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resist-the-test

From Fair Test with additions made in italics:

Testing Resistance & Reform News

As the peak of spring standardized exam season nears, parents, students, teachers, superintendents, school board members, and state officials are escalating campaigns to stop testing overuse and misuse.  Once again this week, testing resistance and reform stories come from more than half the 50 states demonstrating the breadth and depth of the national movement.


Arkansas
Parents Frustrated by PARCC Test Confusion
http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/parents-frustrated-by-parcc-testing-confusion/11575/TwwMjvP36kmAOz2wHN6sMA

California
Suspends Use of Test Scores to Evaluate School Quality
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-test-scores-suspended-20150311-story.html
California Families Exercise Legal Right to Opt Their Children Out of Standardized Tests
http://www.kcra.com/news/more-california-parents-exercise-right-to-skip-standardzed-tests/31725478

Colorado
Students Explain Protest Movements
http://co.chalkbeat.org/2015/03/09/rising-up-voices-from-colorados-student-protest-movement/#.VQAxMZNLUZw

Colorado State School Board Rejects High “Cut Scores” on Controversial New Test
http://blogs.denverpost.com/coloradoclassroom/2015/03/11/state-board-rejects-cut-scores-high-school-cmas-tests/4597/

Connecticut Teachers Propose State Testing Overhaul
http://wnpr.org/post/connecticut-education-association-asks-legislators-cut-back-standardized-tests
Connecticut Superintendents Offer Alternative Assessment Vision
http://ctmirror.org/2015/03/16/op-ed-connecticut-education-vision-lacks-clarity-coherence-superintendents-say/

Delaware Governor Planning Review of All State Testing
http://www.wdde.org/74173-governor-mulling-state-testing-review
Opt Outs Spread as Delaware Testing Begins
http://www.wboc.com/story/28397642/state-testing-starts-as-opt-out-debate-continues

Florida Testing Fails Every Educational Standard
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article13572452.html
Chaotic Florida Testing Rollout Frustrates Parents and Officials
http://www.southlakepress.com/news/article_d81aff87-a2a7-5418-a8b2-826aad420629.html

Georgia Test Cheating Trial Final Arguments Begin
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/16/us-usa-georgia-state-teachers-idUSKBN0MC12220150316

Idaho Teachers Push Back Against Plan to Blame Them for Low Student Scores
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/03/15/3698338/lineylineyan-idaho-commitment.html

Illinois

March 18, 2015

Suburban high school students opt out of the PARCC test

Hundreds of students have declined to take the controversial PARCC exam at two northwest suburban high schools, multiple sources said.

At Rolling Meadows High School, less than three dozen students out of more than 400 members of the junior class sat for the test Thursday, according to several people from the school, including students and school officials.

At Arlington Heights‘ John Hersey High School, also part of Township High School District 214, a significant number of students also declined to take the exam, said Dan Petro, a school board member and Hersey parent.

District spokeswoman Jennifer Delgado could not say how many students opted out of the test. But she said a “large amount” of students at Rolling Meadows High did not take the exam, the most within the district’s six high schools.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/arlington-heights/news/ct-parcc-test-walkout-rolling-meadows-hersey-tl-20150317-story.html

Parents Seek PARCC Opt-Out Legislation
http://watchdog.org/204911/il-parents-parcc-optout/
Illinois PARCC Testing Begins With Pushback, Confusion
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-parcc-common-core-test-launches-met-20150312-story.html#page=1
The Battle Over Standardized Testing in Chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM1ddULfdhU&feature=youtu.be

Indiana Student Testing Protests Applauded
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/opinion/mailbag/student-protests-of-parcc-applauded/article_e708492d-5f03-5875-aaf8-e24282e36d2e.html
Indiana School Super Blasts Plan to Award $134 Million in Testing Contracts Primarily to Pearson
http://wishtv.com/2015/03/11/indiana-recommends-nearly-134m-in-student-testing-contracts/

Louisiana
Testing Coordinators Concerned About PARCC Exam Security
http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/local/2015/03/12/testing-coordinators-concerned-parcc-security/70200154/
Billboard Promotes Louisiana Opt Out
http://klfy.com/2015/03/13/parcc-billboard-appears-in-lafayette-opt-outs-increase/

Maine Opt-Outs Send Strong Message to Schools
http://www.pressherald.com/2015/03/12/another-view-opting-out-of-testing-sends-strong-message-to-schools/
Standardized Testing is the Problem, Not Right to Opt Out
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/12/opinion/contributors/standardized-testing-is-the-problem-not-the-right-to-opt-out/

