Testing Resistance & Reform News: March 29 – April 4, 2017

It’s spring testing season. In many states, the grassroots pushback against standardized exam misuse and overuse is gaining strength. Check out this week’s clips to see how legislatures, boards of education, and other policy-making bodies are responding to assessment reform movement power!

New Advocacy Resource: Standard Testing and Students with Disabilities
https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/standardized-testing-and-students-disabilities
Other Recent Assessment Reform Tools from FairTest
https://fairtest.orgdata.com.org/new-and-updated-fact-sheets

National Opt Out of Testing to Improve Public Education
https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2017/03/opt-testing-better-public-…
National What Organizers Need to Know About ESSA
http://schottfoundation.org/blog/2017/03/28/infographic-what-organizers-…

Arizona Educators Pan Test Score-Dominated School Grading System
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/payson-educators-pan-proposed-school-g…

California Of Dashboards, Dartboards and Dodgeball
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/opinions/2017-03-29/op-ed-of-dash…

Colorado University Sponsors Forum on Standardized Test Opt Out
http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-schools/ci_30893313/cu-boulder…

Connecticut Board of Ed to Vote on Plan to End Reliance on Test Score to Evaluate Teachers
http://jonathanpelto.com/2017/03/30/progress-made-making-connecticuts-te…

Delaware Opt-Out Penalty Removed From ESSA Implementation Plan
https://exceptionaldelaware.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/opt-out-wins-big-in…

Florida Parents Raise Money for Legal Challenge to Third Grade Retention Test
https://www.gofundme.com/StopGr3Retention
Florida Jeb Bush’s “Fewer, Better Tests” Bill is Baloney
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-school-testing-legislators-…
Florida Bill Advanced to Make Exam Content Public
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/florida-house-committee-seeks-to…

Illinois Parents Want Lawmakers to Remove SAT Scores From School Transcripts
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-high-school-transcr…

Indiana State’s Letter Grades Don’t Measure School Success
http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/opinion/our_opinion/our-opinion-gra…

Iowa State Board of Ed Member Calls for Testing Moratorium
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2017/03/30/frustra…

Maryland Showdown on Testing, Charters, and the Direction of Public Education
http://prospect.org/article/maryland-showdown-testing-charters-and-direc…
Maryland School Bill Passes Legislature Despite Governors Veto Threat
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/opioid-related-bills-ap…
Maryland Legislature Advances More Learning, Less Testing Act
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2017/03/30/testing-…

Massachusetts Parents and Educators Say: Revise ESSA Plan to Help Struggling Schools
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/less-testing-more-learning-ma-ca…
Massachusetts Veteran Teacher Seeks to Opt Out of Administering State Tests
http://hulltimes.ma.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=273d3bcdb

Michigan Detroit Parent Network Announces Test Opt-Out Campaign
https://michronicleonline.com/2017/03/03/detroit-parent-network-announce…

New Jersey High School Exit Testing in the Era of “College and Career Readiness”
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/31_03/31-3_karp.shtml

New Mexico Weight of Student Test Scores in Teacher Evaluation Reduced
http://krwg.org/post/martinez-announces-teacher-evaluation-changes

New York Latest Round of Exams Met with Widespread Protests, Massive Opt Outs
https://www.longislandpress.com/2017/03/29/common-core-ela-refusals-long…
New York Opt Out of State Tests to Force Policy Changes
http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/03/opt_out_of_nys_tests_t…

North Carolina Instead of Testing, Pursue Collaboration and Innovation
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article142482489.html

Ohio Teachers Fear AIR Tests Assessing Wrong Skills
http://wytv.com/2017/03/27/teachers-fear-air-tests-could-be-testing-wron…
Ohio Graduation Study Group Recommends Alternatives to Exit Exam
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/ohio-students-should-graduate-wit…
Ohio Do Students Take Too Many Tests?
http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170403/do-ohio-students-take-too-many-sta…

Pennsylvania Time to Burst the Bubble and Rethink Standardized Tests
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2017/03/hate_to_burst_your_bubble_but.html
Pennsylvania Future of High-Stakes Keystone Exams Remains in Limbo
http://www.phillytrib.com/news/federal-moves-keep-keystone-exams-in-limb…
Pennsylvania Tests Results Don’t Produce Educationally Useful Data
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2017/04/inactive-data.html

Texas Parents Create Opt-Out Academy to Protest Exam Overkill
http://www.khou.com/news/education/parents-opt-children-out-of-staar-des…
Texas Some Families Pressured to Take Test No Matter What
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2017/03/31/texasfamilies-feel-p…
Texas Why Parents Pulled Kids Out of Tests
http://www.houstonpress.com/news/why-parents-are-deciding-to-opt-out-of-…

West Virginia School Letter Grades Suspended While New Accountability System Developed
https://www.theet.com/news/local/a-f-accountability-grades-to-be-waived-…

International England Scraps National Testing of Youngest Children
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/sats-tests-sc…
International England Don’t Use Students as Measurement Probes to Assess Schools
https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/brian-cox-dont-use-ch…

University Admission Wofford College Goes ACT/SAT Optional
http://www.wofford.edu/newsroom/2017/Wofford-makes-standardized-tests-op…

Worth Reading To Bubble or Not to Bubble
https://themerrowreport.com/2017/03/28/to-bubble-or-not-to-bubble/
Worth Reading The Relationship Between Test Scores and Worker Productivity
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-03-30/the-insub…

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