Reports on overtesting address symptoms, not causes
Two reports on testing were released by major organizations this week. On the positive side, they add to growing concerns about excessive testing in our schools. But both reports—one from the Center for American Progress and the other from the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of the Great City Schools—address the symptoms, but not the root cause, of our test fixation.
AFT President Randi Weingarten says: “We need to take on the high-stakes consequences of the tests themselves. It’s unconscionable that everything about our schools, our kids and our teachers is reduced to one math and one English high-stakes standardized test per year. That’s what we need to change. And that’s where we need the administration to step up. Without leadership from this administration, which can encourage states to make changes like sampling and grade-span testing, the hands of states and districts remain tied to these high-stakes standardized tests.”