Testing Resistance & Reform News: April 19 -25, 2017
With stories from 20 states, this week's news clips demonstrate the breadth and depth of the grassroots assessment reform movement. Effective advocacy by parents, students, educators and community leaders across the nation is pressuring more and more policy makers to cut back testing overuse and misuse, creating space for better systems of assessment.
National Long Judged Only By Test Scores, Schools May Be Rated on Other Factors
https://www.washingtonpost.com/long-rated-by-test-scores-schools-may-soon-be-judged-on-student-abenteeism-too/2017/04/18/c5d85922-2082-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html
California Massive Power Failure Disrupts School Testing
http://www.sfexaminer.com/massive-power-outage-impacts-sf-schools-state-testing/
Delaware Education Students Stressed by Cost of Required Exams
http://udreview.com/19078-2/
Florida Time to Advance Testing Reform Legislation
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/fl-editorial-florida-standardized-testing-20170424-story.html
Florida Legislators to Negotiate Scope of Assessment Changes
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article146382859.html
Florida Using NAEP "Proficiency" for Accountability Would Set Children Up for Failure
https://truthinamericaneducation.com/education-at-state-level/using-naep-proficiency-accountability-sets-florida-students-up-for-failure/
Georgia Statewide Internet Outage Disrupts Testing
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/statewide-internet-outage-disrupts-delays-georgia-milestones-tests/U48hiQ9SviZ1rvFBw1cJxK/
Georgia Students Opt Out of Milestone Exams
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/seventy-five-gwinnett-county-students-opt-out-georgia-milestones/h6lgTMwTvRs6BG5298JysM/
Illinois Students, Parents Rally for Teacher Facing Firing for Encouraging Opt Outs
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170419/little-village/sarah-chambers-special-education-saucedo-scholastic-academy
Indiana Bill to Replace Controversial ISTEP Exam Sent to Governor
http://wmot.org/post/legislation-end-istep-sent-governor#stream/0
Indiana New Test Will Be No Better Than Previous Ones
https://duboiscountyherald.com/b/jaspers-hitchcock-says-ilearn-misses-the-mark
Kansas Renewal of State Assessment Contract Tabled After Widespread Computer Testing Problems
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2017-04-19/renewal-of-student-testing-contract-tabled-after-problems
Louisiana State Ponders New Ways to Evaluate Public Schools
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_4dabcfbe-28f8-11e7-af23-bfc186fac2df.html
Maryland Educator Action Spurs Passage of Assessment Reforms in ESSA Implementation Law
http://www.aft.org/news/union-action-promotes-strong-essa-tied-laws-maryland
Michigan Bill Would Allow Districts to Opt Out of Standardized Tests
https://michiganpeninsulanews.com/news/3906-rep-reilly-introduces-bill-allow-schools-opt-standardized-tests/
New Jersey State Senate Leaders Say Use of PARCC as Grad Requirement Violates Legislative Intent
http://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2017/04/21/sweeney-ruiz-say-use-of-parcc-as-exit-exam-violates-legislative-intent-111447
New Jersey How Grassroots Pressure Made a Difference in Testing Policy
http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2017/04/yesterday-i-went-on-road-trip-with-my.html
New Jersey PARCC Refusals and Districts That Do the Right Thing
http://elfasd.blogspot.com/2017/04/parcc-refusals-and-doing-right-thing.html
North Dakota Governor Signs Test Opt-Out Bill Into Law
http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/65-2017/documents/17-0879-06000.pdf
Ohio Cut the School Testing Budget
http://www.athensmessenger.com/blogs/guest_columnists/cut-the-education-budget-for-testing/article_c2a3b5a8-134d-5f39-a3ae-2ffab1012142.html
Pennsylvania Parent Group Encourages Test Opt Outs
http://www.berksmontnews.com/general-news/20170418/kutztown-parents-opt-out-group-encourages-opting-out-of-pssas-keystones
Pennsylvania Testing Obsession Extends to Tee-Shirts
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/K-12_Contrarian/2017/04/the_testing_obsessions_are_getting_a_little_weird.html
South Carolina The Spring Testing Obsession
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2017/04/19/james-kirylo-that-time-of-year-spring-and-testing/
Tennessee County Leaders Take on Testing Madness
http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/columnists/david-waters/2017/04/25/david-waters-county-leaders-take-testing-madness/100838318/
Texas Author Explains Bill to Force Transparency About Testing Costs
https://dianeravitch.net/2017/04/19/author-of-texas-bill-to-promote-transparency-in-true-costs-of-testing-speaks-out/
Texas Senate to Take Up Bill Easing Graduation Exam Requirement
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/bill-that-permanently-eases-staar-requirements-moves-senate/IbeBCOBDtn25mdtYWAgU5H/
Texas Testing Resistance Creates Space for New Ethnic Studies Course Led by FairTest Board Member
http://texasedequity.blogspot.com/2017/04/these-ethnic-studies-courses-are-great.html
Utah Let Teachers Teach
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/5191516-155/letter-let-the-teachers-teach
Virginia Overcoming the Folly of High-Stakes Testing
http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/overcoming-the-folly-of-high-stakes-testing/article_6cd57863-1c10-535a-8aca-a993c159a0a0.html
Wisconsin ESSA Compliance Plan Drafting Under Intense Scrutiny
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/wisconsin-prepares-education-plan-under-lawsuit-threat/article_2830f25a-3afc-5585-a3fa-37f8383a364e.html
International We Can't Allow Australian Schools to Become Testing Factories
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/we-cant-allow-schools-to-become-testing-factories/news-story/98c00a07fa2414117e9b2e1b976a2b38
Worth Reading Why Families Should Opt Out of Standardized Testing
https://dianeravitch.net/2017/04/24/why-students-should-opt-out-of-state-testing/
Worth Reading 34 Problems With Standardized Exams
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/04/19/34-problems-with-standardized-tests/
Worth Reading What Do Teachers Quit? Testing Overkill Is Major Reason
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2017/04/why_do_teachers_quit_their_res.html
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