Testing reform stories from 20 states in just the past week demonstrate the breadth and depth of the movement to replace high-stakes, standardized exams with better forms of assessment. If you see a news clip worth of circulation to a national list of 2,000+ activists, please forward it to bobschaeffer@fairtest.org And, remember that previous editions of these weekly news clips are archived for permanent reference at: http://www.fairtest.org/news/other
https://www.timesdaily.com/news/literacy-bill-would-hold-back-third-graders-with-poor-reading/article_79c49f3b-3cab-5de8-a0cb-c6203e5eaa6c.html
Arizona Students and Schools Would Be Better Off With Stripped-Down Testing
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/04/10/school-testing-azmerit-menu-assessment-arizona-how-fix-fiasco/3413885002/
California State Teachers Association on Parents Right to Opt Out
https://californiaeducator.org/2019/04/12/standardized-testing-and-parents-right-to-opt-out/
California School Offers “Bribes” for Students to Take State Test
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Palo-Alto-school-offers-students-free-stuff-to-13757227.php
Colorado Why Not Trust Teachers to Assess Their Students?
https://gazette.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-why-not-trust-the-teachers-grateful-for-red-light/article_4d93cc2c-5f8b-11e9-a79a-1ff3031ec93c.html
Florida Standardized Tests Would Have Ruined My Life
https://theoptoutfloridanetwork.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/teacher-standardized-tests-would-have-ruined-my-life/
Illinois Reduce, Stop Standardized Tests
https://www.pantagraph.com/opinion/letters/murphy-reduce-stop-standardized-tests/article_f5d3bdaf-2610-5be1-8ba9-7586730212da.html
Maine Teacher Evaluation Will No Longer Be Linked to Student Test Scores
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/04/13/maine-takes-a-huge-step-forward-in-teacher-evaluation/#33aa7ec443b3
Maryland Local Assessment Committees Review Impact of State Testing Mandates
https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/washington-county-public-schools-assessment-committee-reviews-recommendations-new-mandates/article_b3fc9e4e-33a6-5ab0-a47d-c8812b61d339.html
Massachusetts Fear and Silence Are at Heart of High-Stakes Test Regime
https://www.recorder.com/my-turn-selwyn-HighStakesTesting-24785541
Michigan State Senate Unanimously Supports Plan to Limit Role of Test Score in Teacher Evaluation
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/04/michigan-senate-votes-to-delay-changes-to-teacher-evaluation-standards.html
Minnesota Is Rating Schools with a Single Letter Grade too Simplistic?
https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2019/04/should-minnesota-grade-its-schools/
Nevada Bill Would Ease Test-Based Retention Law
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/2019-legislature/nevada-bill-would-ease-reading-requirement-for-third-graders-1637318/
New Jersey State Should Seize the Opportunity to End Graduation Test Requirement
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/19/04/14/op-ed-new-jersey-should-seize-opportunity-to-step-away-from-graduation-tests/
New Mexico Testing Overhaul Part of Major State Education Shift to Support Rather Than Punishment
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/an-educational-shift-is-on-the-horizon-in-new-mexico/article_2ba37391-497d-53d3-afad-a3a977f882ec.html
New York Nearly Half of Long Island Students Opted Out of State Test
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/computer-based-tests-ela-opt-outs-1.29721149
New York Time to Rethink State Testing Requirements
http://www.liherald.com/stories/we-must-rethink-state-testing-for-grades-3-8,113574
Ohio Some Schools Reject Computerized Testing, Revert to Pencil-and-Paper
https://www.cantonrep.com/news/20190413/some-stark-schools-reverting-to-paper-for-state-tests
Tennessee Governor Criticized for Double Standard on Testing Requirements
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2019/04/12/after-a-decade-of-building-testing-accountability-tennessee-appears-ready-to-ease-up-with-vouchers/
Texas State Test Should Not Be Basis of School Accountability
https://www.tribtalk.org/2019/04/09/staar-shouldnt-be-the-basis-for-texas-school-accountability/
Texas Bill Would Suspend Test-Related Penalties
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190409/bill-would-temporarily-suspend-staar-related-penalties
Virginia Students Will Take Fewer and Shorter End-of-Course Tests
https://www.nbc29.com/story/40285089/2019-sol-testing-fewer-and-shorter-endofcourse-tests-for-students
Washington How to Fight Back as Testing Season2019 Begins
https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2019/04/testing-season-2019.html
Washington Parents Publish Test Opt-Out Guide
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-_4eb469mNrMHRicXozVnBKSm8/view
International U.K. Political Party Vows to “End Regime of Extreme Pressure Testing”
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/corbyn-labour-will-scrap-sats/
University Admissions Test-Optional Policies Gain Momentum
https://universitybusiness.com/test-optional-policies-gain-momentum/
University Admissions Applicants May Face 99 Problems, But a Test Is Not One of Them
https://fsutorch.com/2019/04/13/99-problems-but-a-test-aint-one/
University Admissions Test Limits Black Access to Law Schools but Predicts Poorly
http://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/04/15/study-argues-law-schools-limit-black-enrollment-through-lsat
Worth Reading Is the School Year Effectively Over After State Testing Is Finished?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/04/10/is-your-school-year-over-already/#30f63b5a62d1
Worth Reading Benchmark Testing Is Simple, Compelling and Wrong!
https://robertslavinsblog.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/benchmark-assessments-weighing-the-pig-more-often/
Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org