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Early fall is a very busy season for assessment reformers across the nation, as this week's stories from a third of the states plus higher education and overseas clearly show. Policy makers are paying particular attention to their constituents' concerns as Election Day draws near.

National The Flaws in NAEP "Achievement Levels"

It's only the first month of the school year, but assessment reformers are already winning victories that reverse regressive policies.  At the same time, more candidates for public office are reflecting the concerns of parents, educators and community leaders by incorporating calls to overhaul testing in their campaign platforms.

California Teachers Question New Standardized Testing Program

With every passing week, the grassroots movement organizing to replace standardized testing overkill with better forms of assessment grows stronger and spreads to more parts of the nation.  Check out these stories about local actions from Maine to California, with lots of states in between.

California New School Data Dashboard Is More User Friendly

Labor Day marks the official start of the school year in parts of the country, though classroom have been open for a few weeks in many other states.  Already, assessment reform campaigns are winning victories as more public officials heed the message that parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders are fed up with standardized exam misuse and overuse.  Could impending elections be a reason for these policy shifts?

The new academic year has not even begun in many parts of the country, but the testing wars have started heating up.  Assessment reformers are already posting victories in rolling back standardized exam misuse and overuse.

Back-to-school season is the same time when last year's state standardized exams scores are released.  Does that make sense?  Certainly not, if the purpose of assessment is to provide feedback that can help improve teaching and learning. That's increasingly the reaction of education leaders and policy makers, as this week's news clips demonstrate.

You can help advance the growing testing reform movement by contributing to FairTest today: 

With classrooms opening -- or preparing to do so -- around the U.S., there's a seasonal uptick in the volume of stories about teachers, administrators, community activists, and policy makers questioning the value of standardized exam scores, which have long dominated education policy making.  Clearly time to ratchet up grassroots pressure, which drives policy change.

National "No Child" Pressures to Boost Test Scores Got Diminishing Returns

Public school classrooms open their doors to students in parts of the South at the end of this week.  No surprise, then, that coverage of testing plans (and protests) is escalating from mid-summer doldrums.

With less than 100 days left before the November 2018 elections, grassroots activists are increasing the pressure on contenders for Congress, statewide offices, legislative seats, and local school boards to speak out against testing misuse and overuse.  This is the season to get the attention of public officials and win their commitment to genuine assessment reform -- be sure to find out where candidates stand before giving them you vote!

Arizona All State Super Candidates Criticize State Test and School Grades

FairTest is pleased to announce that Andre Green will take over as Executive Director later this summer when Dr. Monty Neill retires. For details about Andre's background and early information about a November event to honor Monty and welcome Andre: