Monday, May 27, 2013

The assessment reform movement continues to gather steam

Attack, attack, attack ed deform and the deformers. We are on the offensive. High stakes testing is the wedge of ed deform so every little bit to undermine and discredit HST wears away the cover. The list below show signs that media coverage is growing.

From Monte Neill at Fair Test:
This week's stories highlight high-stakes testing protests -- and victories -- in more than a dozen states with additional resistance activities planned for the end of the 2012-2013 school year.
Remember that previous editions of these updates are available at: http://fairtest.org/news

South Carolina Exit Exam Could be History
    http://www.thestate.com/2013/05/15/2773149/sc-high-school-graduation-exit.html

Florida Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit May Impact Other States
    http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/Florida-Teacher-Lawsuit-Could-Spread-to-Other-States.html

Seattle Teachers, Students Celebrate Historic Victory Against Standardized Tests
    http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/20/seattle_teachers_students_win_historic_victory
School Testing Fails the Test
    http://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/saturdaysoapbox/1136335-14/saturday-soapbox-school-testing-fails-test

Texas Senate Passes Bill Reducing Testing in Lower Grades
    http://www.texastribune.org/2013/05/21/lege-clears-bill-reducing-testing-lower-grades/

Why I Opted Out of Standardized Tests -- by FairTest Board member Nikhil Goyal
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/nikhilgoyal/2013/05/22/opting-out-of-teacher-evaluation-tests/

Am I Part of the Problem or the Solution, featuring FairTest Board member Deborah Meier
    http://dianeravitch.net/2013/05/18/deborah-meier-am-i-part-of-the-problem-or-the-solution/

Chicago Parents Say "No" to Excessive Standardized Testing
    http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=221572

GAO Finds 40 States Probed Cheating Allegations
    http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/05/40_states_probed_alleged_cheating_on_tests_federal_report_finds.html
see FairTest Survey on Confirmed Cases of Cheating
    http://www.fairtest.org/2013-Cheating-Report-PressRelease

Providence Student Union Challenges Ed. Commission to Debate Grad Test Requirement
    http://www.providencestudentunion.org/2013/05/20/students-invite-commissioner-to-debate-necap-graduation-requirement/

New Jersey Activists to Protest Tax Breaks for Pearson Testing Company
    http://njeducationnews.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/may-23-pearson-protest/
Take the Pearson Test to See Whether You Also Qualify for Millions in Tax Breaks
    http://njeducationnews.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/take-the-pearson-test-see-if-you-qualify-for-millions-in-tax-breaks-too/

Upcoming New York State Rally Against High-Stakes Tests and For Better Educational Practices
   http://shar.es/Zs6H2

Parents Take Stand Against Standardized Test
    http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/parents-take-stand-against-standardized-tests

Schools Add to Test Load Just to Assess Questions
    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/education/to-sharpen-student-testing-another-round-of-tests.html
Teachers Union Opposes Over-Testing Students
     http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/opinion/testing-students-again-the-teachers-union-view.html?_r=0

Principals Launch Campaign Against High-Stakes, Common Core Tests
    http://andreagabor.com/2013/05/15/round-two-new-york-city-principals-mount-a-campaign-against-unfair-testing/
Principals Pledge Not to Use Test Scores to Screen Students
    http://www.alternet.org/education/new-york-city-principals-we-wont-use-test-scores-screen-students

Why Our New Educator Evaluation System is Unethical
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/20/principal-why-our-new-educator-evaluation-system-is-unethical/

Testing Companies Are Clear Winners in High-Stakes Exams Debate
     http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2013/05/clear_winners_in_school_testin.html

Columbia Teachers Graduates Protest Award to Leading Promoter of High-Stakes Exams
     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/21/quiet-protest-staged-at-teachers-college-graduation/

How to Avoid Nevada's Testing Train Wreck
    http://www.rgj.com/article/20130519/OPED04/305190071/How-avoid-state-s-testing-train-wreck

Forum Takes on Standardized Testing
    http://thenotebook.org/blog/135987/forum-takes-standardized-testing

Testing Policies Becomes Local School Board Election Issue
    http://www.lohud.com/article/20130516/NEWS/305160076/Ossining-school-board-candidates-disagree-over-testing-system

Fallout from Computer Testing Glitch Continues
    http://newsok.com/fallout-of-oklahoma-school-testing-glitch-continues/article/3826097

Oklahoma Investigates Field Test Opt-Out Campaign
    http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Jenks_schools_scrutinized_by_state_education_department/20130519_11_a1_theokl857604?subj=1

A Family Decides to Opt Out
    http://bluehatmovement.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/opting-out-updated/

Campaign for Artful Resistance -- a creative initiative from Save Our Schools
    http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/get-involved/the-campaign-for-artful-resistance-2/

Authentic Assessments Must Be Included in Teachers' Tool Box -- by Oregon's chief state education officer
   http://pamplinmedia.com/pt/10-opinion/152550-new-way-needed-to-gauge-student-progress

Spinning Around Again on Education Testing Carousel
    http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130519-OPINION-305190331

Student Test Scores Are Faulty Measure of Teacher Effectiveness
    http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2013/05/student_test_scores_are_faulty.html

What if Finland's Great Teachers Taught in the U.S.?
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/

How Michelle Rhee Misled Education Reform
    http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113096/how-michelle-rhee-misled-education-reform#

Education Reform in the New Jim Crow Era
    http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/16406-education-reform-in-the-new-jim-crow-era

Teachers Call Social and Emotional Learning "The Missing Piece" in Schools
    http://casel.org/themissingpiece/

Change the Purpose of Education
    http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/05/15/change-purpose-education


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

And one more: Prince William father learns how to opt out of standardized test - The Washington Post