Testing Resistance & Reform News: February 27 – March 5, 2019

Ever-growing numbers of Americans are coming to understand that decades of test-and-punish policies have failed to boost educational quality or enhance equity. Many states are getting the message and backing away from high-stakes exams, as this week’s news stories and commentaries demonstrate.

Arizona Stop the Testing Lunacy
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2019/03/01/azmerit-wastes-time-and-money-someone-end-it/3020776002/

California New State Ed Board Chair Says Testing Won’t Make U.S. Schools No. 1
http://nce.aasa.org/darling-hammond-testing-wont-make-america-no-1-in-education/

Florida Will Elimination of Common Core Reduce Testing Overkill?
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190226/common-core-change-up-step-1-purchase-of-new-math-textbooks-on-hold
Florida Children Should Not Be Defined by Test Scores
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/opinion/letter-children-shouldnt-be-defined-with-testing-data/

Illinois State Scraps PARCC, Replacement Exam Will Be Shorter
https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-iar-parcc-state-testing-20190227-story.html

Missouri How We’ve Raised a Generation of Test-Takers
https://callnewspapers.com/lindbergh-focuses-less-on-test-scores-and-more-on-entire-educational-experience/

New Jersey End of PARCC Era Presents Assessment Reform Opportunity
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/19/03/04/op-ed-the-true-assessment-opportunity-presented-by-end-of-the-parcc-era/

New Mexico Eliminating School Grades Improves Accountability
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/editorials/welcome-accountability-in-a-new-era-of-school-reform/article_a2cd3ef0-fea3-58e1-bea6-0c23240376ad.html
New Mexico State Ed Secretary Says “You Can’t Test Students Into Proficiency”
https://www.abqjournal.com/1288223/senate-oks-karen-trujillo-as-education-secretary.html

New York Teacher Union Backs Parents’ Right to Opt Out of Testing
https://www.nysut.org/resources/all-listing/filtered-resources/topic/opt-out?topic=Opt+Out
New York Test Prep’s “Fine Art of Crap Extraction”
http://nyceducator.com/2019/03/english-and-fine-art-of-crap-extraction.html

North Carolina To Improve Education, Focus on Teaching Not Testing
https://www.greensboro.com/opinion/columns/mark-gibb-why-no-respect-for-teachers/article_88ca1dd7-32bb-552b-a4c5-16060204c7e2.html
North Carolina Why Parents Are Upset with School Grading Plan
https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20190304/why-are-parents-upset-about-ncs-school-grading-scale

Oklahoma New School Report Cards Use Multiple Measures of Progress
https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/oklahoma-rolls-out-new-school-report-card-system

Pennsylvania Science and Social Studies Pushed Out by Testing Fixation
https://www.philly.com/opinion/philadelphia-schools-teach-the-test-stem-reading-20190301.html

Texas School Accountability Tests Measure District Poverty
https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Making-the-Grade-A-F-Accountability-System-506411891.html
Texas Why Your Kids May See Fewer Standardized Tests
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article226858749.html
Texas Is State Test Reading Level Too Difficult
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/us/texas-staar-test.html

Utah Parents and Teachers Oppose Bill to “Incentivize” Test Taking
https://universe.byu.edu/2019/03/01/utah-parents-teachers-say-standardized-testing-bill-a-mistake/

West Virginia Former Teacher Questions Value of Standardized Testing
http://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2019/03/testing-is-questioned/

University Admission “Nonprofit” College Board Executives Rake in Cash
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/the-college-board-nonprofit-oh-the-money-one-can-make/
University Admissions Bucknell Smart to Look At More Than Test Scores
https://www.dailyitem.com/opinion/editorial-bucknell-smart-to-look-at-more-than-test-scores/article_81ad0b9a-3baa-11e9-9896-3bea8a003c2c.html

International Canada Standardized Testing Is Flawed
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/editorials/opinion-standardized-testing-is-flawed-288265/
International Finland Seeks to Export its Model of Educational Excellence
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/finland-seeks-to-share-its-education-excellence-with-the-world-1.831095

Worth Reading Real Student Achievement Is Not Measured by Test Scores
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/03/02/stop-talking-about-student-achievement/#77da745d6e57

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education 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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