States and districts should not bar students from graduating based solely on standardized test scores. The Standards on Educational and Psychological Testing of the American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association and National Council on Measurement in Education states that a major decision about a student should not be made "on the basis of a single test score." Dozens of educational and civil rights organizations join FairTest in endorsing this basic principle and opposing high-stakes graduation exams.
FairTest's Monty Neill presented invited testimony on graduation tests and alternatives to the Maryland Board of Education. The letter also appears attached at the bottom as a formatted PDF:
October 21, 2008
James DeGraffenreidt, Chair Members of the State Board of Education 200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD 21201
Copies sent by regular mail and e-mail
Dear Chairman DeGraffenreidt and Members of the Maryland Board of Education,
The Presidential Candidates on NCLB – Update, October 2008
With just two months until the presidential election, the Democratic and Republican parties have had their respective conventions and produced party platforms, which gives us an opportunity to see if the candidates are saying anything new about NCLB. The short answer is, nothing very specific. Independent candidate Ralph Nader, on the other hand, specifically calls for the law’s repeal. Libertarian Bob Barr and other candidates have also weighed in on the law since our last update in June.
A FairTest Report by Monty Neill, Acting Executive Director January 1998
A common assumption of standards and tests-based school reform is that high-stakes testing, such as having to pass an exam for high school graduation, will produce improved learning outcomes. This view is found in the grading formula used in Quality Counts (1998), the recent Education Week report in which states receive points for having high-stakes tests.
Testimony of Lisa Guisbond, Policy Analyst for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest)
Senate Education Committee Hearing on Proposed Graduation Competency Assessments
Pennsylvania General Assembly
May 14, 2008
Since its creation in 1985 by leaders of major civil rights, education reform and student advocacy organizations, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, Inc. (FairTest) has closely monitored the impact of state-mandated exit exams on both equity and educational quality.