Testing Resistance & Reform News: April 29 – May 5, 2020 — Giving TuesdayNow Edition

May 5, 2020, is Giving TuesdayNow, a day specially designated for supporting non-profit organizations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. FairTest has responded to these unprecedented challenges by providing resources to grassroots activists who successfully campaigned to eliminate this spring’s federal and state public school testing mandates and spearheading the test-optional admissions movement, which has seen another 100+ colleges and universities drop ACT/SAT requirements. Last month, the FairTest team did almost 90 media interviews in support of our agenda, and our website fairtest.org hosted 130,000 visitors in April, triple the normal volume. Please help provide the resources that will enable FairTest to continue leading the increasingly effective U.S. assessment reform movement into the future. Thanks for your continued support

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Florida State should Extend Deadline for New Teachers to Pass Certification Tests
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2020/04/29/florida-should-extend-teacher-certification-testing-deadlines-column/

Georgia Lens of High-Stakes Testing Distorts Educational Impact of Coronavirus
https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/opinion-only-through-lens-high-stakes-testing-virus-dire-education-crisis/NRiIN63CDIImf2ajVi1pOM/
Georgia State May Drop Controversial Teacher Licensing Test
https://www.educationdive.com/news/georgia-may-drop-controversial-teacher-licensing-test/577240/

Maryland Schools That Taught to the Test Are at Biggest Disadvantage During Shutdown
https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/opinion-lets-reconsider-how-we-do-high-school/

Massachusetts State Board Waives Testing Requirement for High School Graduation
https://www.wbur.org/edify/2020/04/28/mcas-graduation-requirement-waived
Massachusetts School Rating System Discriminates Against Systems Serving Low-Income and Minority Students
https://www.baystatebanner.com/2020/04/30/a-rating-system-tilted-against-hub-schools/
Massachusetts Crisis Shows How Easily Testing Barriers Can Be Dropped
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/02/opinion/it-takes-crisis-show-how-easily-mcas-barrier-could-be-dropped/

Mississippi Suspension of Teacher Testing Requirement Increase Diversity of Educator Candidates
https://hechingerreport.org/coronavirus-is-making-it-easier-to-become-a-teacher-in-a-state-with-severe-shortage-of-educators/

Nebraska State School Board Candidate Seeks to Rein In Standardized Testing
https://fremonttribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/goos-gubbels-competing-for-state-school-board/article_2626ca67-68a8-53a3-997f-e07b2eaf6948.html

New York Ed Leaders Push for Cancellation of test-Based Teacher Evaluation
https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/teacher-evaluations-1.44207484
New York City May End Test-Based Screening for Selective Public Schools
https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/doe-could-end-screening-for-top-nyc-schools-after-coronavirus-pandemic/

North Carolina Questions About State’s Selection of Testing Vendor
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article242404066.html
North Carolina Standardized Testing Does Not Measure Student Capability
https://www.independenttribune.com/opinion/letters/letter-standardized-testing-doesn-t-measure-student-capability/article_7ff469ae-8a57-11ea-95a5-231ebff8dd7f.html

Oklahoma Cancellation of End-of-Year Testing Allows Another Month for Learning, Albeit at a Distance
https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/covid-19/the-frontier-oklahoma-schools-adjust-grade-expectations-in-era-of-distance-learning/article_4a1e592a-8bc4-11ea-ad0e-93b9c405055e.html
Oklahoma We Need to Find Better Ways to Assess
https://www.enidnews.com/opinion/letter-better-way-of-testing/article_15c584a1-4e07-5ea0-914c-fe789d518510.html

Pennsylvania Why We Should Do Away With Standardized Testing After Coronavirus Crisis Ends
https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-coronavirus-education-reforms-clarke-mayher-20200429-7lt2b3rgszdc7fsmcfzxdr7vki-story.html
Pennsylvania Court Affirms Conviction of Principal in Test Cheating Scandal
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/04/principal-of-failing-high-school-deserves-conviction-in-pssa-test-cheating-scandal-pa-court.html

University Admissions Schools Adopting ACT/SAT Optional Policies Are Doing Just Fine
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/01/opinion/colleges-are-making-sat-act-optional-now-will-that-stick/
University Admissions College Counseling Group Issues Strong Statement About ACT/SAT Suspension
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/05/02/first-time-major-counseling-group-says-its-time-reconsider-standardized-testing-college-admissions/
University Admission New Book with FairTest Chapter: The Scandal of Standardized Tests
https://www.tcpress.com/the-scandal-of-standardized-tests-9780807763315

Worth Reading Distance Learning Assessment Encourages More Cheating and Intensified Student Surveillance
https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/4/21241062/schools-cheating-proctorio-artificial-intelligenc

P.S. If these weekly collections of news clips and resources are helpful to you, please consider supporting FairTest for Giving TuesdayNow. Thanks again for reading . . . and contributing.

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Bob Schaeffer, interim Executive Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org

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