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One month from Election Day 2020, the future of standardized exam requirements is becoming increasingly controversial in state and local contests.  As you fill out your ballot, remember that high-stakes testing is now more of a "political" issue than an "educational" one. Your vote can make a difference in determining the future direction of assessment policies

National Where the Major Party Presidential Candidates Stand on Student Testing (and other educational issues)

Interesting to note that so much of the growing pressure to suspend spring 2021 school tests (or minimize the impact of their results) is coming from regions where assessment reform campaigns have not been particularly strong in the past.  Leadership from states such as Georgia, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming will add to the movement's clout.

Georgia State Could Mostly Erase Impact of Test Scores on Schools During Pandemic

Pressure is mounting on states and municipalities to push back against U.S.

A major fight is shaping up pitting Trump Administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her inside-the-Beltway, stay-the-course testing allies against local school boards, teacher unions, and assessment reform activists around the issue of resuming high-stakes, mandatory standardized exams during the current school year.  Make no mistake about it: this is primarily a political and ideological controversy, not an educational one.

A major fight is shaping up pitting Trump Administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her inside-the-Beltway, stay-the-course testing allies against local school boards, teacher unions, and assessment reform activists around the issue of resuming high-stakes, mandatory standardized exams during the current school year.  Make no mistake about it: this is primarily a political and ideological controversy, not an educational one.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has laid down a direct challenge to assessment reformers around the nation.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to FairTest's 35th anniversary fundraising request, especially for the many positive comments about the value of our assessment reform initiatives such as these weekly news updates.  If you did not have the opportunity to contribute (we know there was a technical problem with the "button" in some emails), you can still support FairTest's leadership by clicking here:

Election Season 2020 is well underway -- November 3

With more public schools planning to re-open in the next few weeks, either on-line or in-person, the debate over whether students should face mandatory standardized exams in the coming year is escalating.  Make sure your local elected officials know where you stand.  K-12 education policymakers should follow the lead of higher education -- almost 65% of colleges and universities have already eliminated ACT/SAT test requirements for fall 2021 applicants with many more in the pipeline

National Why Bother Academic Testing in 2021?

The debate over whether students, teachers, and schools should face annual testing mandates -- if classrooms reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic -- is escalating.  At both the federal and state levels, policymakers need to hear from their constituents -- particularly public education stakeholders -- about the need to continue standardized exam waivers for at least another year.  Colleges and graduate schools continue to provide