Testing reform groups refuse to be told they aren't making a difference in national education policies -- they insist they're the ones changing the face of high-stakes education across the country, and they've got the results to prove it.
A new report from the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) tallied the victories won by the grassroots testing resistance and reform movement, but Florida has seemed to fall behind, not implementing any of the policies promoted by the groups.
Throughout the last three decades, grassroots organizations have spearhead the message of overtesting as a colossal problem infecting schools nationwide. Standardized tests have traditionally been a tool for schools to measure academic achievement for years, but criticism over excessive use of tests has grown over the years.
Reformers have been hard at work to change the testing atmosphere, demanding a crackdown on graduation tests, teacher evaluations tied to test scores and other testing requirements which they say harm students’ ability to learn.
Exit Tests
Eliminating graduation exams -- or “exit tests” -- was one of the group’s main victories. Fewer states now require exit exams for high school seniors in order for to receive their diploma. The number of states using graduation exams reached an all-time high in the 1990s, with 27 states requiring the exams, but the number has decreased to 17 states in 2016.
Florida is one of the states which still requires exit exams for graduating seniors.
Teacher Evaluations
Grassroots education groups have also criticized tying teacher evaluations to student performance on standardized tests, and many states have eliminated test results as a factor in how a teacher’s performance is calculated. They contend testing doesn’t paint the complete picture of how much a student understands.
“Standardized tests are narrow, limited indicators of student learning,” wrote FairTest. “They leave out a wide range of important knowledge and skills.”
Evaluations have long been a source of controversy for teachers and teachers unions. In 2011, Florida linked teacher evaluations and pay to test scores on the the Florida Standards Assessment and end-of-course exams.
The Florida Education Association, which represents 140,000 teachers statewide, fought hard against the evaluation system, even filing a lawsuit over the system which dictates how well a teacher performs and how handsomely they are paid.
Fewer Top-Down Testing Mandates
Florida mostly excelled in this victory of the FairTest report, which explained how state lawmakers filed bills to handle testing overkill.
State lawmakers passed a bill in 2015 to dump the state’s 11th grade English Language Arts test and put limits on how many hours students could take tests each year. That same year, many Florida districts cut hundreds of end-of-course exams.
Assessment Alternatives
FairTest’s final victory is one which has made headlines in Florida in recent months, with parents criticizing the state education department for not providing clear alternatives to standardized tests.
At least 95 percent of Florida’s students are required to take the state’s assessment test for a school to get a letter grade, which can spell trouble for students wishing to opt out of the test.
“Opt out” students can use the portfolio option if they decide not to take the Florida Standards Assessment, but the guidelines aren’t totally clear -- at least from some parents’ perspective.
A group of parents filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education last month, alleging the department wrongly held back a group of third graders partially because it doesn’t have concrete guidelines for the portfolio option.
FairTest remained hopeful about the future of testing reform, but stressed the work wasn’t over.
“Activist parents, students and educators have good reason to be energized by these victories,” the group wrote. “To build the political power needed to win more significant legislative and policy changes, the nationwide assessment reform movement must expand and diversify. A tipping point in the battle against standardized testing overuse and misuse is on the horizon.”
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
