Panel to discuss pushback on high-stakes testing
by Helen Gym on May 14 2013 Posted in Commentary
A panel on high-stakes testing features prominent speakers Michelle Fine and Stan Karp.
High-stakes testing and communities pushing back have been all over the news lately. Just this week, Senate Democratic leaders held a press conference opposing the implementation of Keystone exams, mandatory end-of-course state exams which will go into effect for September's 9th grade class. Amidst a backdrop of unprecedented statewide level cuts under the Corbett administration, Senate leaders said the Keystones would "cost taxpayers dearly" and were being implemented "without a full understanding of the benefits for students, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers.”In fact Keystone Exams, which were reported to cost as much as $176 million to develop and will cost districts $31 million per year to implement, are just the latest round in the high-stakes testing battle. The narrative of "failing schools" has been used to justify all manner of intervention: charter schools, union busting, value-added teacher evaluations, and school closures. In the war on public education