Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 15 – 21, 2019

Widespread controversy around the College Board’s new “Adversity Score” for college applicants highlighted why relying on test results to make high-stakes educational decisions is bad policy. See FairTest’s reaction here: http://www.fairtest.org/fairtest-new-sat-“adversity-score”-concedes-exam’s There’s also lots of K-12 assessment reform news

Florida After 20 Years, Jeb Bush’s Test-and-Punish Scheme Still Fails Students
https://npeaction.org/twenty-years-later-the-jeb-bush-a-plan-fails-floridas-students/
Florida Is There Too Much Testing in Florida Schools?
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/2019/05/16/is-there-too-much-testing-in-florida-schools/

Illinois Bill to Suspend Teacher Licensing Test Passed by Legislature
https://www.journal-republican.com/news/bill-suspending-teacher-basic-skills-test-approved/article_aa438ec0-78e1-11e9-a336-77a439dfdd57.html

Louisiana Testing Dominates Classrooms During End of School Year
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/testing-with-a-side-of-not-much-else/

Michigan State Eases Third Grade Promotion Testing Requirement
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/05/17/michigan-eases-measuring-stick-third-grade-reading-ahead-of-retention-rules/3705374002/

New Jersey Graduation Test Requirement Is Next Battleground
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2019/05/14/educators-activists-ask-nj-get-rid-graduation-testing/3666135002/

New York State Graduation Test Is Increasingly an Outlier
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2019/05/15/as-high-school-exit-exams-fall-out-of-favor-in-washington-and-new-jersey-new-york-is-increasingly-an-outlier/
New York Push Legislators to Sign On to Opt-Out Protection Bill
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/write-your-legislators-to-sign-onto-the-opt-out-bill
New York Seeds of Poisonous Testing Tree Are Planted in the Dark Through Pre-Tests
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-the-seeds-of-a-poisonous-testing-tree-20190516-w55d7mz3ejec7hq4kb7xc7skbq-story.html

Ohio Competing Plans for New Graduation Requirements
https://www.the-review.com/news/20190514/ohio-senate-offered-competing-plans-for-new-graduation-requirements

Pennsylvania Record Number of Parents in County Opt Children Out of State Tests
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/record-number-of-lancaster-county-parents-opt-their-children-out/article_90264c70-7752-11e9-a10d-bbb182997840.html

Texas Questions About State Test Linger, As School Year Winds Down
https://www.kut.org/post/questions-about-staar-tests-linger-school-year-and-legislative-session-wind-down

Utah Teachers Frustrated with Computer Testing Problems
https://www.ksl.com/article/46552438/teachers-frustrated-over-rise-testing-issues

Washington High School Graduation Will No Longer Hinge On Passing State Test
https://www.inlander.com/spokane/k-12-student-graduation-will-no-longer-hinge-on-passing-state-tests/Content?oid=17626251

University Admissions SAT “Adversity Score” Will Take Student Hardships Into Account
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/us/sat-score.html
University Admissions Forget Adversity Scores, Just Dump Admissions Exams
https://seattlemedium.com/forget-adversity-score-just-dump-sat/

International British Teacher’s Letter to Students, “No Test Can Assess the Unique Brilliance of You”
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/2019-sats-papers-letter-headteacher-16275275
International Australian School Testing Disrupted by Computer Administration Failures
https://www.9news.com.au/national/naplan-test-glitches-education-schools-consider-paper-exam-news-australia/492c4a41-9142-4c7e-86fd-f2972c0f1e4f

Worth Reading Study of Twins Shows Teacher Grades Predict Final Exam Scores, Raise Question About School Testing Fixation
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-shows-we-have-another-way-to-accurately-assess-kids-without-exams

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

Tags: