Victories — both large and small– in many states paint a bright picture for the grassroots assessment reform movement. As a momentous election season draws near, politicians will be paying even more attention to the concerns of their constituents. Parents, students, educators and community activists need to make sure policy makers know you want them to end standardized testing misuse and overuse. . . . NOW!
NationalMany States Back Away From Using Value-Added Measures” for Teacher Performance Reviews
https://www.kappanonline.org/mapping-teacher-evaluation-plans-essa-close-amrein-beardsley-collins/
AlaskaLook Beyond Test Scores to See What Is Happening in Kids’ Lives
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2019/10/21/lets-look-beyond-test-scores/
CaliforniaShould Tests Be Split Up and Administered Throughout the Year
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-10-21-should-state-assessments-be-split-up-testmaker-nwea-thinks-so
District of ColumbiaChancellor Promised to Review Test-Based Teacher Evaluation System
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/chancellor-vows-to-review-the-districts-controversial-teacher-evaluation-system/2019/10/20/6c00405c-f0de-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html
FloridaSchool Wrongly Placed Student in Special Ed to Avoid State Testing
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20191022/judge-sarasota-schools-wrongly-put-student-in-special-needs-program-to-avoid-state-testing
KansasStudy Concludes That Public Schools Rely Too Heavily on Standardized Exams
http://www.kake.com/story/41204334/ku-study-concludes-that-kansas-schools-rely-too-much-on-test-scores
MississippiMajor Test for New Teachers Will De-emphasize Difficult Math Problems
https://hechingerreport.org/a-major-test-for-would-be-teachers-will-de-emphasize-the-more-difficult-math-sections/
New JerseyState Board of Ed. Votes to Eliminate Some Exam Requirements
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/education/2019/10/21/nj-takes-step-reduce-state-testing-high-school/4053790002/
New YorkUniversal Free Lunch Linked to Higher Test Scores
https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2019/10/15/universal-free-lunch-is-linked-to-better-test-scores-in-new-york-city-new-report-finds/
North CarolinaTesting Reduction Act Goes Into Effect Next School Year
https://www.witn.com/content/news/Testing-Reduction-Act-to-begin-in-2020-2021-school-year-563169911.html
OklahomaSchool Effectiveness Linked to Diversity
https://nondoc.com/2019/10/19/school-effectiveness-linked-to-diversity/
OregonNew “Accountability” System Features More Nuances, Less Labeling
https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/7510320-151/oregon-applies-more-nuance-in-school-improvement
PennsylvaniaReducing Weight of Test Scores in Teacher Evaluation Will Help Students
https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/reforming-the-way-we-grade-teachers-will-help-our-students/article_116cc254-f1f2-11e9-9b8c-f74d52b03b2d.html
South CarolinaState Ed. Superintendent Says Standardized Testing Needs Complete Overhaul
https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/statesuperintendantsaysstatestandardizedtestsneedchanging/101-c69794f5-2c10-43ab-979b-9ac3edc42094
TennesseeFake “Ed Reform” Group Promotes Annual Testing
https://dianeravitch.net/2019/10/17/scandal-tennessee-fake-reform-group-endorses-annual-testing/
VirginiaState Reconsiders Role of Student Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations
https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/virginia-considers-deemphasizing-test-scores-in-teacher-evaluations/
University AdmissionsRecord Number of Schools Drop ACT/SAT Amid Growing Disenchantment with Standardized Tests
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/18/record-number-colleges-drop-satact-admissions-requirement-amid-growing-disenchantment-with-standardized-tests/
https://www.businessinsider.sg/more-schools-than-ever-are-turning-away-from-sat-and-act-for-admission-2019-10/
Worth ReadingHigh-Stakes Standardized Testing Is an Act of Violence Against Students
https://dianeravitch.net/2019/10/19/bob-shepherd-why-high-stakes-testing-is-an-act-of-violence-against-students/
Worth Reading No Test Left Behind: How Pearson Made a Killing on U.S. Testing Craze
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/features/privatization/four/
InternationalSingapore Ends Exam Ranking Because “Learning Is Not a Competition”
https://mymodernmet.com/singapore-abolishes-exams/