Dear Friend:
Thanks to your activism, 2012 has been a great year for the growing national assessment reform movement. Now, FairTest needs your continued help to build greater momentum in 2013!
Just look at the numbers documenting several of our recent successes:
- Responding to widespread, local support for a Texas petition criticizing the misuse and overuse of standardized exams, FairTest recruited leading education, civil rights, religious and parent groups to help launch the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing. More than 14,000 individuals and 460 groups have signed on. Half the school boards in Florida have endorsed versions of the Resolution, as have school committees in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
- In higher ed., 850 colleges and universities are now part of the FairTest-led test-optional admissions movement. That includes 147 ranked in the top tier of their respective categories. FairTest’s test-optional web pages draw more than 260,000 unique visitors each year. By dropping SAT and ACT requirements, schools open their doors to more diverse applicants. And they serve as a valuable model for K-12 education by demonstrating that test scores are not needed to make sound decisions.
- So far in 2012, FairTest has been quoted in 547 news stories, across the U.S. and around the globe. Outlets reporting on our work range from NBC News, the New York Times and Washington Post to online sites such as Huffington Post and Daily Kos, plus dozens of local radio stations. FairTest helps balance media coverage of testing at the same time we promote richer, fairer forms of assessment.
Polls show that a majority of Americans now reject reliance on high-stakes tests. Still, too many federal and state politicians keep pushing to double-down on failed policies.
In the coming year, we need to close the gap between public opinion and policy maker behavior. That’s where your financial support will be crucial.
Please help make the voice of the assessment reform movement even more effective in 2013 by making a year-end contribution to FairTest today.
You can donate online or by mailing a check to FairTest, P.O. Box 300204, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.
Thank you. Best wishes for a happy holiday season!
Monty Neill, Ed.D. Bob Schaeffer
Executive Director Public Education Director
PS: Your contribution to FairTest is completely tax deductible.