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FairTest at 35: What's Happening Now, What's Next for Assessment Reform?

More state and local education leaders are weighing in on the need to suspend standardized exam requirements for the current public school year.  A coordinated campaign to seek federal waivers and roll back high-stakes tests, at least for spring 2021, is likely to be launched soon after the upcoming election.  

Across the U.S., a strong movement is building among parents, teachers, school leaders and community activists to win an extension of standardized exam waivers at least through Spring 2021 and to press for a more extensive overhaul of testing requirements.  The last few weeks leading up to November 3 are an excellent time to let elected officials know that their constituents want two decades of testing overuse and misuse to be replaced with better forms of assessment that actually help improve learning and teaching.

One month from Election Day 2020, the future of standardized exam requirements is becoming increasingly controversial in state and local contests.  As you fill out your ballot, remember that high-stakes testing is now more of a "political" issue than an "educational" one. Your vote can make a difference in determining the future direction of assessment policies

National Where the Major Party Presidential Candidates Stand on Student Testing (and other educational issues)

Interesting to note that so much of the growing pressure to suspend spring 2021 school tests (or minimize the impact of their results) is coming from regions where assessment reform campaigns have not been particularly strong in the past.  Leadership from states such as Georgia, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming will add to the movement's clout.

Georgia State Could Mostly Erase Impact of Test Scores on Schools During Pandemic

Pressure is mounting on states and municipalities to push back against U.S.

A major fight is shaping up pitting Trump Administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her inside-the-Beltway, stay-the-course testing allies against local school boards, teacher unions, and assessment reform activists around the issue of resuming high-stakes, mandatory standardized exams during the current school year.  Make no mistake about it: this is primarily a political and ideological controversy, not an educational one.

A major fight is shaping up pitting Trump Administration Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her inside-the-Beltway, stay-the-course testing allies against local school boards, teacher unions, and assessment reform activists around the issue of resuming high-stakes, mandatory standardized exams during the current school year.  Make no mistake about it: this is primarily a political and ideological controversy, not an educational one.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has laid down a direct challenge to assessment reformers around the nation.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to FairTest's 35th anniversary fundraising request, especially for the many positive comments about the value of our assessment reform initiatives such as these weekly news updates.  If you did not have the opportunity to contribute (we know there was a technical problem with the "button" in some emails), you can still support FairTest's leadership by clicking here: