With the spring 2021 “testing for the sake of testing” charade getting underway, many parents are responding by opting their children out of pointless standardized exams. Initial reports indicate record numbers of public school children will not bother sitting for this year’s tests. On New York State’s Long Island, for example, fully half of all students in grades three through eight declined to take the state exams. To help document the size and scope of the movement nationally, please respond to this survey, conducted by reputable academics at Teachers College, Columbia University —https://tccolumbia.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6i2cmIQ2O3L9ggu
NationalThe Year Without Standardized Testing
https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/year-without
National Opt-Out Movement Ramping Up
https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2021/may/new-tc-research-adds-to-a-shifting-portrait-of-a-complex-movement/
CaliforniaHigh-Quality Formative Assessments Needed for Pre-School Expansion
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/california-invest-early-learning-assessment-system
ColoradoBill to Audit School Accountability Testing System Moves Forward
https://co.chalkbeat.org/2021/5/6/22423984/bill-to-audit-colorados-school-accountability-system-moves-forward
FloridaOur Child Will Not Be Participating in State Standardized Exams
https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2021/05/10/darby-delane-our-child-wont-taking-part-state-testing/4987177001/
IllinoisLegislators Advance Bill Calling on Feds to Waive Standardized Testing
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/illinois-lawmakers-urge-federal-government-to-nix-standardized-testing/artiycle_a5ae09a4-a917-11eb-892f-cb09ca540371.html
KentuckyThe Test is Broken, and It’s Part of a Broken System
https://www.whas11.com/article/news/education/jcps-kprep-testing-kentucky/417-4ba690fb-a769-49ed-be1e-66e709696daf
LouisianaSchool Tests Should Have Been Waived Again This Year
https://www.myneworleans.com/looking-before-we-leap/
Louisiana The Testing Game, Local Style
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2021/05/06/the-testing-game-louisiana-style/
MassachusettsTest Promoters Mislead Public
https://senatorjocomerford.org/five-ways-the-boston-globe-has-mislead-the-public-on-mcas/
Massachusetts Changes in Exam School Admissions Policies Boosted Diversity
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/07/metro/changes-admission-rules-boston-exam-schools-boosted-diversity-accepted-students
Massachusetts How Statewide Standardized Exams Discriminate Against Special Needs Students
https://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/standardized-testing
New YorkMore Than Half of Grade 3 to 8 Students Opted Out of State English Language Arts Tests
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/op-out-exams-2021-english-ela-1.50242190
New York Lower Number of Black and Latino Admits Renews Calls to Eliminate Selective High School Admissions Test
https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/black-latino-shsat-offers-see-decline/article_e8ae0116-9626-5229-a37b-15345c3b906c.html
North CarolinaState Senate Unanimously Passes Bill Waiving Test-Based School Grades
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article251027969.html
OregonMany Schools Pass on School Testing This Year
https://pamplinmedia.com/go/42-news/507649-405815-schools-pass-on-state-testing-this-year
TexasState House Passes Bill to Eliminate Tests Not Required by Federal Government
https://www.yourbasin.com/news/landgrafs-effort-to-slash-staar-test-passes-in-texas-house/
University AdmissionNumber of Colleges Requiring ACT/SAT Likely to Continue Declining
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/video/number-colleges-ll-require-testing-181538865.html
University Admission Wide Variation in Preparation and Administration Undermine 2021 Advanced Placement Exam Validity
https://news.yahoo.com/annual-ap-exams-underway-students-080000216.html
University Admissions Legislature Advances Bill to Make All Illinois Public Universities ACT/SAT Optional
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/proposal-to-drop-entrance-exam-requirements-at-public-universities-advances-in-illinois-legislature/ar-BB1gtSJv?ocid=BingNewsSearch
Worth WatchingUsing Assessments to Accelerate Learning without Tracking
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/event/webinar-accelerating-learning-using-assessments-to-determine-student-needs
Worth Reading Key Considerations for the Future of Assessments
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2021/05/10/3-key-considerations-for-the-future-of-assessments/
Bob Schaeffer, Executive Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office-(239) 395-6773 mobile-(239) 699-0468
web-https://fairtest.org.org