Testing Resistance & Reform News: July 3 – 16, 2019

This week’s edition is jam-packed with stories about both the flaws of relying on standardized exams to make high-stakes educational decisions as well as successful campaigns to roll back testing misuse and overuse.

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Multiple States Recent Trends in Assessment System Innovations
https://bellwethereducation.org/sites/default/files/Bellwether_InnovativeAssessments_FINAL.pdf

Connecticut Test-Prep Contract Sent Back to Committee Due to Concerns About Testing Overkill
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/psat/

Florida State Must Stop Grading Public Schools
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-school-letter-grades-20190711-sfmhkrze6jglbcnuvipvjdp5te-story.html
Florida School Grades Really Measure Family Income on an “A to F” Scale
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/floridas-school-grades-are-really-measuring-family-income-on-an-a-to-f-scale-column-20190702/

Georgia What Students, Expert Think About State Tests
https://www.wabe.org/what-students-adult-expert-think-about-standardized-tests-vox-atl-teen-seeks-answers/

Idaho Innovative High School Has No Tests, No Grades
https://www.the74million.org/article/innovative-idaho-school-ahead-of-the-pack-in-rethinking-high-school-transcripts-and-at-least-some-colleges-are-glad/

Maine Last Rites for “Proficiency-Based Learning”
https://pinetreewatch.org/last-rites-for-proficiency-based-learning/

Massachusetts New School Chief Open to High School Entrance Test Review
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/07/10/new-superintendent-open-replacing-entrance-test-for-exam-schools/ItiHkX2JHklFv6f8Jbk8dO/story.html

Mississippi Summer School Students Struggle to Pass Grade Three Promotion Exam
https://mississippitoday.org/2019/07/09/as-thousands-of-third-graders-prep-for-reading-retest-districts-and-literacy-coaches-work-to-remove-barriers/

New Jersey Who Put the “Stakes” in High-Stakes Testing?
https://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2019/07/who-put-stakes-in-high-stakes-testing.html

New Mexico Feds Approve State’s Plan to End School Grades
https://www.abqjournal.com/1337773/feds-give-nm-the-ok-on-nixing-school-grades.html

New York Selective High School Admissions Test Still Blocks Diversity
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/would-eliminating-this-standardized-test-increase-racial-equity-in-elite-nyc-schools
New York Can Authentic Assessments Replace Regents Exams
https://mets2006.wordpress.com/2019/07/13/should-new-york-state-end-regents-exams-can-authentic-assessments-replace-the-regents-or-will-we-diminish-the-value-of-a-diploma/

North Carolina Legislature May Eliminate Up to 20 Exams in Testing Requirement Overhaul
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article232143892.html

Ohio Study Suggests Graduation Test Bar Is Set Too High
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/07/has-ohio-set-test-score-targets-too-high-for-graduation-study-suggests-it-has.html

Pennsylvania Officials Consider Replacing One Bad Exam with Another
https://gadflyonthewallblog.com/2019/07/15/pa-officials-want-to-replace-bad-keystone-exams-with-bad-college-entrance-exams/

Texas Young Adults Who Failed State Graduation Exam Now Eligible to Receive High School Diplomas
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article232497477.html

Utah Think Twice Before Accepting Iffy Data From State Tests
https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2019/07/14/commentary-think-twice/

Vermont Who Likes School Test Scores? Almost No One
https://vtdigger.org/2019/07/09/william-mathis-who-likes-school-test-scores-almost-no-one/

University Admissions UChicago Reports Success After Dropping ACT/SAT Requirement
https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/07/10/chicago-sees-success-dropping-testing-requirement-admissions
University Admissions Crucial Flaw Remains in College Testing Security
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/07/college-entrance-test-proctors-cheating-1398417
University Admissions Cornell Bioengineering Dept. Drops GRE Requirement
https://cornellsun.com/2019/07/13/cornells-biomedical-engineering-department-drops-gre-requirement-for-graduate-programs-to-promote-diversity/

International 50,000+ British Primary School Teachers Call for End to High-Stakes Testing
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/09/primary-school-teachers-want-to-see-sats-scrapped

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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