Testing Resistance & Reform News: July 29 - August 4, 2015

Members of Congress are heading home from Washington DC for their mid-summer recess. Now is the perfect time to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative to push for a new education bill that eliminates federal testing sanctions, stops mandating the evaluation of teachers based on their students' test scores, allows states to adopt opt-out policies, and encourages better forms of assessment.

Meanwhile, public school classrooms in a number of states are getting ready to open by mid-August -- with the change of educational "seasons," stories about testing overkill and assessment reform campaigns are again increasing.

National Congressional Conference Process on NCLB Overhaul Gets Underway
blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2015/07/conference_process_to_rewrite_.html

Multiple States PARCC Standard Setting Continues as More States Drop Out of Consortium
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28576078/one-step-closer-parcc-tests-r...

Arizona Debate Over Testing Grows as Some Parents Opt Their Children Out of State Exams
http://www.abc15.com/news/state/debate-over-standardized-testing-grows-w...

Connecticut Delay of Test Results Frustrates School Leaders
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Districts-still-waiting-for-SBAC-test...

Florida Teachers Question "Best and Brightest" ACT/SAT Score Bonuses
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/08/01/best-brightest-bonus-be...

Georgia State Superintendent Says, "We Test Our Kids Too Much"
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2015/07/28/georgia-school-superi...
Georgia Opt-Out Movement Just Beginning
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2015-08-03/school-testing-%EF%BF%BDin...

Illinois Leaves Some State Testing in Limbo
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-act-sat-state-tests-met-20150724-s...

Indiana Excessive Testing Drives Teachers Out of Education Profession
http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/opinion/opinion-of-local-legislators-...

Louisiana Post-Katrina "Reforms" Made New Orleans Schools Worse
http://www.salon.com/2015/08/03/reform_makes_broken_new_orleans_schools_...

Maine Dumps Smarter Balanced Test
http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/featured/state-dumps-latest-standardize...

Massachusetts Common Core Test Opposition Grows
http://www.baystateparent.com/August-2015/Common-Core-Opposition-Gains-M...
Massachusetts Tests Distract From Serious Educational Issues
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_28578557/edward-udel-tests-distract-fro...

Minnesota Pearson Pays $5.7 Million in Fines and Services for Computer Testing Screwups
http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Welcome/News/PressRel/023455

Nebraska State Officials Look at Proposed Successor to "No Child Left Behind"
http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/school-officials-look-at-proposed-succes...

New Mexico "We're Judging Teachers with Inaccurate Measurements"
http://www.scsun-news.com/silver_city-opinion/ci_28571970

New York Assessment Reform's Erin Brockovich
http://libn.com/2015/08/03/educations-erin-brockovich/
New York Explaining NYC's Low Opt-Out Numbers
http://dreamingforward.org/2015/08/02/explaining-nycs-test-refusal-numbers/
New York What Is the Value of Making State Tests More Difficult to Pass
http://dianeravitch.net/2015/07/31/fred-smith-what-is-the-value-of-makin...

Ohio Superintendents Say State Testing, Other Mandates Make It Nearly Impossible to Teach
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/08/03/cincy-schools-state-stop...

Oklahoma Tulsa School Super to Recommend Substantial Cutbacks on School Tests
http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/tulsa-public-schools-says-distr...

Pennsylvania Educators, Legislator Blast State Testing Overkill at Public Hearing
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-education-heari...

South Dakota Parents Look to DC for Opt Out Authorization
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2015/07/31/bill-let-stud...

Washington Many High School Juniors Opted Out of Smarter Balanced Tests
http://myedmondsnews.com/2015/08/edmonds-school-district-juniors-opt-out...
Washington Tribal Leaders Speak Out on Standardized Testing Fixation
http://www.teachertalkstruth.com/blog/washington-tribal-leaders-speak-ou...

New Book by United Opt Out Leaders Offers an Intimate Portrait of Activism
http://www.livingindialogue.com/united-opt-out-offers-an-intimate-portra...

New Book Mission High: How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph
http://www.missionhighbook.com/

Accountability 101: For Surgeons and Teachers
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2015/07/accountability_101...

Public Schools Should Take Lesson From Colleges Ditching Standardized Tests
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/susan-milligan/2015/07/28/colleges-a...

Want to Reform Education, Let Teachers Teach
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-nelson/want-to-reform-education_b_79...

Value-Added Model is Severely Limited
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/walt_gardners_reality_check/2015/07/value...