Author: FairTest

More victories in rolling back high-stakes testing misuse this week, but there’s still a long way to go to achieve real assessment reform. Use these stories as ammunition in your local and statewide campaigns. NationalFewer States Use Test Scores for Teacher Evaluationhttps://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/us/2019/10/08/teacher-evaluation-test-scores-nctq-obama-duncan/ AlabamaEducators Concerns That Many Third Grades Will Be Held Back By New Reading […]

With each passing week, it becomes ever clearer that public school assessment policies are framed more by political, ideological, and business concerns than educational evidence. Keeping the heat on politicians, exposing their motivations and documenting the financial interests of the testing industry helps build the clout necessary to win genuine reforms. Multiple States What Happens […]

Politicians are finally beginning to heed the assessment reform message. In state after state, grassroots activism by parents, students, educators and community leaders is forcing policy makers to roll back standardized exam requirements, particularly the high-states consequences attached to test scores. Keep the pressure on! Multiple States Could Testing Wreck Civics Education? https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/09/18/can-tests-capture-students-civic-dispositions.html California School […]

for further information: Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 mobile (239) 699-0468 embargoed for use with 2019 College Board SAT scores — Tuesday, September 24, 2019 SAT SCORE GAPS BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS GROWS LARGER; TEST REMAINS A CLEARER MEASURE OF FAMILY BACKGROUND THAN HIGHER EDUCATION READINESS 1,050+ COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES NOW DO NOT REQUIRE SAT OR ACT SCORES […]

The drumbeat of criticism documenting the negative fallout from test-driven education policies grows ever louder. With each passing school day, more parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders recognize the damage being inflicted on educational quality and equity. It’s time for policymakers to pay attention . . . or be replaced! California Assigning Single Grade to […]

Grade retention and diploma denials are among the worst politically motivated misuses of standardized tests. That’s why assessment reform activists have made repealing these counter-productive policies a top priority. Check out these FairTest fact sheets for ammunition to use in your local campaigns. Grade Retention: https://fairtest.org.org/arn/retenfct.htm Graduation Tests: https://www.fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated Please help FairTest maintain the capacity […]

As evidence of the many failures of test-driven school “reform” continues to mount, more parents, educators, and community leaders are organizing effective campaigns to roll back standardized exam misuse and overuse. Use these models to build victories in your home state. NationalHow Much Are U.S. Students Tested Compared to Those In Top-Performing Countries?http://ncee.org/2019/08/testing-out/ FloridaMore Proof […]

Though classrooms have not even opened for the fall semester in many parts of the country, activists are already posting victories — often won with support from FairTest — that will overhaul school testing policies. Please help give FairTest the muscle to help more grassroots organizers, educators and other allies roll back testing overkill and […]

The new school year is shaping up to be a pivotal period for the assessment reform movement. Already, a spate of stories have appeared documenting new policies that roll back some of the worst cases of testing overkill. And there’s much more coverage of the damage being done to educational quality and equity by the […]

Big news this week: New York State, whose “Regents Exams” are often cited as a model for other state assessment programs, is rethinking its graduation test requrement. With increasing grassroots pressure from parents, students, educators and community activists during the new school year, even more jurisdictions will roll back standardized exam misuse and overuse. California […]