Testing Resistance & Reform News: February 17 – 23, 2016

This week’s stories from 20 states, overseas, higher education and even the world of video games again demonstrate the rising tide of the assessment reform movement. You can learn more about how to replace high-stakes standardized exams with performance assessments by signing up for FairTest’s Sunday evening March 6 webinar.

National Register now for Performance Assessments Best Practices Webinar on Mar 6, 2016, 8:00 PM EST
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5841984926709877506

National Public Education Rallies Target Test Misuse and Overuse
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/02/17/parents-teac…
National 70% of Teachers Say State Assessments Not Developmentally Appropriate
http://neatoday.org/2016/02/18/standardized-tests-not-developmentally-ap…

SAT Facelift Fails to Address Test’s Basic Flaws: Weak Prediction, Biases, Susceptibility to Coaching
https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/SAT-%E2%80%9Cfacelift%E2%80%9D-fails-to-address-exam…

ACT/SAT George Washington Gets Record Breaking Number of Applications After Tests Become Optional
http://college.usatoday.com/2016/02/18/gw-gets-record-breaking-number-of…
ACT/SAT Colleges Look to Change Admissions Processes
http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/making-caring-common-in-colle…

Arkansas Deja Vu All Over Again as Schools Face Another Testing Change
http://www.nashvilleleader.com/news/deja-vu-all-over-again-as-state-scho…

California Parents and Educators Rally to “Reclaim Our Schools” From Testing Overkill
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Reclaim-Our-Schools-Rallies-Focus-…
California Campaign to Recoup Additional Costs Districts Incurred for Computerized Testing
http://www.plumasnews.com/story/2016/02/10/news/school-district-leads-st…

Connecticut Parents, Teachers, Students Plan Push Back Against Governor’s Plan to Crack Down on Opting Out
http://jonathanpelto.com/2016/02/22/malloy-wyman-administration-ramp-up-…

Delaware Capital School District Restates Support for State Opt-Out Bill
http://delawarestatenews.net/schools/capital-school-district-resolution-…

Florida Parents Send “Smell the Accountabaloney” Campaign Clown Noses to Legislators
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-parents…
Florida What Test Stress Looks Like for Today’s Student
http://www.wtvy.com/content/news/369299761.html
Florida Third Grader Tells School Board: Why Test Prep Makes Me Hate School
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/02/16/third-gra…

Georgia Teachers Push for Fewer Standardized Exams
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/2016/02/17/teachers-standardized-testi…
Georgia The Story Behind an Unexpected Testing Reform Bill
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2016/02/19/the-story-behind-an-unexpec…

Indiana State Official Revised Report to Reduce Testing Criticism
http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/2016/02/17/independent-investi…

Louisiana Charter Schools Tighten Test Security After Cheating Investigation
http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2016/02/new_orleans_cheating_pla…
Louisiana Proposal to End Cycle of Tests, Test Prep and Cheating
http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/2016/02/report-to-bese-and-distric…

Maryland Educators, Lawmakers Support Bills to Limit School Testing
http://patch.com/maryland/uppermarlboro/s/fm82w/maryland-leaders-propose…?
Maryland Students Score Higher on Pencil-and-Paper English Exams
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-paper-testing-…

Michigan School “Walk In” Supports Reduction in Standardized Testing
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/02/kalamazoo_teacher_…

Nebraska State Ed Board Questions Need for New Civics Exam
http://www.ccenterdispatch.com/news/state/article_5b6b85fe-1b18-567e-90e…
Nebraska Changes Could Be Slow After State Assessment Trouble
http://www.ketv.com/news/iteam-changes-could-be-slow-after-state-assessm…

New Jersey We Know Nothing After a Year of PARCC
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/02/18/know-…
New Jersey Hiking Achievement Standards Won’t Improve Academic Performance
http://www.app.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/02/19/letter-hiking-achiev…

New York Assessment Reformers See Opportunity to Change Board of Regents
http://www.wnyc.org/story/common-core-critics-see-opportunity-change-sta…
New York Federal Law Now Leaves Opt-Out Consequences Up to State
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2016/02/8591533/new-law-lea…
New York Are Opt-Outs Pushing the State to Competency-Based Testing?
https://mets2006.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/are-the-opt-outs-pushing-the-s…

North Dakota State Weight Options for State Testing After Last Year’s Botched Computer Exam Rollout
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/education/3951444-state-weighs-opt…

Pennsylvania Schools Face Challenges of New Testing
http://lancasteronline.com/alwayslancaster/schools-face-challenges-of-ne…

Tennessee Public School Problems Tied to Over-Testing
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2016/feb/17/tennessee-edu…
Tennessee After Computer Testing Debacle, Student Scores Will Be Excluded From Teacher Ratings
http://tn.chalkbeat.org/2016/02/17/after-testing-debacle-tennessee-set-t…
Tennessee Questions Fairness of Test-Based Teacher Evaluation, But Does Not Bar It
http://tn.chalkbeat.org/2016/02/19/federal-court-dismisses-tea-lawsuit-b…

Texas Superintendent of Year Says “I Have Given Up the Testing and Accountability Game”
http://dianeravitch.net/2016/02/16/texas-superintendent-of-the-year-tell…
Texas Commission Studies Future of Student Testing
http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article61394777.html

Utah Test Scores Are Not a Valid Measure for Teacher Evaluations
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/3548377-155/op-ed-test-scores-are-not-a

Virginia Schools Back Testing Amendments
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/news/schools-back-testing-amendments…

Washington Hundreds of Student Test Scores Mailed to Wrong Addresses
http://komonews.com/news/local/oops-hundreds-of-seattle-student-test-res…

International How Finland Broke Every Rule and Created a Top School System
http://hechingerreport.org/how-finland-broke-every-rule-and-created-a-to…
International Why PISA Scores Are Meaningless
http://dianeravitch.net/2016/02/23/chris-tienkin-why-the-international-t…

Higher Ed. Colleges Move Away From Standardized Testing to Assess Learning
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/colleges-continue-to-abandon-standardi…

“No Pineapple Left Behind” New Video Game
http://subalterngames.com/press/sheet.php?p=no_pineapple_left_behind

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