Testing Resistance & Reform Spring Launched

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Thursday February 20, 2014 · 8:07 AM PST

2014/02/20 · 08:07

Campaigns against the overuse and misuse of standardized testing are exploding across the nation. Many parents, teachers, students and activists agree that one-size-fits-all exams produce narrow, misleading snapshots of U.S. children and public schools. State and local policy makers are starting to heed their constituents' message by reducing testing overkill.

Now, major groups seeking to overhaul assessment have allied to help win more policy changes. Today, they announced the launch of "Testing Resistance & Reform Spring."

LisaGuisbond

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Wednesday February 05, 2014 · 9:10 AM PST

2014/02/05 · 09:10

It’s 2014, the year all U.S. public schools were going to reach 100% student proficiency, thanks to No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

No, you didn’t miss the fanfare. One hundred percent proficiency didn’t happen. Not even close. In fact, our classrooms are making even less progress toward improving overall educational performance and narrowing racial test score gaps than before NCLB became law.

The problem is policy makers are still following NCLB’s test-and-punish path. The names of the tests may have changed, but the strategy remains the same. As the late, great Pete Seeger sang, “When will we ever learn?”

LisaGuisbond

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday December 18, 2012 · 9:58 AM PST

2012/12/18 · 09:58

A growing rebellion against the overuse and misuse of standardized tests is sweeping the nation. In Texas, New York, Chicago, Florida and elsewhere, teachers, principals, school boards, parents, students, researchers and others are saying “enough is enough” to test-and-punish policies like No Child Left Behind. The federal NCLB and other state-imposed high-stakes testing policies have failed to improve our schools and, according to the National Research Council, have caused harm by increasing high school dropout rates. Our misguided national testing craze has squeezed out art, music, sports, social studies and science, even recess, and turned too many classrooms into test preparation centers. It's time for a new direction.

If you share these concerns, here are two things you can do. First, join the nearly 14,000 individuals and 475 organizations that have signed the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing. Second, join the rapidly growing numbers of people who are sharing FairTest’s infographic,“What’s wrong with standardized tests?” Share it on Facebook, twitter, email or on old-fashioned paper handouts.

If you aren’t yet concerned but want to know what the fuss is about, check out the infographic. If you want to learn more, visit the FairTest web site for fact sheets, reports and other materials.

What's wrong with standardized tests?

It's time to quit the college admissions test rat race

LisaGuisbond

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday December 14, 2012 · 11:19 AM PST

2012/12/14 · 11:19

Parents, high school students and college counselors, listen up. I’ve got good news about those dreaded and bank-account-draining college admission tests and test prep programs.

What, you say? Good news in this landscape of worry? Worry about getting in, about paying the ever-inflating college tuition, about whether the kid will be employable after the huge investments of time and money, the accumulation of debt. Somewhere in that landscape is the worry about the SATs and ACTs. To prep or not to prep, which test to take and how many times to take it. Will the scores mean the college of the kid’s dreams is out of the question? I can’t erase all these worries, but I can certainly take the edge off.

Here’s how. There are now more than 800 accredited, bachelor degree-granting U.S. colleges and universities that do not require applicants to submit test scores. The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) has a complete, searchable online list of these schools here. Nearly 150 colleges and universities on this list rank in the top tier of their respective academic categories. The number of test-optional institutions soared after the latest revision of the SAT and ACT in 2005, with 80 schools joining the list in the past several years.

I work for FairTest, but as the Hair Club for Men guy says, I’m also a customer. When my older son was in high school, I could feel the tension rising in PTO meetings as parents asked when to register for admission tests, what to take, how many times to take them, what was the cost of a good prep class or tutor. But my blood pressure stayed low. I knew that my son had a long list of great schools to consider that didn’t require him to submit scores. I always raised my hand to share this information with other parents, who were often surprised and happy to hear it.

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Testing Resistance & Reform Spring Launched

NCLB Crashed and Burned. When Will We Ever Learn?

What's wrong with standardized tests?

It's time to quit the college admissions test rat race