Category Archives: Testing

Common Core: Are We In or Out?

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common coreCOMMON CORE: Are We IN or OUT?

There is much angst about Common Core Standards (CCS). People disagree about what children should know and be able to do. The new standards focus on learning how to evaluate how well students understand what they read and how well they grasp math concepts.  All students are expected to be college and career ready.  The arguments have a familiar ring. Students differ.  The Florida League of Women Voters asks: Is it fair to have the same high expectations for all students?   Is it fair not to?  Is this even the correct question?

Some say that the standards are not the problem, the amount of testing required to measure the standards.  They argue that testing to evaluate teachers and schools is misguided. How is the Florida legislature responding? Is it possible to find some common ground?

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Congress to Vote on H.R. 5 NEXT FRIDAY: Send your opinion

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US House SealAn important vote on H.R. 5 is scheduled Friday.  While the League of Women Voters supports national curriculum guidelines and assessment of skills that compares the student achievement across similar districts, it also supports local implementation of the curricula and skills.   The operative definition of the League’s position is that all children should have access to an equitable, quality education.  To what extent does this bill have the desired result?

The bill severely cuts the role of the U.S. Department of Education.  It also freezes funding until 2021.  Finally, it increases support for charter schools and allows Title I funding for low income schools to be moved to other schools.  The bill has generated controversy.  Specific requirements follow.

If you wish to contact your legislators, a contact list is below.

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High Stakes Testing Report and Proposed Bills: What Might Change?

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olive-42906_1280Education Commissioner Pam Stewart issued her report on high stakes testing in Florida.  Yes, students are tested too much.  Some testing can be eliminated.  Which ones?

Are the recommendations meaningful or just a peace offering?  The report lists the number of days of required statewide testing as seven or fewer, but districts have many more mandated tests.  Their tests, however, tend to be used to diagnose learning problems as students progress throughout the year.

Senators Montford and Legg have filed bills to modify the Florida Accountability System. Their views differ, particularly on the dates for implementing the accountability measures for school grades and teacher evaluations. Both bills address district readiness capacity for computer based testing.

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Another Bill to Review Federal and State Testing Policies

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dmbtestA new bill has been introduced in Congress to reduce testing.  This one funds efforts by states to review and eliminate redundant and low quality tests.  It is sponsored by Senator Baldwin (WI) and Representative Bonamici (OR).

 

The bill is called the “Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely (SMART)” act.  According to Rep. Bonamici’s website, the bill has bipartisan support.  The press release does not explain why states would need federal money to do a review of their tests.

 

This bill is quite different from the Gibson and Sinema bill that seeks to reduce federally mandated annual assessments.

Difference Between U. S. House and Senate Education Bills

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congress-74032_1280The Senate version of the education bill (See: US Senator Lamar Alexandar Bill ) and the House version differ mostly on the requirements for achievement testing.

The House version is a reintroduction of last year’s Student Success Act.  Both version emphasize returning control to the states.

A summary of the House version follows.  We will track the bills.  Check Legislative Updates on the rotating banner for the blog.  It is the photo of the green chalkboard.

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SB 616 Filed to Reduce Testing Impact

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dmbtestSenate Education Chairman, John Legg, filed SB 616 to limit testing time and reduce the impact of achievement gain scores on teacher evaluations.

There is also a district option for changing how State assessment results are reported for 2014-15.

Will the bill have a meaningful impact on the amount of testing that is required?  Given that districts must still do local testing in courses not covered in statewide assessments, it is not clear how the number of tests will be reduced.

Testing and learning have always been intertwined.  The question at hand is how much testing and for which purposes should tests be used?  The legislators are listening.  Send them your thoughts.

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LWV Hot Topic on Testing

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by Marilyn Wills

pat levesqueThis must have been a highly anticipated Hot Topics event in Tallahassee.  On one side was Patricia Levesque,  the Executive Director for his foundation, Foundation for Excellence, founded by Jeb Bush.  On the other side rosanne wood was Rosanne Wood, former principal of one of the nation’s top 6 innovative high schools.  Ms. Levesque touts Florida’s education gains.  Ms. Wood wonders about shifting denominators in statistics and the impact of testing on students and teachers.

 

Why we should test and why we should reconsider how tests are used was the focus of the meeting.  There was some agreement, but the perspectives on testing were very different.  These are the talking points.  We need to know them inside and out.  Read the report from the Leon County League.Continue reading→

Achievement Testing Power Points: Orange County LWV

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by Terry Gillam, Orange County League of Women Voters

oranges-602271_1280The Orange County League of Women Voters is doing a local study of the State achievement testing issues.  They have prepared power points for presentations at local events.

The presentation is informational and does not represent Florida or National League positions.

 

 

 

 

These slides are chock full of information.  They ask:

  • Why are people so upset about testing:
  • How much is taking place?
  • What are high stakes tests?
  • Who decides about testing?
  • What are the major concerns?
  • What can we do?

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OPT OUT of Testing Consequences: New Link

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letterParents all over the U.S. are considering whether or not to encourage their children not to take the Common Core assessments this spring.  In Florida, education leaders in the legislature asked the Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart to provide the legal consequences of opting out of testing students.  Read her response.

The consequences are not always trivial.

 

 

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Come Dream With Me: A Glimpse into What Online Learning Could Be

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chrystal-542488_1280I had a glimpse into the future yesterday.  Such a contrast between what is and what could be!  Believe it or not, it was the Senate K12 Education Committee meeting on video.  It started off with a review of the districts’ technology plans.  This past year, the State of Florida administered 4 million tests online.  This year, they will do 5 million.  The infrastructure is there, more or less.

I did not realize that funding for technology was recently incorporated into the FEFP per student allocation.  Thus, the increase is ear marked.  Districts are spending on average, 53% of this technology money for infrastructure.  Thirty one percent goes for assessments, and six percent for professional development.  According to the DOE, this approach is working.

Now for what could be….

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