Category Archives: Testing

U.S. DOE: Testing Action Plan

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hat-157980_1280The Fact Sheet on federal plans to reform the over emphasis on testing was released yesterday.  The approach to school and teacher accountability has shifted from a strong emphasis on annual state assessments to one that uses multiple measures in ‘innovative’ ways.  The principles for testing are those one would expect:  tests should be worth taking, high quality, time limited, fair, transparent, one of multiple measures, and tied to improvement of learning.

Reading closely, it is apparent that annual testing remains for reading, writing, science and math.  The use of test scores to evaluate the achievement of students in diverse groups and to determine which schools need additional support remains.  There are, however, cracks in the system.

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President Obama Calls for a Cap on Testing, or does he?

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dmbtestIs there hope that the testing craze may have peaked?  Finally, a reputable study has reported that tests are overwhelming public schools.  Teachers, students and parents have been saying so for several years.  Their voices have reached the top.  Today, the Council on Great City Schools released its preliminary report of a survey of testing practices.  President Obama also says there is too much testing.  Read the fine print.  What is really being said?

Here are some findings from the Great City Schools report:

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LWVF Press Release: School Accountability System Broken

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LWV_OpenLogoThe Florida League of Women Voters released a statement today detailing the constant revisions to the school accountability system from 2011-2015.  Over and over, the legislature and the Department of Education have tried and failed to get it right.  It is more than a problem with a test.  School grades, teacher evaluations, scoring of exams, and student passing rates all are constantly changed.  It reminds me of the expression: ‘You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  It is time to change direction if we want to improve our educational system.

Read the statement.  It is Time to Focus on Teaching, Not Testing.  Send it everywhere.

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Alachua County Superintendent Quits DOE Testing Committee

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Dr__Owen_RobertsSuperintendent Owen Roberts resigned from DOE Pam Stewart’s blue ribbon panel Keep Florida Learning .  The committee was supposed to review measures to improve student achievement by increasing parental involvement, recommending instructional materials, and  reviewing the implementation of the Florida Standards Assessment.

Dr. Roberts gave up hope and resigned.  Read the story in the Gainesville Sun.  Just a side note.  Dr. Roberts is not only a long time educator, he earned his Ph.D. in research, measurement and evaluation at the University of Miami.  In other words, he knows testing and evaluation and does not like what is happening in Florida.

Arne Duncan to Resign in December

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John King Jr.

John King Jr.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will resign at the end of the year.  His replacement will be Deputy Secretary John King Jr.  Mr. King was Commissioner of Education in New York prior to going to D.C.  in January 2015.

A NY Times article about King’s departure from New York stated that King was the center of a contentious debate about testing, teacher evaluation and training and charter schools.  He oversaw the first administration of the Common Core tests in New York and was firm in his commitment to the test and evaluation system.  He was named in a lawsuit filed by a teacher’s union and parents over a property tax cap that they argued would further the funding gap between wealthy and poor districts.  The NY State United Teachers Union gave King a vote of no confidence last spring lobbied against his appointment.

Call Timeout on Testing

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dmbtestPaula Dockery makes the case that it is time to learn from out mistakes.  Dockery is a syndicated columnist who served sixteen years as a Republican legislator from Lakeland.  She joined the Board of Directors of the Florida League of Women Voters in 2014.

In her step by step recital of how Florida got into the crisis over testing and accountability, it is clear that the Florida legislature and the Department of Education need to stop and reconsider.  Read Paula Dockery’s piece here.  Make your voices heard in the legislature even if Senate and House Education Chairs wish you would not.

Florida District Superintendents Lose Confidence in Accountability System

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Senator Montford, CEO of FADSS

Senator Montford, CEO of FADSS

In a statement issued today, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) issued a strong statement opposing the testing and accountability system.  Citing the recently released validity study acknowledgment that the Florida Standards Assessment “did not meet the normal rigor and standardization expected of a high stakes program like the FSA”, FADSS issued the following recommendations:

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State Board Says Governor Scott Must Block Teacher Evaluations

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dmbtestAt a meeting of the Florida State Board of Education in Miami, District Superintendent Carvalho argued that school grades should not be calculated, according to the Miami Herald.  Carvalho stated that school grades were based on student gain scores as well as proficiency standards.  Since this is the first year that the FSA is administered, there can be no gain scores.

State Board members responded that by law, school grades must be reported.  They said that Governor Scott could prevent their use by executive order.  The 25,000 letters that Senator Legg and Representative O’Toole complained about may have been sent to the wrong person.