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Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing FairTest Examiner, October 2012 A national grassroots rebellion against high-stakes testing is providing an important opportunity to change the testing landscape. Hundreds of school boards have now passed resolutions loudly stating, “Enough is enough.” Parents groups are rallying to provide support. Test boycotts are expanding. Academic researchers are increasingly speaking […]

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 […]

On this “Giving Tuesday,” you can support assessment reform campaigns that generate stories like this week’s collection by clicking here: https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/donate Many thanks ! Arizona What Could Explain Wild Vacillations in School’s Grades http://tucson.com/news/local/from-a-to-f-plummeting-grade-highlights-problems-in-tucson/article_32e6a0cb-dfbf-506d-a2b6-f796828d78b0.html California How to Measure School Climate for State Report Cards https://edsource.org/2017/state-boards-next-challenge-how-to-measure-school-climate-the-heartbeat-of-a-school/590744 Florida Why Good Educators Quit: Testing Has Diminished Teaching and […]

Standardized test scores from spring 2021 continue to trickle out. So far, however, there’s little evidence that the results are being used to addressed the pandemic’s fully-expected impact, as testing advocates had promised. Rhetoric abounds, but it’s hard to find concrete examples of states, districts or schools targeting resources to the neediest students or making […]

Controversies continue to swirl around policies that promote standardized testing misuse and overuse, and some policy-makers are taking action. There’s real progress to report in many states — check out this week’s clips for details of assessment reform victories! California Governor Vetoes Bill Allowing Districts to Use ACT/SAT as Mandatory Grade 11 Test https://edsource.org/2018/gov-brown-vetoes-bill-to-let-districts-give-sat-or-act-as-11th-grade-test/603058 California […]

Early fall is a very busy season for assessment reformers across the nation, as this week’s stories from a third of the states plus higher education and overseas clearly show. Policy makers are paying particular attention to their constituents’ concerns as Election Day draws near. National The Flaws in NAEP “Achievement Levels” https://dianeravitch.net/2018/09/20/the-letter-i-wrote-about-changing-naep-achievement-levels-you-write-one-too/ California Don’t […]

More state and local education leaders are weighing in on the need to suspend standardized exam requirements for the current public school year. A coordinated campaign to seek federal waivers and roll back high-stakes tests, at least for spring 2021, is likely to be launched soon after the upcoming election. NationalSome Teachers Are Being Evaluated […]

The November 8 tidal wave swamped most other news, but a number of testing-related stories and commentaries still appeared over the past week. Perversely, the ugly election results may create new opportunities for assessment reform victories at the local, state, and even federal levels. NationalFive Things to Watch on ESSA Under Trumphttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2016/11/five_things_to_watch_on_essa_u.html AlabamaBoard of Ed […]

Week by week, grassroots assessment reform campaigns grow ever stronger, winning more reductions in standardized exam misuse and overuse by states and cities. Demonstrating the depth of support for the movement, new governors elected this month in New Jersey and Virginia both advocated an overhaul of high-stakes testing policies. Remember that past issues of these […]

November’s sweeping electoral victories for teachers and programs that advance public education have encouraged assessment reformers across the U.S. to push back against new test-and-punish initiatives and reverse current misuses of standardized exams. FairTest believes 2019 will be a year of major victories in the movement for assessment policies that support better teaching and more […]