Fairtest: Weekly Update on Testing Resistance and Reform

Bob Schaeffer of Fairtest writes:

With stories from more than half of the 50 states, this week’s news clips show the expanding breadth, depth and clout of the assessment resistance and reform movement. You can help strengthen support for grassroots activism by making contributing to the campaign for Less Testing, More Learning
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fairtest

National “We Now Know That Students Cannot Be Tested Out of Poverty”
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/243692-dc-civil-rights-organizations-fail-to-represent-education-civil

Keep Pressing the U.S. Senate to Roll Back Federal Test Overkill Mandate

http://fairtest.org/roll-back-standardized-testing-send-letter-congres

Arkansas on Verge of Dropping PARCC Test
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2015/06/arkansas_poised_to_drop_parccs_common-core_test_in_favor_of_act.html

California Schools Face Challenge of Explaining Common Core Test Results to Parents
http://edsource.org/2015/schools-face-challenge-of-explaining-common-core-test-results-to-parents/80735#.VW77FPlLUZx

California Rural Districts Develop Innovative Assessment Alternatives
http://www.pinerivertimes.com/article/20150604/PRT01/150609875/-1/prt/Bayfield-school-district-helps-create-testing-alternative-

Connecticut New Law Would Reduce Test Exhaustion for 11th Graders
http://wnpr.org/post/new-law-would-reduce-test-exhaustion-connecticuts-11th-graders#stream/0

Delaware Parents Understand Why to Opt Out
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/contributors/2015/06/02/parents-know-smarter-balance-test-bad-kids/28383361/

Florida Testing Problems Mean Fewer Third Graders Held Back
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-third-graders-reading-retention-20150603-story.html

Florida Too Much Testing in Schools Critics Say
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150604/ARTICLE/150609853

Idaho Test Contractor Problems Delay Score Reporting
http://www.idahoednews.org/news/isat-test-results-hit-a-series-of-delays/#.VW8N4PlLUZw

Indiana District Supers Call for True Accountability, Not Reliance on ISTEP Scores
http://www.jconline.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/06/04/op-ed-bad-news-coming-istep/28492025/

Indiana High-Stakes Testing To Come Under Scrutiny by Legislative Committee
http://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/local_news/high-stakes-testing-to-come-under-scrutiny/article_ef7efa79-a5d5-5ed7-859e-d6b79a5d9e2c.html

Kansas Trying to Pilot Local Assessments Under NCLB Waiver
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2015/06/kansas_tried_for_local_tests_u.html

Louisiana SciTech Charter School Testing Irregularities
http://thelensnola.org/2015/06/03/scitech-charter-leader-let-students-take-tests-for-each-other-and-at-home/

Maine School Officials Say Test is Fatally Flawed
http://www.mdislander.com/maine-news/education-news/test-fatally-flawed-school-officials-say

Maine House and Senate Revive Test Opt-Out Bill
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/06/08/politics/standardized-testing-opt-out-bill-revived-by-maine-house-senate/

Massachusetts Groups Launch Week of Actions for Less Testing, More Learning
http://www.citizensforpublicschools.org/get-ready-for-a-week-of-action-for-less-testing-more-learning/

Massachusetts Teacher Takes Stand Against Controversial Tests
http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/local-teacher-takes-stand-against-controversial-tests/article_220e0928-d92e-5a1d-998c-4509d5530718.html

Michigan Is There Too Much Testing in Public Schools
http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/washtenaw-county/interview-is-there-too-much-testing-in-michigan-schools

Missouri Legislature Throws Out Smarter Balanced Test
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/missouri-legislature-throws-common-core-test-out-the-window/article_09441f40-b77a-5f0d-ae9f-7678a30d551a.html

Montana Flawed Test Cancellation May Threaten Federal School Ratings
http://helenair.com/news/education/state/schools-break-from-glitchy-tests-threatens-their-passing-grade/article_4ed2c4dd-bf6e-5d85-bc5a-ac67f9a1fb90.html

Montana New Bugs Further Delay Test Administration
http://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_ea5ba2cd-6af8-5790-9ddf-ae620f162c42.html

New Hampshire Opt Outs Drove City Participation Rate Below 95%
http://nhpr.org/post/manchester-and-nashua-miss-federal-bar-test-participation

New Jersey Local Opt-Out Rates Approached 50%
http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/montclair-parcc-opt-out-numbers-over-47-percent-1.1348072

New York How Standardized Testing Can Maintain the Status Quo
http://www.alternet.org/education/how-standardized-testing-reveals-stark-inequalities-between-rich-and-poor

New York Students Hold Hearing at State Capitol on Testing Policies
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/236290/for-students-a-lesson-in-policy-that-affects-them-education/

New York Judge Finds Second Version of State Teacher Licensing Test Racially Biased
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/06/nyregion/judge-rules-second-version-of-new-york-teachers-exam-is-also-racially-biased.html

North Carolina End of Course Tests Cause Too Much Stress, Dread
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20150605/OPINION01/306059995?p=1&tc=pg

North Carolina Test Taking Is Not True Learning
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article23221716.html

Oklahoma Throws Out Writing Test Scores Due to Reliability Concerns
http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/writing-tests-won-t-count-on-schools-a-f-report/article_ab4ea186-6825-5638-a487-295599c367a3.html

Oklahoma Questions Raised Over Quality of Temp Exam Graders
http://oklahomawatch.org/2015/06/04/concerns-raised-on-use-of-temp-agency-test-graders/

Oregon Meaningful Learning Can’t Be Measured With a Standardized Test
http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/33117498-78/meaningful-learning-cant-be-standardized.html.csp

Pennsylvania Hundreds of Philly Students Opted Out of Tests This Year
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/82667-sanctions-or-success-hundreds-of-philly-students-opted-out-of-standardized-tests-this-year

Rhode Island ACLU, Other Groups Petition for Public Hearings on Using PARCC Test for Graduation
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150602/NEWS/150609868/13748/NEWS

Rhode Island Listen to Teachers About Tests
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150603/OPINION/150609801/2011

Texas Teachers Give Failing Marks to New State School Grading Scheme
http://www.sacurrent.com/Blogs/archives/2015/06/02/new-school-assessment-scale-fails-with-sa-teachers

Texas Houston Schools Will Scale Back Local Testing in Response to Grassroots Pressure
http://blog.chron.com/k12zone/2015/06/hisd-to-scale-back-testing/

Utah Education Organization Wants to Reduce the Impact of Standardized Exams
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_604be4cc-0b10-11e5-8830-f73cced7d68b.html

Virginia Governor Signs Testing Reform Bills
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Governor-Signs-SOL-Reform-Bills-305897751.html

Virginia Parents Protest SOL Exam Volume
http://wvtf.org/post/richmond-parents-protest-sol-tests

Washington Testing Overkill Takes Toll of Parents, Students
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jun/05/thats-life-testing-takes-toll-on-parents-students/

Wyoming Testing Task Force Begins Work
http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/testing-task-force-begins-work

International SAT Cheating Scandal Broadens with Indictment of 15 Chinese Nationals
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/03/sat-cheating-scandal-broadens-with-indictment-of-15-chinese-nationals/

“High-Stakes Testing” Podcast From Humankind Radio
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/humankind-on-public-radio/id806933156?mt=2

Five Myths About Standardized Testing and the Opt-Out Movement
http://www.empowermagazine.com/5-myths-standardized-testing-opt-movement/

Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779
mobile- (239) 699-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org