Author: FairTest

for further information Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 mobile (239) 699-0468 for immediate release, Tuesday, January 5, 2016 TESTING REFORM LEADER TELLS STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. “OUR CHILDREN AND FLORIDA TAXPAYERS DESERVE BETTER THAN POLITICALLY MANIPULATED GRADES BASED ON A DEFECTIVE STANDARDIZED EXAM” At its Wednesday, January 6 meeting, the State Board of Education should reject […]

RESOLUTION ON HIGH-STAKES TESTING This resolution is modeled on theresolution passed by more than 85% of Texas School boards. It was written by Advancement Project; Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; FairTest; Forum for Education and Democracy; MecklenburgACTS; Deborah Meier; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; National Education Association; New York Performance Standards […]

for further information: Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 Lisa Guisbond (617) 959-2371 Updated Monday, August 29, 2016 MORE THAN 675,000 STUDENTS REFUSED STATE TESTS ACROSS U.S. IN 2015; EVEN BROADER PROTESTS PLANNED FOR SPRING 2016 EXAM SEASON GROWING OPT-OUT MOVEMENT SPURS ASSESSMENT REFORMS Around the U.S., more than two-thirds of a million public school students refused […]

The New Federal Education Law: A Basis for a Stronger Testing Resistance and Assessment Reform Movement The U.S. Congress has replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) with a comprehensive overhaul of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, called the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA). The re-write ends most of the punitive NCLB mandates and […]

Congress has passed the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA). This bill is the latest version of the long-standing Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces the universally despised “No Child Left Behind.” The new law presents both opportunities and dangers for the testing resistance and reform movement. How can the movement use the opportunities, counter […]

ESEA Reauthorization: A New Basis to Expand High-Stakes Testing Resistance and Assessment Reform By Monty Neill Years overdue, Congress is about to vote on replacing the test-and-punish mandates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) with a comprehensive overhaul of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The re-write will also end the even more punitive […]

On November 11, 2015, FairTest honored Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Lani Guinier with the Deborah W. Meier Heroes in Education award. Lani Guinier is the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and author of The Tyranny of the Meritocracy. Nancy Carlsson-Paige is co-founder of Defending the Early Years and Professor Emerita at Lesley […]

for further information: Lisa Guisbond (617) 959-2371 Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792 or Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 for immediate release Monday, November 9, 2015 NEW REPORT: “TESTING REFORM VICTORIES 2014-2015: GROWING GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT ROLLS BACK TESTING OVERKILL” Pressure from parents, students, teachers, school officials and community leaders began turning the tide against standardized exam overuse […]

INDEPENDENT TEST RESULTS SHOW NCLB FAILS No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law in 2002, the latest version of the long-standing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Its provisions, such as testing grades 3-8 annually in reading and math and punitive sanctions, took effect over the next several years. The law is eight […]

for further information: Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 for release with NAEP scores, Wednesday, October 28, 2015 NAEP RESULTS ADD TO EVIDENCE OF TEST-AND-PUNISH ERA FAILURES;FEDERAL ASSESSMENT POLICY NEEDS SUBSTANTIVE OVERHAUL,NOT JUST RHETORICAL REPOSITIONING Scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released today “provide more evidence that test-and-punish policies, which […]