Search Results for: node/virginia Schools

The new school year is shaping up to be a pivotal period for the assessment reform movement. Already, a spate of stories have appeared documenting new policies that roll back some of the worst cases of testing overkill. And there’s much more coverage of the damage being done to educational quality and equity by the […]

From state after state, there are encouraging reports of progress toward curbing standardized exam overkill and creating opportunities for alternative assessments and accountability systems. As always, grassroots activism — via opt-out campaigns, lobbying, public education, etc. — is the key to pressuring policy makers to adopt genuine reforms. ArizonaNew School Rating System Relies Less on […]

Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing Reports of cheating and testing errors continue to accumulate across the nation in parallel with the increase in testing volume and pressures to improve scores (see Examiner, Spring-Summer 2004). CheatingSchool administrators, lacking access to the anti-cheating spell used on Harry Potter’s Hogwarts classmates, are resorting to other responses to outbreaks […]

Pressure from parents, educators and community leaders has now forced policy makers in all 50 states to apply for and receive waivers from federal testing requirements. But some jurisdictions still need to act to suspend their own standardized exam mandates for high school exit exams, grade promotion, teacher evaluation and similar (mis-)uses. If any standardized […]

With the 2016-2017 school testing season right around the year-end, holiday vacation corner — some states start administering their annual exams in February — the pace of assessment reform news is accelerating. Parents, teachers, administrators and, increasingly, policy-makers now recognize that current school testing policies undermine educational quality and equity. Many are pushing for significant […]

for further information:Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792or Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 for immediate release Monday, September 8, 2014 NEW REPORT: “TESTING REFORM VICTORIES: THE FIRST WAVE,”“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” MOVEMENT MARKS MAJOR GAINSROLLING BACK STANDARDIZED EXAM MISUSE AND OVERUSE The rapidly accelerating testing resistance and reform movement has made significant progress to reduce standardized exam “overkill” […]

for further information: Lisa Guisbond (617) 959-2371 Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792 or Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 for immediate release Monday, November 9, 2015 NEW REPORT: “TESTING REFORM VICTORIES 2014-2015: GROWING GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT ROLLS BACK TESTING OVERKILL” Pressure from parents, students, teachers, school officials and community leaders began turning the tide against standardized exam overuse […]

Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing How can test reformers best network, learn from each other, hone our messages, mobilize and organize for reform? To move ahead in answering these questions, FairTest organized a one-day strategy meeting with 75 activists, held at Teachers College on the day after the conference on high-stakes testing (see related story). […]

Status: Archived Subject: K-12 Testing FairTest Examiner, November 2013 Resistance exploded in more than a dozen states in October, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, Florida, Texas and Mississippi. Students in Denver paraded as zombies holding signs reading, “Testing Kills Brains.” Parents and students are boycotting new student tests used to […]

for further information: Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 mobile (239) 699-0468 for release with annual SAT scores – embargoed until 12:01am Thursday, September 3, 2015 SAT “COLLEGE READINESS” SCORES DECLINE AGAINDEMONSTRATING FAILURE OF TEST-DRIVEN K-12 SCHOOLING;MANY MORE COLLEGES IGNORE SAT/ACT EXAM RESULTSAS TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS MOVEMENT SURGES SAT scores for high school seniors dropped again this year […]