Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Students Are Still Taking Too Many Tests

August 21, 2018 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

The assessment-reform movement is alive, strong—and winning at the state and local level. When it comes to public education, it has always been state capitals and local governments where key decisions are made, not Washington.

With the Every Student Succeeds Act as the law of the land (“Anti-Test Movement Slows to a Crawl,” July 23, 2018), the fight to make real progress in reducing standardized exam misuse and overuse will take place in state legislatures, boards of education, and school committees. And we are making that progress; not slowing to a crawl. The number of states that require an exit exam to graduate high school has dropped from more than two dozen to 12—with Indiana eliminating its test just this summer.

We are seeing interest in reducing state testing from the recently elected governor of New Jersey and from gubernatorial candidates in Georgia. New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are piloting alternative assessments that may prove to be national models. The NAACP, among other organizations, is speaking out more strongly about the need to replace flawed tests.

Make no mistake, when a future president and Congress reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in several years, testing reformers will be there. And we’ll be joined by allies from school districts, states, and community groups where better assessment policies have already been adopted and implemented.

Andre Green

Executive Director

FairTest

Somerville, Mass.

Related Tags:
Opinion

A version of this article appeared in the August 22, 2018 edition of Education Week as Students Are Still Taking Too Many Tests

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Trust in Science of Reading to Improve Intervention Outcomes
There’s no time to waste when it comes to literacy. Getting intervention right is critical. Learn best practices, tangible examples, and tools proven to improve reading outcomes.
Content provided by 95 Percent Group LLC
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Quiz ICYMI: Trump Moves to Shift Special Ed Oversight And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on TikTok in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP