Testing Reform in the News — July 5 – July 11, 2012
Despite heat, drought and power failures, there’s still lots of interesting news from across North America Computer Glitch Stymies Diploma Exams — a warning from Canada http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Computer+glitch+stymies+Grade+diploma+exams/6896759/story.html Georgia Educators Blast Teacher Evaluation System — a well-documented case against “value-added” educator assessment http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/georgia-professors-blast-teacher-evaluation-system/2012/07/09/gJQAFhSbZW_blog.html DC Test Erasures Still an Unsolved Mystery — Michelle Rhee’s enduring legacy http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/erasures-the-unsolved-mystery/2012/07/09/gJQAbVOKXW_blog.html […]
Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 22 – 28, 2019
There was no holiday in testing news during the past week — both new standardized exam misuse outrages and more assessment reform progress. Help your allies and friends fight back by encouraging them to sign up for these topical updates at: http://www.fairtest.org/weekly-news-signup Alabama Parents Fear Proposed Third Grade Reading Test Would Primarily Hold Back Disadvantaged […]
Dangers and Opportunities in Federal Stimulus Law
Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing FairTest Examiner, March 2009 While economic stimulus funds will be a boon to cash-strapped schools across the nation, other provisions offer both danger and opportunity for assessment reform. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requires states to use new federal funds to “enhance the quality” of their assessments. This […]
Why Graduation Tests/Exit Exams Fail to Add Value to High School Diplomas
Graduation tests do not promote the knowledge, skills and habits needed for success in college or skilled work. According to college professors and employers, high school graduates must be able to analyze conflicting explanations, support arguments with evidence, solve complex problems that have no obvious answer, reach conclusions, conduct research, and engage in the give-and-take […]
The Case Against High Stakes Testing
The Case Against High Stakes Testing (Updated January 2017) These materials make the case against relying on test scores to make important educational decisions about students or schools – what is called “high-stakes testing.” Common examples include making a child repeat a grade or withholding a student’s high-school diploma solely based on their score on […]
Reports
Below find materials by other organizations and individuals about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its predecessor, No Child Left Behind (NLCB). 2018: State ESSA Plans: Uneven Progress Toward Better Assessment and Accountability 2017: FairTest Report: Test Reform Victories Surge in 2017: What’s Behind the Winning Strategies? “Overhauling Assessment Systems” summarizes the Forum on […]
Public Agrees NCLB Needs Overhaul
Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing FairTest Examiner – July 2007 Opinion surveys continue to show that the public increasingly agrees with FairTest that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) needs fundamental change if it is to help and not harm the nation’s students and schools. A recent Scripps Howard – University of Ohio survey confirms that […]
National Test Scheme Resurfaces
Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing Supporters of the federal No Child Left Behind law have launched a new effort to create some form of national exam. Proponents cite discrepancies between state test results and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as evidence that a national standard is now needed. Proposals for a national test […]
How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline
(note: this fact sheet is available for download as a print-formatted PDF file) Zero tolerance discipline and high-stakes testing policies have similar philosophical underpinnings and similar destructive results. Both stem from a 1980s movement to impose more punitive policies in both criminal justice and public education. Together, they have helped turn schools into hostile environments […]
FairTest's testimony on graduation tests to the Maryland Board of Ed.
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 […]