In support of President Obama, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made a statement in favor of his efforts to limit standardized testing in American schools. “We can and will work with states, districts and educators to help solve it”. And they are in line with much of what the department has been saying about testing over the previous year.
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As the report notes, President Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget requested $403 million for state assessments.
“How much constitutes too much time is really hard to answer”, said Michael Casserly, the council’s executive director.
The Obama administration is calling for less standardized testing in our nation’s schools. “Collectively, we have a mutual responsibility to get to a better place”. Testing companies that aggressively market new exams also share the blame, the study said. Her reluctance to map out a detailed policy agenda that would scale back testing requirements and slow the spread of charter schools was a major sticking point.
Currently, the federal No Child Left Behind law requires states to test children once annually in math and reading from grades 3-8, as well as once in high school. And the administration’s guidance comes after it has pushed states to adopt new education policies – including new teacher evaluation systems – that take into account student test scores.
The study analyzed tests given in 66 urban districts in the 2014-2015 school year. He said he wanted that for all young people. And in many districts spring test results are not returned until the fall, when a new academic year is underway. But other states, including Kansas, have put forth proposals and been rebuffed.
States and districts are already working on ways to correct the problem. As colleges use the SAT or ACT to filter students for college admission-although such tests have no predictive value in assessing a student’s potential for success in college-students who are not affluent, particularly students of color, are disproportionately excluded. It sounds like it will be looking for other pots of money that can be dedicated to rethinking testing.
“Students do best on high-quality assessments that actually measure critical thinking and complex skills when they have been exposed to strong instruction, which should be the focus” of the school day, the Department of Education wrote in a memo outlining its new plan. It called on Congress to “reduce over-testing” as it reauthorises the federal legislation governing the nation’s public elementary and secondary schools. “The average student in these districts will typically take eight standardized tests per year, e.g., two No Child Left Behind tests (reading and math), and three formative exams in two subjects per year”, the report said.
The response to the principles has been a mixed bag.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton also welcomed the announcement.
According to a PDK/Gallup poll from this past summer, 64 percent of the 4,500 adults questioned said there is too much emphasis being placed on standardized testing, while 19 percent thought the amount of testing is about right. And at the same time, as a guideline, they’re suggesting a cap by states – to cap state-required testing to 2 percent of classroom time.
“The president and the Department of Education have just proven that advocacy based on evidence works”. “But that’s just the first lesson”.
“It’s clear that [the cap] could have unintended consequences”, he said.
Teachers believe that their performance as instructors should not be linked to standardized tests.
“Much of the over-testing parents dislike will not be corrected, it seems, by this latest action on the part of the administration”, Burke said.
“The president has had one clear message from day one, and that’s to do the right thing for kids”, Duncan said. “Is it truly helping teachers be more successful and students know what their strengths and weaknesses are and build upon them”.
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This is a reprint of an article that originally appeared at Education Week.
