Testing Resistance & Reform News: August 10 – 16, 2016

The pace of assessment reform news quickens as the 2016-2017 academic year begins to unfold across the U.S. In addition to revitalizing many ongoing controversies, a new issue in many jurisdictions is how much testing flexibility will be allowed under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Grassroots activists are actively campaigning to reduce the number of required standardized exams, eliminate high-stakes test misuses, and create more opportunities to develop better ways of assessing student learning. If you have friends or colleagues who would benefit from these weekly updates, encourage them to join the thousands who have already subscribed at: https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/weekly-news-signup

National What’s Driving the Opt-Out Movement?
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2016/august/results-from-a-national-…

Arizona District Does Not Rely on State Test Results
http://www.cvrnews.com/news/2016/aug/10/school-district-doesnt-rely-azme…

California Basics Behind State’s New School Accountability System
https://edsource.org/2016/the-basics-behind-states-new-school-improvemen…

Colorado Last Year’s Test Score Data to Arrive After a New School Year Begins
http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/co/2016/08/11/absent-parcc-data-schools-t…
Colorado Millions Spent on School Testing for What?
http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/15/millions-spent-on-school-testing-an…

Connecticut Requiring SAT of All High School Juniors Produces Less Than Nothing
https://reallearningct.com/2016/08/09/requiring-the-sat-gets-connecticut…
Connecticut Call Common Core Smarter Balanced Testing Train Back to the Station
http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Call-Common-Core-train-back-to-sta…

Florida Opt-Out Parents Sue State to Stop Test-Based Third Grade Retention
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2016/0813/Can-Florida-honors-stud…
Florida Once Again, State Ed Officials Flunk a Common-Sense Test
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/romano-once-again-education-o…
Florida Parents Group Says Test-Based School Letter Grades Are a Failure
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/florida-parent-group-f-letter-gra…

Idaho State Board Approves New Multiple-Measures School Accountability Plan
http://www.idahoednews.org/news/state-board-ed-approves-new-school-accou…

Indiana Panel Debates Future Testing Plans
http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/08/09/as-indiana-officials-debate…
Indiana State Seeks $4 Million From Company Blamed for Test Screw-ups
http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/08/10/indiana-seeks-4-million-fro…

Louisiana Some Students Struggling with Shift to Online Testing
http://www.americanpress.com/20160816-Online-Testing

Maryland Fewer Kindergartners Will Take State Readiness Test
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/education/fewer-washington-county-ki…

Massachusetts Officials Worry About Computer Testing Equity
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/08/officials_worry_…

New Jersey Educators Dissatisfied with PARCC Testing
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/education/in-our-schools/2016/…

New York State Tests and the Three Bears
https://dianeravitch.net/2016/08/11/how-is-testing-like-goldilocks-and-t…
New York Ed Commissioner Calls Proposal to Punish High Opt Outs “Unacceptable”
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/32387/20160815/ed-comm…
New York How Schools That Obsess About Standardized Tests Ruin Them as a Measure of Academic Success
http://www.vox.com/2016/8/16/12482748/success-academy-schools-standardiz…

Ohio Multiple Diploma Paths Replace High School Exit Exam Requirement
http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/ohio-high-school-students-have-new-choi…

Texas Controversy Over Tests’ Role in New Teacher Evaluation System
http://www.reporternews.com/news/education/education-commissioner-speaks…

Vermont State Board of Ed Blasts Fed’s Draft School Accountability Rules
http://vtdigger.org/2016/08/10/education-board-blasts-feds-rules-new-law…
Vermont Reality Check for Federal Ed. Policy
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20160816/OPINION01/160819724

Washington Teachers, Parents Laud Changes That Replace NCLB with Testing Flexibility
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/education/teachers-parents-in-yakima-va…

West Virginia Don’t Tie School Test Scores to College Scholarship Eligibility
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/daily-mail-editorials/20160815/daily-mail-e…

ACT/SAT Test-maker Security Shake Up After Cheating Scandal
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-college-security-act-exclusive-idUSKCN…

Worth Reading Confusing Correlation and Causation: Effect and Effect
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/effect-and-effect_b_11449068….?
Worth Reading Why U.S. Schools Are Even More Unequal Than We Thought
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/upshot/why-american-schools-are-even-m…

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