Testing Resistance & Reform News: May 14 - 20, 2014

CELEBRATE THE TESTING RESISTANCE MOVEMENT! -- Join New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, New York Principal of the Year Carol Burris and MacArthur Award winner Deborah Meier in honoring Michele Fine with FairTest's 2014 "Heroes in Education" Award

http://www.fairtest.org/fairtest-honor-michelle-fine

Testing Expert Says California Should Delay Common Core Tests for at Least Two Years
http://edsource.org/2014/california-should-delay-common-core-tests-for-at-least-2-years/62329#.U3tqnrEgt9k

Report Launches Colorado Testing Debate
http://co.chalkbeat.org/2014/05/13/summer-of-testing-debate-launches-with-release-of-study/#.U3KvPLGZh3U

Debate About Value of Testing As Another Round of Connecticut Exams Begins
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20140517/connecticut-in-a-new-round-of-education-testing-but-debate-continues-over-its-value
Some Connecticut Students Plan Protest Against New Tests
http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/New-standardized-tests-begin-amid-controversy-5487402.php

Florida District Super Laments State Mandates Requiring 700 New Tests
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2014/may/13/collier-school-board-laments-states-changes-standa/
Florida to Test Kindergarteners, First Graders to Get Data for "Value-Added" Teacher Ratings
http://tbo.com/pasco-county/rule-means-schools-must-test-tots-20140514/
Decades of Florida Testing Fixation Yields Poor Results
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-student-testing-yields-poor-results/2180114

In Chicago, Illinois, A Boycott a Day Keeps the Testing Away
http://inthesetimes.com/article/16691/a_boycott_today_keeps_the_testing_at_bay

Massachusetts Teachers See Many Flaws in High-Stakes Common Core Exams
http://brookline.wickedlocal.com/article/20140514/NEWS/140518311/?Start=1

New York Rapper Says "Stop the Madness"
http://originalrap.bandcamp.com/track/stop-this-madness

Test Stress and the Third Grade North Carolina Teacher
http://wunc.org/post/test-stress-and-third-grade-teacher

Ohio Governor Candidate "Hates" Standardized Exams
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/Other%20Ohio%20elections/2014/05/15/fitzgerald-hates-high-stakes-tests/2151590/
Ohio Parents Opt Kids Out of Tests
http://www.northcentralohio.com/local-news/single.asp?story=59800

Oklahoma Special Education Students Forced to Retake High-Stakes Exams
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Dozens-of-student-test-scores-thrown-out-Special/dp2JPgs2rkaOX5-kCWtlIA.cspx

With High-Stakes Testing, Pennsylvania Cheating Scandal is Just One of Many
http://watchdog.org/144690/testing-philly/

Rhode Island Testing Treats Students Like Widgets
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/commentary/20140517-ron-wolk-rhode-islands-school-testing-treats-students-like-widgets.ece
Rhode Island Senate Votes to Delay Exit Exam Mandate
http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140515-r.i.-senate-votes-to-delay-standardized-tests-as-graduation-requirement.ece

Tennessee Defends Ban on Public Review of Test Questions
http://www.wate.com/story/25528940/tennessee-education-commissioner-explains-ban-on-public-review-of-tcaps

Texas Super Tells Parents the Truth About the Value of Testing
http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/heres-what-the-superintendent-of-paris-isd-is-telling-parents-about-this-years-staar-results.html/
Parents Opt Out to Protest Texas Testing on Steroiids
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2014/may/17/fighting-back-against-testing-on-steroids/
STAAR Test Gets an "F" for Texas Schools
http://amarillo.com/opinion/opinion-columnist/weekly-opinion-columnist/2014-05-17/loomis-staar-test-gets-f-texas-schools

Every Washington State School is Failing: Ridiculous!
http://union-bulletin.com/news/2014/may/18/every-school-washington-failing-hmmm/

West Virginia Teachers Fight Test-Driven Educator Evaluation Policy
http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140514/GZ01/140519617/1101

Time for a New Accountability in U.S. Education
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randi-weingarten/its-time-for-a-new-accoun_b_5351475.html

Mending School: A Parody Poem in the Spirit of Robert Frost
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=7000

New Film Probes Student Views of Standardized Testing
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2014/05/16/film-provides-students-views-standardized-testing

Education Should be Personalized Not Mismeasured
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/another-voice/another-voice-education-should-be-personalized-not-mismeasured-20140518

Academics Call for Pause in PISA Testing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/13/academics-call-for-pause-in-pisa-tests/

Arne Duncan's Reaction to Research Showing Value-Added Measures of Teachers Are Badly Flawed?  Eh!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/18/arne-duncans-reaction-to-new-research-slamming-teacher-evaluation-method-he-favors/

The Big Lie Behind Testing of Student Teachers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/the-big-lie-behind-the-hi_b_5323155.html

Test Stress is Leading Cause of Chinese Youth Suicides
http://shanghaiist.com/2014/05/14/test_stress_leading_cause_of_suicid.php