Seattle Teachers Boycott Tests
A boycott by Seattle teachers of district mandated Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests has drawn support from educators, parents and students across the country. Teachers said they refused to administer the tests because they cover material they are not expected to teach, they take too much time away from learning, especially for struggling students, […]
Testing Reform in the News: January 4 – January 9, 2013
The new year kicks off with another excellent set of stories about the growing assessment reform movement and the many flaws of test-driven policies. Sixth-grader Persuades WashPost Columnist to Support Testing Moratorium http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/exceptional-dc-student-educates-me/2013/01/06/b75ce0fa-5761-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_blog.html Testing Scam Puts Public Schools at Risk http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-school-testing-myword-010413-20130103,0,1595639.story Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment Op Ed — “School Testing System Badly Needs […]
How You Can Work for Testing Reform
1.Talk to others about test misuse. Break the silence by talking with other parents, teachers, neighbors and friendsone on one, in small groups, or at house parties.Share the facts about test overuse and misuse. • Use the fact sheets athttp://www.fairtest.org/fact%20sheets. 2.Create a network for change. Build alliances among school and community groups to work for […]
Testing Reform in the News: December 28, 2012 – January 3, 2013
Happy New Year ! The pace of stories about the accelerating movement against high-stakes testing slowed only slightly over the holidays. Let’s make 2013 a year of more victories for assessment reformers. Don’t hesitate to call on FairTest for assistance with your local campaigns, and be sure to use the many free resources available at […]
Testing Reform in the News: December 21 – December 27, 2012
If you find these news summaries helpful, please consider making a year-end gift to FairTest so we can continue this important work. All donations are completely tax-deductible. To contribute, simply click on http://tinyurl.com/SupportFairTest or mail your check to FairTest, P.O. Box 300204, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Many thanks! Here’s this week’s news NC State Super: […]
Testing Reform in the News: December 13 – December 19, 2012
More good material for your holiday season reading and viewing pleasure New Montgomery Super Showed Courage in Denouncing Standardized Tests http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/montgomerys-joshua-starr-shows-courage-for-denouncing-standardized-tests/2012/12/15/cb444cb4-4647-11e2-8e70-e1993528222d_story.html Texas Business Leaders Say Students Need Less High-Stakes Testing http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Students-need-less-high-stakes-testing-business-4113637.php What New Piece of the Universe Did Your Students Touch Today? — feature article in an information-rich edition of Texas teachers’ magazine http://tsta.org/sites/default/files/Winter-Advocate-Winter.pdf Testing […]
What's Wrong with Standardized Tests Infographic
For more complete information on each of these (and other) points see our full FairTest Fact Sheet: What’s Wrong with Standardized Tests To download a PDF copy of the infographic for printing, sharing or distributing please click here. (Link opens image, then either click print or save) To reuse the image on posters, tee-shirts, materials […]
Testing Reform in the News — December 7 – December 12, 2012
Even with the holiday season well underway, the pace of assessment reform news has not slackened. In fact, important new voices, including educational leaders, business officials, and students are joining the ever-growing chorus pushing back against high-stakes testing overkill. Montgomery County School Chief Seeks Three-Year Moratorium on High-Stakes Testing http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/12/10/moco-schools-chief-calls-for-three-year-moratorium-on-standardized-testing/ Political Leaders, Chamber of Commerce […]
FairTest Senate testimony connects testing with school to prison pipeline.
FairTest submitted written testimony on how high-stakes connects testing with punitive discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline, to the subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on ending the school-to-prison pipeline. Read it here. Attachment Size PipelineSenateTestimonyDec2012.pdf 267.87 KB
What a Year!
Dear Friend: Thanks to your activism, 2012 has been a great year for the growing national assessment reform movement. Now, FairTest needs your continued help to build greater momentum in 2013! Just look at the numbers documenting several of our recent successes: Responding to widespread, local support for a Texas petition criticizing the misuse and […]