Pressure from grassroots activists and a bipartisan group of policymakers has forced President Trump and Education Secretary DeVos to allow states to suspend federal standardized exam requirements in the wake of the coronavirus. To protect public school children, educators and their families, state leaders must now be pressed to: 1) Apply immediately for waivers of federal assessment mandates by filing a formal request with the U.S. Department of Education to be relieved of Every Student Succeeds Act testing obligations; AND
Pressure from grassroots activists and a bipartisan group of policymakers has forced President Trump and Education Secretary DeVos to allow states to suspend federal standardized exam requirements in the wake of the coronavirus. But to completely eliminate Spring 2020 testing, state leaders must 1) file formal requests with the U.S. Department of Education to be relieved of Every Student Succeeds Act testing mandates for this year, and 2) lift all requirements for state-required testing by legislative action to amend state laws or by executive order
Response to the coronavirus pandemic dominates this week's testing news, just as it does for other major activities. As this collection of articles makes clear, there's no excuse for compelling children to sit for standardized exams in this risky environment.
Between expensive test prep, pricey advisors, unethical, and, in this case, downright illegal behavior, ACT and SAT scores are easily “gamed” by those with financial means. To reduce the unfair advantage that people with abundant resources have in our test-reliant admissions system, FairTest leads the national movement for test-optional admissions policies. Today more than 1,000 colleges and universities have test-optional policies that evaluate an applicant's entire portfolio.
FairTest is part of a new Massachusetts coalition with a simple message: It's time for Governor Charlie Baker and the state legislature to make it their number one priority to reinvest $1.5 billion a year in public education, from pre-K through college, with the funding increase not attached to any additional testing.
Our public education system is a key part of what makes Massachusetts a great place to live and work. But testing overkill, combined with austerity school funding, has undermined our schools and our quality of life.
