Here is FairTest’s weekly roundup of resistance to test mania:
This week’s biggest assessment reform news was the vote to “opt out” of state-mandated standardized exams by the Lee County, Florida School Board. Though that was the most dramatic action so far this school year, we are seeing more and more local officials across the nation speaking out against testing overkill. As grassroots activists, educators, and experts ratchet up the pressure, expect more politicians to join the chorus of Americans saying, “Enough is enough!”
Colorado Education Leaders Question Standardized Testing Fixation
http://watchdogwire.com/colorado/2014/08/26/standardized-testing-questioned/
Florida District Sets Precedent by Voting to “Opt Out” of Standardized Testing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/28/us-usa-florida-education-idUSKBN0GS2LV20140828
Lee County Schools Opt-Out Action is First Real Public Stand
http://www.news-press.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/08/28/opting-decision-first-real-public-stand/14774379/
In MIami-Dade Schools, the Testing Never Ends
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/09/01/4322452/in-miami-dade-schools-testing.html
Taking It Beyond Testing: Minnesota Think Tank Report on School Funding Priorities
http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/education-taking-it-beyond-testing-minnesota-think-tank-release-report-education-spending
Mississippi County Superintendents Says Test Scores Are “Meaningless” and “Useless”
http://onlinemadison.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=29229
Keep New Jersey Test Scores in Proper Context
http://www.app.com/story/opinion/columnists/2014/08/28/editorial-keep-test-scores-proper-context/14758023/
New York City Mayor Pledges to Scrap Test-Only Selective High School Admissiosn
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/mayor-de-blasio-defends-plan-scrap-test-only-admissions-elite-high-schools-blog-entry-1.1920767
New Mexico Students Decry Say Standardized Test Pressure Undercuts Learning
http://krwg.org/post/new-mexico-students-feeling-pressure-standardized-testings
Oklahoma Will Not Use Scores From Failed McGraw-Hill Writing Exam
http://newsok.com/state-education-department-says-it-will-withold-fifth-through-eighth-grade-writing-scores-from-report/article/5336605
Texas Tests Are Developmentally Inappropriate; Scores Are Politically Manipulated — Great Letters to the Editor
http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/2014/08/staar-standards-tests-are-flawed.html/
Vermont Stands Up to Testing, Respects Students, Parents and Teachers
http://www.ruraledu.org/articles.php?id=3205
Washington State Educators Have a Message for Arne Duncan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/29/we-have-a-message-for-you-secretary-arne-duncan/
Student Test Scores Do Not Drive National Economic Performance:
Click to access Test-Scores-Economic-Performance-Aug-14.pdf
Teachers of Affluent Students Get Highest Evaluations
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2014/08/do_ratings_penalize_teachers.html
Common Core Testing Group Shortens English/Language Arts Assessment
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/08/parcc_shortens_englishlanguage.html
A Question for Arne Duncan: Who is Really “Sucking Air” Out of Education?
http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2014/08/duncans-unsolicited-confession-hes.html
Test-Optional College Admissions Movement Takes Off
http://www.examiner.com/list/the-test-optional-movement-takes-off
Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779
mobile- (239) 696-0468
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
NY Times Joe Nocera presents the most logical argument of the year for improving the nation’s schools in his recent op-ed piece, which notes that no other nation has an accountability program such as the one which dominates US public education.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/30/opinion/joe-nocera-imagining-successful-schools.html?_r=0&referrer=
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North Korea?
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“The unions would certainly have to shed some of the things they now have, such as control of work rules.”
Unions have control of work rules? what planet does he live on????
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A new twist on teacher evaluations:
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Great article in this month’s Kappan by expert in test history, test uses, and technical aspects of test development W.J. Popham, professor emeritus UCLA. He seems to be talking to colleagues who are psyshometricians as well as the Kappan’s broader audience.
In addition to pointing out the widely known influences on test scores over which teachers have no control, Popham hammers the policy of rating teachers by the scores of their students. He calls this policy “A terrible mistake.” Further, (and italicized in his article) “…we have no meaningful evidence that these tests (educational tests for students) can accurately distinguish between well taught and poorly taught students. This state of affairs is truly astonishing.”
Popham describes some procedures and requirements that might lead to the construction of “instructionally sensitive tests.” The basic procedures would resemble those taken in order to reduce gender, ethnic, and other forms of bias in tests. The process requires panels of teachers to make judgments about test items about the items as these may be influenced by an effective versus ineffective teacher. The panels would be comprised of experts in the grade and subject.
These items enter a pool for field trials that would generate data for differential item analysis and further refinements. (I question some of the assumptions in his brief discussion of the method, but I appreciate his outrage ).
Popham ends with “How can we allow teachers to be fired because of student scores on the wrong tests? How can we? And yet we do.”
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It is time, indeed past time, for those of us recognize the seriousness of this situation to don our alteration armor and head into battle.” September 2014 Kappan, pages 47-52.
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There’s another must read by Jason Stanford, Texas Observer connecting the Texas profiteers who started the commercialized testing mess. At the same time Pearson and Wireless Generation were gaining access to the Texas Education Agency, kickbacks were funneled into personal bank accounts from Pearson and Wireless Generation. The UT-System, Sharon Vaughn, Susan Landry, Barbara Foorman (now at FCRR) and others have been gaining wealth from royalties by misusing public tax dollars via state and federal grants since NCLB was passed.
http://www.texasobserver.org/walter-stroup-standardized-testing-pearson/
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As Mark Twain said, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme”. The profit motive is counterproductive to education. Case in point, standardized testing.
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First day of school here in NYC. First day of middle school for my eldest. I’m inclined to consider what a significant achievement a free and relatively well-functioning education system is. It could be better for many, but it also didn’t have to work out as well as it has, or even exist at all.
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We do have this magic measuring stick, of course: it’s called standardized testing. I suspect that a major reason we slid into this madness and can’t seem to figure out how to get out of it is that the American intelligentsia has lost the ability to think straight about objective tests.”
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119321/harvard-ivy-league-should-judge-students-standardized-tests?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=TNR%20Daily%20Zephyr%20with%20LiveIntent%20-%2009052014
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