From FairTest:
In addition to lots of other testing news, several states that contract with Questar, a for-profit subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service, recently experienced significant disruptions of their computerized standardized exams. In three — New York, Ohio and Tennessee — the entire assessment system crashed. The latest failures add to the evidence that corporate and ideological forces rushed these technologies into the marketplace before they were ready for prime time. See FairTest’s chronology of computer testing problems at:
http://fairtest.org/computerized-testing-problems-chronology
Florida State Seeks to Delay Stricter Grad Test Rules
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-florida-graduation-test-scores-20180416-story.html
Georgia District Tells Opt-Out Parents to Keep Kids Home for Two Weeks
http://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/what-to-do-if-you-opt-your-child-out-of-milestones-testing-dont-go-to-school/85-542620645
Georgia Top State Court Refuses to Hear Educators Test Cheating Appeal
https://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/highest-georgia-court-won-hear-aps-educators-appeals/zmXkAVaS38EYWLg02FJlZK/
Maryland Computer Testing Is Another Challenge for Low-Income Students
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/k-12/bs-md-online-parcc-test-20180402-story.html
Massachusetts Student and Her Mother Blog About Problems with State Testing
https://lesstestingmorelearning.tumblr.com/post/173095664989/stories-12-and-13-from-a-daughter-and-her
Michigan Standardized Tests Dull Learning
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2018/04/17/standardized-tests-dull/33935993/
Minnesota Legislature’s Test-Driven School Ranking System Needs Overhaul
http://www.startribune.com/proposed-system-for-ranking-minnesota-schools-needs-work/480423733/
Mississippi Technical Problems Interrupt State Computerized Test
http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/technical-problem-briefly-interrupts-mississippi-state-tests/article_2066e3fd-859e-52fb-b636-387279e56309.html
Mississippi State Renews $10 Million Testing Contract Despite Recent Exam Administration Disruption
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/04/20/mississippi-renews-questar-testing-contract-more-than-10-m/536735002/
Mississippi What’s a Test For?
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article209485029.html
New Jersey PARCC’s Long Goodbye
http://nj1015.com/parccs-long-goodbye-wont-end-standardized-tests-in-new-jersey/
New Mexico Legislators Push Back Against Governor’s Test-Based Retention Plan
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/secretary-s-school-retention-plan-riles-new-mexico-lawmakers/article_b042ef13-990b-5846-bf30-aec990e296df.html
New York After Epic Fail of State Testing, Parents Seek Removal of Education Commissioner
https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2018/04/epic-fail-of-last-weeks-state-testing.html
North Dakota New Education Dashboard Goes Beyond Test Scores, Includes Student Engagement
http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/New-tool-launched-to-Provide-More-Transparency-in-School-Performance—480534231.html
Ohio Statewide Computer Testing System Crashes
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/online-state-testing-system-down-some-schools-cancel-tests-for-day/3aV1Z4YyJdEp9SdhxJrsON/
Ohio School Grades Are Not Understandable
http://www.norwalkreflector.com/Education/2018/04/20/School-supers-want-simplified-fair-state-report-cards.html
Oregon Latino Students, Standardized Testing and Opting Out
https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2018/04/19/latino-students-what-matters/
Pennsylvania Opt-Out Numbers Growing
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/nearly-lancaster-county-students-have-opted-out-of-pssas-this/article_2ec60700-44da-11e8-8e1b-3b18d5e8c81f.html
Pennsylvania Teacher Writes Anti-Test Poetry While Proctoring Exams
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/i-had-test-itis-while-kids-are-taking-pssas-this-teacher-might-be-writing-subversive-poetry-20180418.html
Pennsylvania “Kiss My Assessment,” More High-Stakes Poetry
https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/kiss-my-assessment-a-high-stakes-testing-poem/
Tennessee Statewide Computerized Testing System Fails for Third Year in a Row
https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/04/20/tnready-testing-testing-testing-and-failing/529442002/
Tennessee Parents Pull Children Out of Testing
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/parents-pull-children-from-tnready-testing/51-542961098
Tennessee Legislators Drop Consequences From This Year’s Flawed Tests
https://chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/04/19/breaking-tennessee-lawmakers-take-matters-into-their-own-hands-on-tnready-testing-problems/
Texas High Time for State Testing Burnout
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/04/18/high-time-staar-test-burn
Texas Why Do They Test?
https://www.mystatesman.com/news/opinion/commentary-let-test-then-you-and/1VVhNP556rJE6RjHiwDpDK/
Washington New System for Evaluating Schools Is Being Implemented
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/apr/18/washington-implementing-new-system-for-judging-sch/#/0
Washington Time to Opt Out
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2018/04/its-testing-time-opting-out.html
University Admissions SAT Documentary “The Test and the Art of Thinking” Opens Across the U.S.
https://www.thetestdoc.org/
International Why British Parents Will Boycott School Tests
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/22/parents-boycott-sats-tests
Worth Reading Why Can’t We Assess Like We Were Assessed?
https://www.educationdive.com/news/we-cant-assess-like-we-were-assessed/521257/
Worth Reading I Lied to My Students Today
http://www.lovewhatmatters.com/i-lied-to-my-students-today/
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
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’ve shared this post with several people who are not educators. Thank you, FairTest and Diane.
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“The Tennessee (TNunReady) Test” ( sung by the Questar testing company CEO)
They were crashin’ with my software on the Tennessee Test
When a Pearson I happened to see
I introduced him to the guv’nor and while they were meetin’
That man stole my contract from me
I remember that day and the Tennessee Test
Only you know just how much I have lo$t
Yes I lost my testing contract the day they were playin’
My beautiful Tennessee Test
I remember that day and the Tennessee Test
Only you know just how much I have lo$t
Yes I lost my little contract the day they were playin’
My beautiful Tennessee Test
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That’s based on The Tennessee Waltz for anyone who doesn’t recognize it.
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“…that man stole my CONTRACT from me…”
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A question for Fair Test:
What is a fair test?
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What is a fair test?
A fair test is one that teacher creates to help them assess how his/her students are doing and those tests do not have trick questions and are only to show the teacher if the majority of students are learning what he/she is teaching.
In addition, a teacher made fair test should not be a major part of a class grade. In fact, a student should still be able to earn an A in a class even if they failed or missed all of a teacher made tests.
The purpose of a teacher made test is to help the teacher learn what his/or her students are learning and not to be used as an easier way to grade students.
I think it is wrong when any teacher uses tests that are worth more than 10-percent of a total quarter or semester grade. I think a teacher that counts tests as 50 percent or higher for the term’s grade, is lazy and unfair.
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You and I come from a different perspective when it comes to what teaching is all about. I concur with almost all you say with one addition:
“The purpose of a teacher made test is to primarily help the students learn where they are in their learning and secondarily to help the teacher learn what his/or her students are learning and not to be used as an easier way to grade students.
But do they ever listen to us older retired, experienced teachers????
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“They” don’t listen to teachers still in the classroom. There’s an old saying that says, “Kids should be seen and not heard.”
I think that saying changed over the years to “Teachers should be invisible and not heard.”
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At places like Success Academy, the saying is “Kids should be herded, not heard”
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Yes, schools like Eva’s (fake and misleading named) Success Academy dream of herding children with electric cattle prods and sewing their lips shut or even cutting out their tongues if the sutured lips don’t stop the child from talking.
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