Last weekend's Network for Public Education conference in Austin provided another boost for the growing power of campaigns to overhaul school testing policies -- many plenaries and workshops addressed assessment issues. This week's large batch of clips shows the breadth and depth of the movement.
The U.S. can do a much better job evaluating children, teachers and schools. That's why protests against standardized testing misuse and overuse are exploding across the nation. Testing Resistance & Reform Spring (TRRS) seeks to ensure that assessment contributes to all students having access to a high-quality education. FairTest is a founding partner. Our alliance unites around three goals:
This page includes FairTest discussions of testing reform organizing and links to supporting materials on high-stakes testing and authentic assessment.
Community meetings or town halls are a great way to educate, network and organize around testing issues. Panels of speakers can inform the community about high-stakes testing and its consequences and inspire people to take action. Forums also provide opportunities to promote authentic assessment and related school reforms. Organizers can identify and collect contact information of people willing to participate in further campaigns and actions.
The movement to replace high-stakes standardized exams with better forms of assessment picks up even more steam with huge protest events, growing opt-out campaigns, and ever more evidence that test-and-punish status quo "reform" policies are an abject failure.
FairTest's newsblasts are designed to help keep activists and journalists up to date about the status of the testing resistance and reform movement while also providing resources and models for effective organizing. Please let us know the email addresses of any colleagues who would benefit from these weekly updates.
With schools around the nation beginning to reopen, here's another spate of stories about test-score manipulation and the growing movement to reduce the emphasis on standardized exams.
