Author: FairTest

More than 60% of public school parents support cancelling K-12 standardized exams scheduled for this spring. Newly published survey data from the University of Southern California “Understanding America Study” show that sentiment for cancelling this academic year’s required tests has been growing rapidly as the pandemic has shut down many classrooms. Opposition to administering standardized […]

The results of last week’s landmark elections continue to reverberate across the country and around the world. Federal education policy is likely to feel some of the most immediate impacts from Joe Biden’s presidency. Already educators, parents, and activists are mobilizing to ensure selection of a Secretary of Education who supports assessment reform and to […]

School testing policy is among the issues whose future direction is being shaped as ballots are cast and counted. A growing number of office-seekers advocate for replacing standardized exam misuse and overuse with assessments that support learning and teaching. In other races, the differences among candidates may be more nuanced. But, across the board, election […]

FairTest at 35: What’s Happening Now, What’s Next for Assessment Reform? https://www.fairtest.org/fairtest%E2%80%99s-35th-%E2%80%93-what%E2%80%99s-next-assessment-reform National Biden Campaign Will Not Commit to Spring 2021 Testing Waivers; Trump/DeVos Oppose Them http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2020/10/biden-state-testing-waivers.html California Selective High School Will Admit Students by Lottery Next Year https://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/Lowell-High-School-will-use-lottery-admission-15662977.php Colorado Superintendents Call on State to Suspend Spring 2021 Standardized Exams https://gazette.com/news/pikes-peak-region-school-superintendents-appeal-to-state-to-stop-standardized-testing-this-school-year/article_66f86102-12f7-11eb-a20f-0b37f395042d.html Florida Our Students Are […]

More state and local education leaders are weighing in on the need to suspend standardized exam requirements for the current public school year. A coordinated campaign to seek federal waivers and roll back high-stakes tests, at least for spring 2021, is likely to be launched soon after the upcoming election. NationalSome Teachers Are Being Evaluated […]

Across the U.S., a strong movement is building among parents, teachers, school leaders and community activists to win an extension of standardized exam waivers at least through Spring 2021 and to press for a more extensive overhaul of testing requirements. The last few weeks leading up to November 3 are an excellent time to let […]

One month from Election Day 2020, the future of standardized exam requirements is becoming increasingly controversial in state and local contests. As you fill out your ballot, remember that high-stakes testing is now more of a “political” issue than an “educational” one. Your vote can make a difference in determining the future direction of assessment […]

Interesting to note that so much of the growing pressure to suspend spring 2021 school tests (or minimize the impact of their results) is coming from regions where assessment reform campaigns have not been particularly strong in the past. Leadership from states such as Georgia, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming will add to […]

Pressure is mounting on states and municipalities to push back against U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her test-and-punish allies who are demanding that schools administer high-stakes standardized exams during a pandemic. In contrast, about 70% of all four-year colleges and universities, including nearly all of the most selective institutions, have waived ACT/SAT testing requirements […]

A major fight is shaping up pitting Trump Administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her inside-the-Beltway, stay-the-course testing allies against local school boards, teacher unions, and assessment reform activists around the issue of resuming high-stakes, mandatory standardized exams during the current school year. Make no mistake about it: this is primarily a political and […]