Portland Public Schools students push standardized test boycott | OregonLive.com:
by Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian
A group of Portland students is urging classmates to boycott state benchmark tests, calling them a waste of resources and inaccurate measures of student achievement and teacher effectiveness.
Leaders of the
Portland Public Schools student union and a broader group called the Portland Student Union say students should opt out of the annual Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams, which are used in state and federal school ratings. Passing several of the tests is a graduation requirement, though students can demonstrate proficiency in alternate ways.
Alexia Garcia, a Lincoln High School senior, said the tests take away valuable class time and are ultimately unfair measures for both students and teachers. She hoped the boycott could help lower school ratings, which are affected by the number of students
