmakers-call-education-chiefs-resignation#.UmBzcgkDk4Q.twitter

New York Teachers Seek Moratorium on Common Core Testing Consequences
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2013/10/new_york_unions_target_commiss.html

Common Core Testing Technology Demands Stress School Budgets
http://www.myveronanj.com/2013/10/21/verona-must-spend-500k-tech-ready-state-testing/

Common Core Test Moratorium Public Education Tools
http://fairtest.org/fairtest-infographic-common-core-more-tests-not-be

School Boards Pressed to Adopt Testing Cut-back Resolution
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/education/teacher-asks-eden-school-board-to-pass-resolution-opposing-standardized-testing-20131018

Use the National Resolution for Organizing in Your Community
http://timeoutfromtesting.org/nationalresolution/

Texas Districts Develop New Assessment System
http://jasonstanford.org/2013/10/texas-test-wars-a-new-hope/

Tennessee School Board Unanimously Opposes Test-Based Teacher License Renewal
http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/23878777/article-School-board-opposes-state-license-plan

North Carolina Educators Organize Against Test-Based Pay and Tenure
http://news.yahoo.com/nc-educators-oppose-law-ending-140501880.html

Testing Overkill Fuels Opt-Out Movement
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20131020/OPINION01/310200071/0/juice01/

Virginia Republican Legislators Talk About Reducing Testing Volume
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/va-gop-lawmakers-to-focus-on-sol-reform-in-2014/2013/10/21/b02f0a5e-3a7f-11e3-b7ba-503fb5822c3e_story.html

School-Grading Scheme Misleads Public
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/analysis-oklahoma-grade-plan-masks-performance-may-intensify-weaknesses/article_783356f5-3663-5c5d-b5cc-50ebcdaa2360.html

Value-Added Teacher Evaluation Train Wreck is Here
http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/the-value-added-growth-score-train-wreck-is-here/

Faking the Grade: Test-Tutoring Companies Push for More Taxpayer Funding
http://www.texastribune.org/2013/10/20/after-misuse-push-continue-tutoring-mandate/

Activists Say Jeb Bush's Foundation is "Dating Service" For Firms Seeking Education Tax Dollars
http://www.postonpolitics.com/2013/10/activists-say-jebs-foundation-a-dating-service-for-corps-seeking-education-dollars/

Jeb Bush Admits That Schools Test Too Much
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2013/10/bill-mckenzie-please-note-jeb-bush-says-schools-test-too-much.html/

Reversing the Wrong Course on Test Data and Accountability
http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2013/10/data-driven-improvement-accountability

NEA Develops Indicators for "Great Public Schools"
www.nea.org/assets/docs/GPS_Indicators_Framework_Final4.pdf

Standardized Testing is Really Great -- Not!
http://www.examiner.com/article/standardized-testing-is-really-great