Testing Resistance & Reform News: December 11 – 17, 2019

Even in the midst of pre-holiday festivities, there’s still plenty of good news about the assessment reform movement. As we celebrate the season in our own, diverse ways, please help keep the pressure on policymakers so our campaigns to roll back testing misuse and overuse have even more success in the new year.

California School Accountability Dashboard Encourages Assistance and Improvement, Not Punishment
https://edsource.org/2019/some-ratings-rise-in-3rd-year-of-california-school-dashboard/621008

Florida Parents Protest Governor’s Proposal to Require Another Standardized Exam
https://unitedforflchildren.com/2019/12/11/dear-gov-desantis-not-another-test/
Florida Bill Would Require Parental Consent Before Administering State Tests
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/313433-jones-bill-standardized-tests

Georgia Go Beyond Formulas to Measure Student Success
https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20191214/editorial-go-beyond-formulas-to-measure-school-success

Maine State Working to Resolve Glitch in Test Score Reports
https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/12/10/state-working-to-resolve-glitch-in-standardized-test-scores/

Maryland Testing for Selective High School Admission Punishes English Language Learners
https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-esol-bcps-somos-20191216-mk447l4yybf7bfyivzkbirrcke-story.html

Michigan Students Campaign Against Third Grade Promotion Test Law
https://www.michigandaily.com/section/academics/students-campaign-against-third-grade-reading-law
Michigan Parents Organize Families to Opt Out of Standardized Testing
https://insiderfinancial.net/detroit-parent-network-urges-detroit-parents-to-opt-out-of-testing.html

New Jersey To Lower School Costs, Cut Standardized Tests Not Teaching Staff
https://www.app.com/story/opinion/columnists/2019/12/16/reduce-school-costs-cut-standardized-tests-not-staff-positions/2668108001/

New York Achieve Group Misleads Regents About Value of Exit Exams
https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2019/12/achieve-inc-seriously-misleads-board-of.html
see FairTest exit exam fact sheet here: https://www.fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated

Oklahoma Test-Driven School Report Cards Don’t Reflect Classroom Successes
https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/school-officials-say-data-doesn-t-reflect-success/article_25ece125-6fa1-5569-98c6-f29875ef846d.html

Pennsylvania Growing Number of Religious Opt Outs From Testing
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/education/2019/12/14/central-has-largest-number-religious-opt-outs-county/4389414002/

Texas State Tests Should Be Scrutinized Regularly
https://www.news-journal.com/opinion/other-voices-staar-tests-should-be-regularly-scrutinized/article_b747cc12-1c5b-11ea-8507-332bf785914a.html

University Admission California Regents Sued for Discriminatory ACT/SAT Requirement
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/sat-act-uc-lawsuit.html
University Admissions National Implications of California Lawsuit
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/california-lawsuit-blasts-sat-act-exams-discriminatory-n1099416
University Admissions It’s Time to Dump the SAT
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/13/its-time-dump-sat/
University Admissions FairTest’s Master Database of ACT/SAT Optional Schools
https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
contributor: The Scandal of Standardized Tests: Why We Need to Drop the SAT & ACT
(forthcoming, Teachers College Press, February 2020)
office- (239) 395-6773 mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org

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