Network for Public Education Fund Response to Obama Administration Statement on Testing
This weekend the Obama Administration released a statement calling for states to “cap testing” time in an effort to stop the parental outrage against annual, high-stakes testing. The suggested 2% cap represents nearly 24 hours of state-mandated standardized testing, for students as young as 8 years of age. To put that time into perspective, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) represents less than 6 hours of testing.
The Network for Public Education (NPE) is disappointed by the limited response to what it views as a national education crisis.
The Network for Public Education (NPE) is disappointed by the limited response to what it views as a national education crisis.
Anthony Cody, who serves as the vice-chairperson and treasurer of NPE, responded to the announcement by saying, “Limiting testing to 2% is a symbolic gesture that will have little impact so long as these tests are used for high stakes purposes.”
While the Department of Education remains wed to annual high-stakes tests, it is time for states and districts to call their bluff regarding flexibility. The research coming forward is clear. The overuse of standardized testing is educational malpractice. States should drop the destructive pseudoscience of VAM, empower educators to create their own meaningful assessments of learning, and get off the testing juggernaut.”
Network for Public Education President, Diane Ravitch agrees. “The Obama administration’s PRESS RELEASE: Response to Obama Administration Testing Statement – The Network For Public Education:
