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Across the U.S., a strong movement is building among parents, teachers, school leaders and community activists to win an extension of standardized exam waivers at least through Spring 2021 and to press for a more extensive overhaul of testing requirements. The last few weeks leading up to November 3 are an excellent time to let […]

Earlier this year, many readers of this newsletter endorsed the “National Call to Suspend High-Stakes Testing in Spring 2021.” Among the arguments made in that statement: “[T]he results won’t be valid, reliable or useful. We don’t need test scores to know that low-income children in poorly resourced school have fallen even further behind in a […]

Please help FairTest honor this year’s Deborah Meier “Hero in Education” awardees — Massachusetts Teachers Association President Barbara Madeloni and Schott Foundation President John H. Jackson — by buying tickets to the October 26 event or making a contribution to support assessment reform at:https://fairtest.org.networkforgood.com/events/3235-fairtest-celebrates-john… National NAEP History Test Deserves a “F” for Measuring Critical Thinkinghttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/09/19/the-natio… […]

Many of this week’s stories reflect the growing recognition that standardized exam scores do not accurately reflect the realities of student academic achievement or school quality. That’s why an ever-increasing number of states and districts are cutting back on the volume of tests and the stakes attached to their results. ArizonaState’s School Letter Grades Are […]

SeasonsGreetingsto assessment reformers across the U.S. (and around the world)! FairTest’s holiday “gift” to you is news demonstrating another week of progress in replacing standardized exam overkill with better systems of assessment. AlabamaPublic Thinks There’s Much More to School Quality Than State’s Test-Based Letter Gradeshttp://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2017/12/13/poll-public-has-different-ideas-about-education/ GeorgiaEducation Association Seeks Testing Cutbackhttps://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/school-funding-testing-reductions-among-georgia-association-of-educators-priorities/article_e89d70c9-4c67-511e-81d4-cfdaf35738e2.htmlGeorgiaTen Years AfterAtlanta Cheating Scandal, Efforts […]

The wide range of stories in this week’s news clips show the growing breadth and depth of the grassroots testing resistance and reform movement. Parents, students, educators and community leaders are all pushing for fewer standardized exams, an end to high-stakes testing, and better assessments based on classroom performance. NationalProtecting Opportunity to Learn Through ESSA […]

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 […]

Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing The Rural School and Community Trust has released a new video adapted from Joe Hiney’s play, Echoes in the Hallway, which depicts the harms of high-stakes testing reforms he witnessed as a teacher in rural Virginia. The play powerfully captures students’ voices as they struggle to cope with real world […]

Pressure is rising in state after state to reduce standardized exam overkill, end high-stakes and support better assessment measures. The beginning of testing season is a great opportunity to increase attention to the issue. Parents, students, educators, and community leaders should make sure that their elected representatives know of the strong support for real testing […]

With this Spring’s federal and state testing mandates suspended, now is the time for local activists, educators and community leaders to begin developing campaigns to roll back standardized exam requirements for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond. Already, many colleges and universities have announced that they will implement ACT/SAT-optional policies for fall 2021 applicants and, […]