Meet the New Test. Same as the Old Test.
FairTest Senior Director of Advocacy Akil Bello expounds on the Classical Learning Test, Florida’s latest culture war gambit that turns out to be just another highly suspect and flawed standardized test. In his continued assault on public education and American ideals of equality, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has exposed that assessment creation and adoption is […]
ACT/SAT-Optional, Test-Free Admissions Movement Expands Again: Record 1,900+ Schools Do Not Require Scores For Fall 2024 Entrance
for further information, contact: Harry Feder (917) 273-8939 Bob Schaeffer (239) 699-0468 for immediate release Wednesday, July 26, 2023 ACT/SAT-OPTIONAL, TEST-FREE ADMISSIONS MOVEMENT EXPANDS AGAIN:RECORD 1,900+ SCHOOLS DO NOT REQUIRE SCORES FOR FALL 2024 ENTRANCE AS NEW CYCLE OF COMMON APPLICATION OPENS NEXT WEEK, FAIRTEST LIST NOW INCLUDES ALL-TIME HIGH 85% OF COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIESAs a new […]
FairTest Report: “Merit” Awards: Myths, Realities and Barriers to Access
for further information:Akil Bello 917 771-0081 Harry Feder 917 273-8939 for immediate release, Wednesday, June 21, 2023 MOST “MERIT” SCHOLARSHIPS NO LONGER DEPEND ON ACT/SAT SCORES, BUT PERSISTENT TEST-BASED, FINANCIAL AID HURDLES STILL BLOCK COLLEGE ACCESS FOR THOUSANDS OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS; NEW FAIRTEST REPORT ANALYZES PROGRAMS AND IMPACTS Undergraduate admissions has become far less standardized […]
Vast Majority of U.S. Colleges and Universities Extend SAT/ACT Optional Admission Policies to Fall 2024 and Beyond
SCHOOLS RECOGNIZE TEST RESULTS ARE “RACE CONSCIOUS” FACTORS IN ADVANCE OF SUPREME COURT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION DECISIONS See FairTest Press Release on extension of test-optional/test-free university admissions policies in advance of Supreme Court affirmative action decision. https://fairtest.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Test-Optional-Growth-pre-Supreme-Court-June-2023.docx
High Stakes Testing Rollback Continues: Assessment Reform News–March 2023
Bills to roll back high-stakes exam overkill and replace standardized tests with performance assessments are advancing in multiple state legislatures. Check out FairTest’s directory of model assessment reform proposals at: https://fairtest.org/model-legislation/ Alabama State Ed Board Considers Dropping High School ACT Test Requirementhttps://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/03/alabama-considers-dropping-high-school-act-test-requirement.htmlCalifornia The Challenge of Determining the Meaning of Test Scoreshttps://www.delmartimes.net/our-columns/story/2023-03-13/education-matters-the-challenge-of-interpreting-test-scoresColorado New Bill Encourages Innovative Educational Assessments That Encourage […]
Columbia and William & Mary Go Permanently Test Optional; FairTest Applauds and Analyzes Decisions
Executive Director Harry Feder discusses test optional policies on CBS News and New York Fox5, noting that SAT/ACT scores “correlate fantastically with family income” and that contrary to what some would like to believe, the SAT/ACT “ain’t objective.” https://www.cbsnews.com/video/schools-consider-ditching-sat-act-test-score-requirements/ https://www.fox5ny.com/video/1188729
Assessment Reform News: February 2023
Testingreformseason is heating up with many state legislatures considering proposals to reduce standardized exam overkill at the same time public schools are gearing up to administer another round of federal- and state-mandatedassessments. Assessment reform campaigns are heating up across the nation. In both K-12 and higher education, there’s renewed energy to replace high-stakes testing hurdles with authentic […]
When the Monopoly Has No Soul: The Problem of College Board Curricular and Testing Dominance
Akil Bello, Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement, explains the real danger when a profit-driven entity is charged with stewardship of an essential discipline of study and how it allowed itself to be hijacked by political and race-baiting interests.
Assessment Reform News: January 2023
More cracks in the wall of political support for high-stakes, standardized test driven education with assessment reform initiatives advancing across the country often with FairTest and our allies in the lead. As legislatures convene for their 2023 sessions, many states will be considering proposals to roll back high-stakes standardized exam misuses and advance better forms […]
Number Of States Requiring Tests For High School Graduation Plunges to EIGHT – Lowest Count Since Mid-1990s
POLICYMAKERS RECOGNIZE EXIT EXAM MANDATES HURT THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITHOUT IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL QUALITY Harry Feder (917) 273-8939 Bob Schaeffer (239) 699-0468 for immediate release Thursday, January 5, 2023 As public-school students return to their classrooms after the holiday break, a new national tally finds that only eight states will require current high […]