Opt Out and Resistance Movements continue to explode across the USA even as testing insanity tries to expand behind a phalanx of anti-teaching 'education' executives sporting MBAs and no practical reality experience
Before the end of August 2014, the Chicago Board of Education will have subjected hundreds of school principals (and in some cases, unpaid "Team leaders" drafted from local schools) to more than 200 pages of memos, Power Point presentations, and personal threats. The blathering will have taken dozens of hours away from the preparation necessary to open real schools trying to educate real children in one of the most dangerous cities this side of Syria.
But that will not deter the overpaid and undercompetent invading species who have taken over the school systems higher paid positions since the inauguration of Rahm Emanuel in May 2011. But as CPS tries to expand its testing frenzy in preparation for the 2014 - 2015 school year, both Chicago and across the nation parental and teacher opt out and the national Resistance are expanding, despite threats and massive corporate propaganda, often disguised as "news".
The proliferation of untrained "experts" in the bureaucracy of the nation's third largest school system has resulted in their utilizing the only tools they know: spreadsheets, Power Points, and lardings of bullshit to cover up the fact that their "bottom line" versions of reality are collapsing. But while Chicago has been investing in tens of millions of dollars in recycled consultants and unemployed MBAs from some of the nation's most expensive universities, most of the country has been joining Chicago teachers in massive resistance to high-stakes testing and all of the crazed programs that surround it.
And so, on August 22, 2014, Fair Test's weekly summary of Resistance events was as large as ever, even though the 2014 - 2015 school year had barely begun:
Here is the latest summary of testing news from FAIRTEST:
Across the U.S., students are returning to classrooms where even more time will be devoted to standardized exam preparation and administration. Over the summer, some districts developed hundreds of new tests to comply with mandates from federal and state politicians who are still not listening to their constituents
(http://www.naplesnews.com/news/education/collier-must-create-more-than-700-exams-by-fall).
Not surprisingly, the escalating testing frenzy is additional motivation for the nation's growing assessment reform movement.
Colorado Opt-Out Movement Grows
http://co.chalkbeat.org/2014/08/15/more-colorado-students-opt-out-of-tests-but-no-sign-of-groundswell/#.U_IigRaumNx
Large Florida County School Board Votes to Research Opting Out of Standardized Testing
http://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2014/08/12/lee-county-school-board-to-meet/13947251/
Florida District Test Opt-Out Options Legally Unclear
http://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2014/08/13/lee-school-board-opt-legality-unclear/14036977/
More Lessons From Atlanta, Georgia Cheating Scandal
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/walt_gardners_reality_check/2014/08/atlanta_cheating_scandal_lessons.html
Indiana Superintendent Criticizes Politically Motivated School Grading System
http://www.courierpress.com/news/education/making-the-grade/ritz-expresses-displeasure-with-af-school-grades-in-meeting-with-retired-teachers_70429957
Michigan School's Grade Plunges Due to Administrative Error
http://www.voicenews.com/articles/2014/08/16/news/doc53ee49bac2ffc331949794.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Michigan School Ratings Largely Measure Race and Income, Not Academic Performance
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/20413
New Jersey Test-and-Punish Policies Drive Out Good Teachers
http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/2014/08/17/commentary-changes-hurt-teachers-students/14189823/
Bad Data Sunk New Mexico Teacher Ratings
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/skandera-admits-santa-fe-teacher-evals-wrong-ratings-improve/article_97f893d7-9603-51e7-aae2-c0730cb3ca4b.html
New Mexico Governor Candidate Calls for Moratorium on High-Stakes Exams
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/gary-king-fire-skandera-reduce-school-testing/article_afa675a6-b8fa-5df1-b0fa-5c2fd62d6623.html
How New Common Core Tests Fail New York Students
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/17/a-painful-analysis-of-new-common-core-tests-and-the-n-y-results/
New York Parents and Educators Outraged by Poor Quality, Low Accuracy of Common Core Tests
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/08/14/ny-parent-educator-group-outraged-by-quality-and-accuracy-of-common-core-test-scores/
Common Core Testing in N.Y. Creates a Narrative of Failure
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/cavanagh-common-core-testing-creates-narrative-failure-article-1.1904485
Check Out Pearson's New York Common Core Test Questions -- Can You Pass the Eighth Grade Math Test?
https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-common-core-sample-questions
New York State Gives Grants to Districts to Reduce Number of Tests
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/08/15/state-pays-schools-reduce-tests/14129045/
Understanding The Texas Accountability "Twilight Zone"
http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/08/12/6038375/in-the-accountability-twilight.html?rh=1
No Child Left Behind: An Utter Failure in Vermont
http://www.vnews.com/opinion/13141797-95/editorial-a-test-thats-failing-in-vermont-no-child-left-behind
Catching Pearson Test Scoring Error Boosts 224 Virginia Students from Failing to Passing
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/14/scoring-error-on-one-sol-test-question-meant-hundreds-of-virginia-students-who-failed-really-passed/
See an Updated Chronology of Pearson Testing Errors
http://fairtest.org/pearsons-history-testing-problems
Virginia Family Says Testing Requirement Impedes Their Unitarian Religious Beliefs
http://www.wset.com/story/26284423/local-family-fights-for-exemption-says-standardize-tests-impede-on-their-religious-beliefs
Washington Superintendents Blast No Child Left Behind "Failing" Grades
http://www.kvi.com/home/featured/271226351.html
Feds Failed School Rules Inspire Revolting Response
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024322006_westneat17xml.html
Why Schools Are Awash in a Wave of Testing
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2014/0817/US-education-How-we-got-where-we-are-today
Heavy Criticism of NCLB Waivers on Three-Year Anniversary
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/20/01waivers.h34.html
Duncan Funnels Millions to College Board for Advanced Placement Testing
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/duncan-funnels-millions-t_b_5683016.html
Teaching is Not a Business
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/opinion/sunday/teaching-is-not-a-business.html
Test-Based Grade Three Reading Retention Does Not Work
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-e-slavin/reading-by-third-grade_b_5677958.html
Testing Fixation Leads to Narrowed Curriculum for African American
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-range-skills-students-taught-school.html
Bob Schaeffer, Public Education Director
FairTest: National Center for Fair & Open Testing
office- (239) 395-6773 fax- (239) 395-6779
mobile- (239) 696-0468
web- http://www.fairtest.org
