This is the regular report from Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, which has been promoting test reform for many years.

 

 

Happy Holidays to assessment reformers around the nation from everyone at FairTest, and best wishes for a New Year filled with victories rolling back test misuse and overuse.

 

You can help strengthen the movement for 2015 by making an online contribution at: http:/www.fairtest.org/donate or mailing a check to P.O. Box 300204, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

 

Thanks for all you do!

 

Delaware Selective School Entrance Exams Under Fire
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/76322-delaware-school-entrance-assessments-face-tough-test

 

Florida State Government Will Investigate School Testing Concerns
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/state-says-it-will-investigate-standardized-tests-in-schools/2211152

 

Atlanta, Georgia Test Cheating Trial May Last Until Spring
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/District_Dossier/2014/12/atlanta_trial_week_11.html

 

Maryland Teachers Call for Suspension of Kindergarten Readiness Test
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/12/maryland_teachers_union_calls_.html

 

New Jersey Teens’ Testimony Leads Board to Evaluate Testing Requirement
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2014/12/voorhees_student_opposition_to.html
Parents Cheer 10-Year-Old Student’s Dissection of New Jersey Common Core Test
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/16/i-dont-want-to-deal-with-this-nonsense-what-a-10-year-old-girl-had-to-say-about-common-core-left-parents-cheering/
12 Reasons Why New Jersey Activists Oppose PARCC Testing
https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSchoolsNJ/posts/882113598488468

 

New Mexico Legislation Would Limit Testing Days
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s3656903.shtml

 

New York Advocates Blast Gov. Cuomo’s Teacher Testing Scheme
http://poststar.com/blogs/a_time_to_learn/cuomo-poses-teacher-changes-advocates-say-priorities-misplaced/article_1c4d39be-870e-11e4-aa87-8332f9b35724.html

 

Over-Testing Tea Party for North Dakota Students
http://www.grandforksherald.com/opinion-letters/3637256-letter-tea-party-students-tested-enough-already

 

Purpose of Texas Schools Should Not Be Generating More Testing Data
http://www.cagle.com/2014/12/point-of-schools-isnt-more-testing/

 

Utah Grades the Wrong Things in Education
http://www.standard.net/Guest-Commentary/2014/12/20/Grading-the-wrong-things-in-public-education.html
Teacher Defense Association Seeks Reinstatement of Educator Fired for Refusing to Administer Tests
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Utah-Teacher-Defense-Association/733485876728516

 

Common Core Tests Steal Joy Out of Reading
http://www.alternet.org/how-newest-high-stakes-tests-are-stealing-joy-reading-our-kids?akid=12579.32230.NKFXSG&rd=1&src=newsletter1028778&t=11

 

More States Drop Out of PARCC Testing Consortium
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mercedes-schneider/parcc-attrition-from-2011_b_6364458.html

 

Arne Duncan’s World of Denial
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/arne-duncans-denial_b_6336960.html

 

Duncan and Other “Reformers” Should Apologize
http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2014/12/thompson-the-power-of-the-words-im-sorry.html

 

Teachers Cal for 360-Degree Accountability
http://www.livingindialogue.com/teacher-team-offers-new-vision-responsibility/

 

One Public School Teacher’s Open Letter to America
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-open-letter-to-america-from-a-public-school-teacher–2

 

Pushing Back Against High-Stakes for Students with Disabilities
http://www.aft.org/ae/winter2014-2015/tanis

 

Bad Assed Teachers Push Sec. Duncan on Test Misuse for Students with Disabilities
http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-badass-teachers-association-open.html

 

Pearson and the Assessment Problem
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicki-cobb/pearson-and-the-assessmen_b_6343602.html

 

 

 

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