Maryland Letter to the Editor: No Law Requires Child to Take Standardized Test
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/03/10/opinion-readers-gebhart-parcc/24738133/
Some Maryland Students Start Opting Out of Tests
http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/education/some-washington-county-parents-opting-out-of-parcc-testing/article_de3ebd88-caa0-11e4-a30b-dbb067e423e0.html

Massachusetts Governor Promises Review of State Plan to Move to PARCC Tests
http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/baker-parcc-test-to-get-more-scrutiny/article_da44a69d-aaf8-5b40-8814-20f77209d21c.html
Beyond MCAS and PARCC: Sat. March 21 Conference on Alternative Assessments That Work
https://www.facebook.com/events/925164690861479/

Minnesota Schools Have Too Much Testing
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/296141751.html
Opt Out Push Urges Minnesota Families to Buck Standardized Tests
http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2015/03/15/opt-push-urges-parents-buck-standardized-tests/70277796/

Mississippi
Parents Protest PARCC; Tell Kids to Skip Tests
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/03/16/parents-protest-parcc-kids-skip-test/24857925/
Mississippi Seeks New Testing Vendor
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/28534661/mississippi-accepting-bids-for-new-testing-vendor

New Jersey
Families Lead Opt-Out Movement
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/students-refusing-take-common-core-test/
Test Refusals Higher Than Expected in Many New Jersey Communities
http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/test-refusals-higher-than-first-predicted-1.1287380

New Mexico
Schools Elevate Testing Over Teaching
http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-10070-testing-over-teachin.html
More Than 5% Opt Out at Several Santa Fe Schools
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150317/NEWS/150319406/14111

New York Opt-Out Rally Draws 1,000+
http://www.longislandpress.com/2015/03/12/anti-common-core-fury-intensifies-on-long-island-protest-draws-more-than-1k/
New York Teachers Union Backs Opt Out Right
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news05/nysut-says-parents-have-right-to-opt-students-out-of-state-testing-20150315
Where a Teacher’s Job Depends on Students’ Test Scores
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-a-teachers-job-depends-on-a-childs-test

North Dakota

Operation Opt Out

Ohio Testing Protest Stories Dominate Education News
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/03/11/education-insider-ohios-new-tests-discussed-all-over.html
Ohio Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Students From Testing Impact
http://www.crescent-news.com/ohio%20statehouse/2015/03/11/action-to-protect-students-from-future-exams

Oklahoma Educators Launch “Common Sense Testing Tour”
http://www.woodwardnews.net/news/high-stakes-testing-topic-of-oea-stop/article_6bb2cbb6-caf4-11e4-abe7-bba216ec234b.html

Oregon
Bills to Determine Fate of Statewide Exams
http://watchdog.org/205446/testing-education-bills-oregon/
Oregon Students Need Less Testing, Better Education
http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/32860443-78/students-need-better-instruction-less-testing.html.csp

Pennsylvania
Officials Worry About Scheduling Project-Based Assessments
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/index.ssf/2015/03/bethlehem_school_officials_wor_1.html
English Language Learners Fuel Philadelphia Opt-Out Movement
http://thenotebook.org/blog/158319/students-still-learning-english-fuel-opt-out-movement
New Analysis Questions Pennsylvania School Performance Rating Systems
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/79520-new-analysis-questions-validity-of-pas-school-performance-profile-rating

Rhode Island Bill Would Allow Students to Opt Out of Tests Without Penalty
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150313/NEWS/150319670/14111
Students Protest Dismissal of Test-Critic Teachers
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150317/NEWS/150319406/14111

South Dakota Common Core Exams Test Schools’ Technical Readiness
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2015/03/14/sd-ready-common-core-testing/24773377/

Texas A-F School Grades Flunked by Public Education Advocates
http://www.texasobserver.org/public-school-advocates-give-a-f-school-rating-system-an-f/

Wisconsin Cuts Back Length of New Common Core Test
http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/blog/state-trims-back-new-student-test/article_1b9fa306-160a-501a-99f4-2a2a020c57cb.html
Wisconsin Legislature Fast-Tracking Bill to Pause Use of Test Scores to Judge Teachers and Schools
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/legislature-fast-tracking-school-accountability-pause-bill-b99459530z1-295788361.html

Six Questions for Arne Duncan About Teacher Evaluation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/03/16/six-questions-for-education-secretary-arne-duncan-will-he-answer-them/

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