The Limits of Standardized Tests for Diagnosing and Assisting Student Learning
Standardized tests have historically been used as measures of how students compare with each other (norm-referenced) or how much of a particular curriculum they have learned (criterion-referenced). Increasingly, standardized tests are being used to make major decisions about students, such as grade promotion or high school graduation, and schools. More and more often, they also […]
Organizations and Experts Opposed to High Stakes Testing
Test Company Statements against High Stakes: Harcourt Brace on the Stanford 9: about Using their Test to Make Grade Promotion Decisions “Promotion and Retention of Students” *”Another misuse of standardized achievement test scores is making promotion and retention decisions for individual students solely on the basis of these scores. This is an undesirable practice for […]
Testing and Grade Retention
What Is Retention? Retention – or non-promotion – is the practice of holding a student in the same grade for a year or longer, often on the basis of scores on standardized tests. Lately, retention has been proposed by those who argue it is the best way to end “social promotion,” or automatically passing students […]
FairTest Staff and Board
Harry FederHarry Feder is FairTest’s Executive Director as of August 2022. He came to FairTest after a long career in public education in New York City, as a social studies teacher at The Beacon School from 2008-2022 and at the Urban Academy Laboratory High School from 2000-2008. As a teacher Harry developed and taught secondary […]
MISSION STATEMENT
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals. Principles that guide FairTest’s work: Assessments should be fair and […]
Civil Rights, Disability Orgs. Call for "Multiple Measures" in "No Child" Overhaul Legislation
for further information: Dr. Hilda Crespo (ASPIRA) – 202-835-3600, Ext. 114 Dr. LaRuth Gray (NABSE) – 212-998-5137 or 212-998-5105 Dr. Deborah Ziegler (CEC) – 703-264-9406 Dr. Monty Neill (FairTest) – (857) 350-8207 for immediate release Tuesday, August 7, 2007 Nearly two dozen major civil rights and disability advocacy groups today called on Congress to include […]
Test Reformers React to New National Poll on "No Child Left Behind" (PDF)
Attachment Size FT_React_PDKpoll.pdf 66.38 KB
MISSION STATEMENT
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals. Principles that guide FairTest’s work: Assessments should be fair and […]
Aspen Commission Proposals are "NCLB on Steroids;" Side-Effect Will Be More "Teaching to the Tests"
for more information: Dr. Monty Neill (857) 350-8207 Robert Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 The Aspen Commission’s recommendations for reauthorizing the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, released today, amount to little more than NCLB on steroids. Their predictable side-effect will be the further reduction of education to coaching for narrow exams that fail to support […]
Education, Civil Rights, Disability, Religious Groups Promote "Redefining Accountability" To Replace "No Child Left Behind"
for further information: Sara Robertson (202) 230-8978 Robert Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 Dr. Monty Neill (617) 335-2115 Leaders of national education, civil rights, religious, disability and children’s organizations today unveiled proposals to replace the test-based sanctions of the federal “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) law with means to hold states and localities accountable for making systemic […]