Testing Resistance & Reform News: August 11 – 17, 2021

As classrooms reopen for the fall with debates over face masks and other COVID protection policies, some states remain fixated on standardized test results, not the health and safety of students, educators and school support personnel. To the surprise of no one, exam performance declined last spring in the midst of a pandemic. But, as usual, those test scores provide little if any useful guidance about how to promote academic quality and equity going forward.

NationalDid We Get Anything Useful From NCLB “Accountability”
https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2021/08/did-we-get-anything-out-of-nclb.html

CaliforniaCaring for the Whole Child, Not Just Standardized Exam Results
https://www.cta.org/educator/posts/an-educators-new-oath

ColoradoLow Test Taking Participation Further Undermines Impact of Test Scores
https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/8/12/22621936/cmas-results-colorado-students-lost-ground-pandemic-remote-learning-covid-state-tests

DelawareApples and Oranges: Comparing Scores Is Challenging in a Pandemic Year
https://whyy.org/articles/apples-and-oranges-comparing-delaware-statewide-school-test-results-is-a-challenge-in-a-pandemic-year/

GeorgiaSpring 2021 Test Scores Reflect Pandemic School Closures and Low Exam Participation Rates
https://www.ajc.com/education/milestones-scores-confirm-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-georgia-students/GLDVEBUVZZAKRL763S5YIDARGU/

LouisianaState School Board Seeks Federal Waiver to Skip Annual School Letter Grades
https://www.brproud.com/news/local-news/louisiana-education-board-wants-to-skip-school-letter-grades/

MassachusettsNew Admissions Plan for Boston’s Selective Exam High Schools
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/8/15/2046083/-New-Plan-for-Boston-s-Elite-Academic-High-Schools

New HampshireDistrict Experiments with Competency Based Education Spread
https://hechingerreport.org/does-the-future-of-schooling-look-like-candy-land/

OregonGovernor Signs Bill Suspending High School Graduation Testing
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/education/oregon-essential-skills-proficiency-graduation/283-a69cbb69-c702-4987-9ff0-83269beca7f3

TennesseeOnline Classes, Student Poverty Correlate with Lower Pandemic Exam Scores
https://tn.chalkbeat.org/2021/8/13/22620297/tennessee-pandemic-test-scores-dropped-most-in-memphis-nashville

TexasNon-Standardized Education Should Inspire Learning, Not Thwart It
https://www.oaoa.com/opinion/letters/letter-to-the-editor-education-should-inspire-learning/

West VirginiaLower Test Scores Reflect Pandemic Education Disruptions
https://wvmetronews.com/2021/08/11/state-test-scores-reflect-classroom-disruptions-from-pandemic/

Worth ReadingThe End of Tests-and-Standards School “Reforms”
https://progressive.org/magazine/the-end-of-school-reform-bryant/

Worth Reading Can We Create Assessments That Are Helpful to Teachers?
https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/can-we-create

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

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