Testing Resistance & Reform News: June 25 - July 1, 2014

Yes, it is summer, and public schools across the country are closed. But you can't identify the season from the continuing heavy flow of news about testing controversies at the national, state and local levels.  Activists know that there is no vacation from keeping the "heat" on public officials to replace high-stakes standardized exams with high quality performance assessments.

Common Core Testing Framework is Crumbling
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/06/29/common-cores-testing-framework-is-crumbling/

New National Poll: Parents Say Too Much Time Spent on Testing
http://www.edchoice.org/Newsroom/News/Poll--Parents-Say-Too-Much-Focus-on-Standardized-Tests.aspx

Better Ways to Use Millions of Dollars Now Wasted on Over-Testing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/06/24/better-ways-to-use-millions-of-dollars-now-spent-on-testing/

Survey Shows School Officials Concerned About Readiness for Online Testing
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2014/06/survey_reveals_worries_about_s.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Schools Need a Moratorium on High-Stakes Testing Fears
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-thompson/schools-need-a-moratorium_b_5509505.html

Connecticut Budgets Millions More for Common Core Test Readiness
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/State-to-provide-millions-for-Common-Core-training-5582819.php

Florida Criticized for Using Old Utah Test Questions in New State Exam
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-florida-tests-utah-fcat-replacement-20140630,0,3185766,full.story

"No Child Left Behind" Continues to Disrupt Iowa Public Education
http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/576793/No-Child-Left-Behind-creates-challenges.html?nav=5010

Maryland Principals and Teachers Will Collaborate to Develop New Educator Evaluation System
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-pledges-collaborates-on-teacher-and-principal-evaluation-process/2014/06/27/ff7e8e3e-fcb4-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html

Mississippi Ignored Potential Test Score Manipulation to Boost Reported Results
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/06/28/potential-cheaters-slip-cracks/11683557/

Nevada Delays Test-Based Teacher Evaluation
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/06/21/nevada-delays-start-of-new-teacher.html

Bloomfield New Jersey School Board Adopts Resolution for Moratorium on Common Core Consequences
http://www.bloomfield.k12.nj.us/pages/bloomfield/News/BOE_PASSES_RESOLUTION_IN__SUPP

New Mexico Teacher Evaluation is Neither Equitable or Transparent
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_26040655/teacher-evaluation-equitable-and-transparent

Oregon, Washington Schools Grapple With Federal Mandate to Link Test Scores to Teacher Evaluation
http://www.opb.org/news/article/is-it-fair-to-evaluate-teachers-based-on-students-test-scores/

Oklahoma Fires CTB/McGraw-Hill For Repeated Testing Foul-Ups
http://www.newson6.com/story/25888562/oklahoma-education-leaders-seek-new-testing-vendor

Pennsylvania Legislation Would Make Grad Tests Optional
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/06/legislation_makes_passing_the.html

Rhode Island Governor Candidates Address Testing Issues
http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140624-candidates-for-r.i.-governor-weigh-in-on-necap-moratorium-teacher-evaluations.ece

Texas Family Gains Access to Child's STAAR Assessment
http://www.kcentv.com/story/25895516/couple-gains-access-to-childs-staar-assessment

Gates School Policy Critics Protest Outside Foundation's Seattle, Washington Office
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023928526_gatesprotestxml.html
http://kplu.org/post/why-group-teachers-protested-outside-gates-foundation-eds-biggest-charity

Jesse Hagopian's Message to Bill Gates
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/06/28/what-jesse-hagopian-told-bill-gates/

Arne Duncan's "Bizarro" World: Whatever Research Says, Do the Opposite
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/jun/30/bizarro-state-american-education-today-more-joker-/

Duncan Implies More Testing is Magic Cure for Disabilities
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/disabilities-testing-education_b_5528835.html

Obama-Duncan Expand Emphasis on Standardized Exams for Learning Disabled and Native American Students
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/06/27/obama-expands-use-of-standardized-tests-for-special-needs-and-american-indian-students/

Feds Look the Other Way When States Manipulate Test Scores
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/06/28/federal-ed-dept-leaves-cheating-allegations-states/11683525/

To Close the Learning Gap, We Must Improve Teaching Conditions
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-darlinghammond/to-close-the-achievement_b_5542614.html

13 Secrets to Finland's Educational Success: A Happy Teaching, Happy Learning
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/06/24/ctq_faridi_finland.html

What Kindergarten Testing Can Tell Us About Basing Accountability on Standardized Exams
http://shankerblog.org/?p=10036

Ending U.S. School's Testing Addiction
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2014/06/got_coffee_getting_testing_off_caffeine.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3

Educators, Unions, Students Build Tri-National Movement
http://www.nationofchange.org/teachers-unions-students-build-trinational-movement-against-neoliberal-education-1403618123