Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 8 – 14, 2019

With Washington’s recent repeal of its graduation testing mandate, only eleven states still have exit exams. That’s the lowest number in decades! Check out FairTest’s freshly updated fact sheet to see why so many jurisdictions have eliminated these counter-productive requirements — http://www.fairtest.org/graduation-test-update-states-recently-eliminated — and use these arguments if your state still has a grad test. There’s also good news about assessment reforms from many other states.

National Can a State Refuse to Comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act?
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/05/essa-questions-funding-title-I.html

Hawaii Stop Assigning Grades to Public Schools
https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/hsta-please-stop-grading-public-schools/

Indiana Graduation Pathways to Replace High School Exit Exam
http://www.dailyjournal.net/2019/05/11/johnson_county_high_schools_prepare_for_biggest_change_in_decades/

Kentucky Cheating on Multiple Fronts as Several Educators Changed Student Answers
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article230263789.html

Maine State Dumps Test-Centric Teacher Evaluation
https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/05/maine-dumps-test-centered-teacher.html

Massachusetts Dark Money Behind Test-Drive “Reform”
http://www.masspoliticsprofs.org/2019/05/09/890/

Mississippi Computer Testing Problems Disrupted English Exams
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/10/glitch-slows-down-timed-tests-students-questar-reschedule-mississippi-department-education/1169136001/

New Mexico Students Allegedly Hacked into School Computer to Disrupt Test Administration
https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/students-allegedly-hacked-into-school-computer-system-delayed-testing/2000468413

New York Civil Rights Groups Call for State to Scrap Selective High School Admissions Test
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-exam-specialized-high-schools-20190509-4m4pe3xmfzb3navv5h5ywpggnu-story.html

Ohio Test Reduction Act Filed in Legislature
https://www.dispatch.com/opinion/20190514/column-house-bill-could-be-antidote-for-test-distress

Oregon Corporate “Reformers” Kill “Too Young to Test” Bill and Opt-Out Expansion
https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/10/oregon-while-teachers-strike-corporate-reformers-kill-bills-to-stop-testing-pre-k-2-and-to-expand-opt-out/

Tennessee State Scraps Online Testing for Grades 3 to 8 After Years of Problems
https://www.educationdive.com/news/tennessee-scraps-online-statewide-testing-for-grades-3-8/554519/

Texas House Votes Overwhelmingly to Suspend Test-Based Penalties on Students and Schools
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190507/texas-house-tentatively-approves-bill-to-suspend-staar-penalties
Texas Governor Extends Plan to Allow Some Students to Graduate without Passing Exit Exam
https://cbs4local.com/news/local/gov-abbott-extends-education-program-that-allows-students-who-fail-staar-to-graduate

Utah More Problems with Online Testing System Crashes
https://www.kpcw.org/post/rise-testing-glitches-continue

Washington Governor Signs Bill Ending Graduation Test Requirement
https://www.spokanepublicradio.org/post/inland-journal-may-10-2019-wa-high-school-graduation-requirements-changed

University Admissions Indiana State Goes ACT/SAT Optional
https://www.wthitv.com/content/news/Indiana-State-University-changes-SAT-ACT-admissions-policy-509764371.html
University Admission Varsity Blues Scandal Shows High-Stakes Testing Leads to High-Stakes Cheating
https://www.concordmonitor.com/High-stakes-testing-leads-to-high-stakes-cheating-25384419

Teacher Testing Let’s Scrap Exams That Keep Teachers of Color Out of the Classroom
https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2019/05/07/we-need-more-teachers-of-color-lets.html

International United Kingdom Teachers Are Miserable Because They Are Held at “Gunpoint” for Meaningless Data
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/30/why-teachers-miserable-held-gunpoint-meaningless-data

Worth Reading Can We Break the Shackles of Testing Overkill? Thoughts from former FairTest Executive Director
http://www.livingindialogue.com/test-time-can-break-shackles-nclb/
Worth Reading Project-Based Learning Boosts Student Engagement and Understanding
https://hechingerreport.org/project-based-learning-boosts-student-engagement-understanding/

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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