In addition to lots of other testing news, several states that contract with Questar, a for-profit subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service, recently experienced significant disruptions of their computerized standardized exams. In three — New York, Ohio and Tennessee — the entire assessment system crashed. The latest failures add to the evidence that corporate and ideological forces rushed these technologies into the marketplace before they were ready for prime time. See FairTest’s chronology of computer testing problems at:
https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/computerized-testing-problems-chronology
Florida State Seeks to Delay Stricter Grad Test Rules
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-florida-graduation-test-scores-20180416-story.html
Georgia District Tells Opt-Out Parents to Keep Kids Home for Two Weeks
http://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/what-to-do-if-you-opt-your-child-out-of-milestones-testing-dont-go-to-school/85-542620645
Georgia Top State Court Refuses to Hear Educators Test Cheating Appeal
https://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/highest-georgia-court-won-hear-aps-educators-appeals/zmXkAVaS38EYWLg02FJlZK/
Maryland Computer Testing Is Another Challenge for Low-Income Students
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/k-12/bs-md-online-parcc-test-20180402-story.html
Massachusetts Student and Her Mother Blog About Problems with State Testing
https://lesstestingmorelearning.tumblr.com/post/173095664989/stories-12-and-13-from-a-daughter-and-her
Michigan Standardized Tests Dull Learning
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2018/04/17/standardized-tests-dull/33935993/
Minnesota Legislature’s Test-Driven School Ranking System Needs Overhaul
https://www.austindailyherald.com/2018/04/others-opinion-proposed-system-for-ranking-minnesota-schools-needs-work/
Mississippi Technical Problems Interrupt State Computerized Test
http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/technical-problem-briefly-interrupts-mississippi-state-tests/article_2066e3fd-859e-52fb-b636-387279e56309.html
Mississippi State Renews $10 Million Testing Contract Despite Recent Exam Administration Disruption
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/04/20/mississippi-renews-questar-testing-contract-more-than-10-m/536735002/
Mississippi What’s a Test For?
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article209485029.html
New Jersey PARCC’s Long Goodbye
http://nj1015.com/parccs-long-goodbye-wont-end-standardized-tests-in-new-jersey/
New Mexico Legislators Push Back Against Governor’s Test-Based Retention Plan
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/secretary-s-school-retention-plan-riles-new-mexico-lawmakers/article_b042ef13-990b-5846-bf30-aec990e296df.html
New York After Epic Fail of State Testing, Parents Seek Removal of Education Commissioner
https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2018/04/epic-fail-of-last-weeks-state-testing.html
North Dakota New Education Dashboard Goes Beyond Test Scores, Includes Student Engagement
http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/New-tool-launched-to-Provide-More-Transparency-in-School-Performance—480534231.html
Ohio Statewide Computer Testing System Crashes
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/online-state-testing-system-down-some-schools-cancel-tests-for-day/3aV1Z4YyJdEp9SdhxJrsON/
Ohio School Grades Are Not Understandable
http://www.norwalkreflector.com/Education/2018/04/20/School-supers-want-simplified-fair-state-report-cards.html
Oregon Latino Students, Standardized Testing and Opting Out
https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2018/04/19/latino-students-what-matters/
Pennsylvania Opt-Out Numbers Growing
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/nearly-lancaster-county-students-have-opted-out-of-pssas-this/article_2ec60700-44da-11e8-8e1b-3b18d5e8c81f.html
Pennsylvania Teacher Writes Anti-Test Poetry While Proctoring Exams
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/i-had-test-itis-while-kids-are-taking-pssas-this-teacher-might-be-writing-subversive-poetry-20180418.html
Pennsylvania “Kiss My Assessment,” More High-Stakes Poetry
https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/kiss-my-assessment-a-high-stakes-testing-poem/
Tennessee Statewide Computerized Testing System Fails for Third Year in a Row
https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/04/20/tnready-testing-testing-testing-and-failing/529442002/
Tennessee Parents Pull Children Out of Testing
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/parents-pull-children-from-tnready-testing/51-542961098
Tennessee Legislators Drop Consequences From This Year’s Flawed Tests
https://chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/04/19/breaking-tennessee-lawmakers-take-matters-into-their-own-hands-on-tnready-testing-problems/
Texas High Time for State Testing Burnout
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/04/18/high-time-staar-test-burn
Texas Why Do They Test?
https://www.mystatesman.com/news/opinion/commentary-let-test-then-you-and/1VVhNP556rJE6RjHiwDpDK/
Washington New System for Evaluating Schools Is Being Implemented
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/apr/18/washington-implementing-new-system-for-judging-sch/#/0
Washington Time to Opt Out
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2018/04/its-testing-time-opting-out.html
University Admissions SAT Documentary “The Test and the Art of Thinking” Opens Across the U.S.
https://www.thetestdoc.org/
International Why British Parents Will Boycott School Tests
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/22/parents-boycott-sats-tests
Worth Reading Why Can’t We Assess Like We Were Assessed?
https://www.educationdive.com/news/we-cant-assess-like-we-were-assessed/521257/
Worth Reading I Lied to My Students Today
http://www.lovewhatmatters.com/i-lied-to-my-students-today/
Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779
mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org