The Answer Sheet: standardized testing


Posted at 03:47 PM ET, 06/10/2013

Texas governor signs legislation to reduce standardized testing
By Valerie Strauss
Gov. Rick Perry bends to popular will.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:47 PM ET, 06/10/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Overhauls Graduation Requirements, Standardized Testing

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 05/15/2013

Why we need a moratorium on the high stakes of testing
By Valerie Strauss
Randi Weingarten just called for a moratorium on the high stakes attached to new Common Core-aligned standardized tests. Here's why we should do it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 05/15/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Testing, The Evidence For It

Posted at 05:02 AM ET, 04/30/2013

'Who allowed these big boys to go and play in education? Now the moms have to clean it up'
By Valerie Strauss
What started with eight women from Austin and suburban Houston is now a movement that spread across Texas and is challenging the standardized testing regime in the Lone Star State.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:02 AM ET, 04/30/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Pushback on Testing, Standardized Testing

Posted at 04:01 AM ET, 04/24/2013

A brief history of Pearson's problems with testing
By Valerie Strauss
Over years, in different states and a U.S. territory.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:01 AM ET, 04/24/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Testing Errors

Posted at 09:20 AM ET, 04/15/2013

A tweet that says it all
By Valerie Strauss
The effect of the test-based school reform in 26 words and an ampersand.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:20 AM ET, 04/15/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  About Test Obsession, Standardized Testing, Test Anxiety

Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 02/17/2013

Student 'zombies' protest standardized tests
By Valerie Strauss
The year-long revolt against high-stakes standardized testing is being increasingly fueled by students, including a "zombie" army in Providence.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:27 AM ET, 02/17/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Anti-Testing Revolt Growing, Standardized Testing Revolt, Young People Step Up Revolt

Posted at 12:16 PM ET, 01/25/2013

Newtown school district seeks standardized testing waiver
By Valerie Strauss
The Newtown, Conn., Board of Education voted to ask the federal government to exempt its public schools from taking some mandated standardized tests because of the trauma suffered by the community from the fatal shootings of 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary last month.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:16 PM ET, 01/25/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Newtown Shootings, Standardized Testing, Trauma From Shootings Cited

Posted at 10:24 AM ET, 01/06/2013

Texas school districts seek testing waivers
By Valerie Strauss
There's something almost poetic about this: In the state where the high-stakes standardized testing era began under then-governor George W. Bush, a consortium of school districts is asking officials to grant them exemptions from state and federal testing requirements.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:24 AM ET, 01/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Standardized Testing, State and Federal Sought

Posted at 02:45 PM ET, 01/28/2011

Do tests really help students learn -- or was a new study misreported? -- Kohn
By Valerie Strauss
A new study that received attention was said to have concluded that kids should "take a test to really learn." Except, as Alfie Kohn explains, the study doesn't support that conclusion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:45 PM ET, 01/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn | Tags:  alfie kohn, high-stakes testing, new york times, rote learning, standardized testing, student on testing, testing, testing study

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/21/2011

Testing the Common Core Standards
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran of the standardized testing industry sets out to discover whether the Common Core Standards are "revolutionary" or whether they look a lot like standards states already have. Here's his report.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/21/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  academic benchmarks, common core standards, common standards, content standards, national standards, standardized testing, standardized testing industry, state standards, testing industry, todd farley, todd s. farley

Posted at 11:15 AM ET, 01/06/2011

NCLB's 9th anniversary: 'Will there be anything we will need to remember after the test?'
By Valerie Strauss
Nine years ago this week president Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act. Take a look at what it wrought.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:15 AM ET, 01/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  congress and nclb, esea, esea reauthorization, national education association, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, standardized testing, teachers unions

Posted at 03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010

Standardized testing follies in Florida
By Valerie Strauss
A major testing company is having myriad problems scoring the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests, just one more reason that standardized tests should not be used for high-stakes decisions.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT problems, florida comprehensive assessment tests, pearson and FCAT, pearson and testing, problems scoring FCAT, standardized testing, standardized tests and florida, the miami herald and testing

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 03/28/2010

Less Testing, More Learning

By Valerie Strauss
By Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill. President Obama's blueprint for rewriting No Child Left Behind shows a deeply disappointing failure to learn from NCLB's big mistakes. For instance, it still makes standardized testing the centerpiece of the law.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 03/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  FairTest, NCLB, standardized testing

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 10/23/2009

What teachers think about their jobs, testing
By Valerie Strauss
Federal officials take note: A new study shows that 40 percent of the country’s 4 million K-12 teachers are “disheartened” with their jobs and the vast majority think there is too much standardized testing and that it is a “drawback” to teaching.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 10/23/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests, Standardized Tests | Tags:  standardized testing, teachers