It’s testing season. Lisa Nielsen, a top NYC education department official, uses her personal blog to encourage parents and children to opt out of standardized tests. She also provides a list of seven ideas (including sleeping) for teachers who must entertain, er, occupy these “opt-out” students during test time. (The Innovative Educator, h/t New York Post)

Changing demographics. For theContinue Reading »

That’ll get someone’s attention. Texas lawmakers “zero out” funding for standardized exams in hopes of drawing attention to a bigger conversation about testing. (h/t Joy Resmovits) (KUT News)

Priorities. A new report finds that universities spent more on athletics per athlete than on academics per student from 2005-10. (Inside Higher Ed)

Promising trends. In 2000, 61 percent of blContinue Reading »

Between the time students start high school and they begin college, they will likely have taken at least two and possibly four high-stakes standardized tests. Which of these will be replaced by the new assessments aligned to the Common Core? Is it:

A. The high school assessment required by NCLB, usually given in 10th or 11th grade; B. Graduation or end-of-courseContinue Reading »

Standardized testing is one of the most polarizing topics in education policy. Policymakers have advocated for tests as an objective measure of both teacher and student performance. Teachers, though, largely despise the tests, the preparation for them, and the time it takes away from classroom instruction in the springtime.

Photo Credit: Disney

ProponentsContinue Reading »

This is the second in a series of blog posts called EduFacts: The SOS March in Context.

As demonstrators prepare to gather in Washington, DC and other locations around the nation for this week’s Save Our Schools March, educators, journalists, and policymakers are trying to determine just what kind of changes to public schools the organizers are calling for. While much of the messagContinue Reading »

One of the most important things to understand about the national teachers unions is their profoundly conservative world view. This is small “c” conservatism, which means preserving existing conditions or institutions and limiting change. The decision by the National Education Association’s membership to accept the widely held belief that how much students learn ought to influence teachers’ evaContinue Reading »

We’re learning that there are many ways to cheat.

The legitimacy of test score increases in District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS),  in particular those at Crosby S. Noyes Education Campus, are the focus of the latest installment in USA Today‘s “Testing the System,” a multi-part series exploring the extent and causes of cheating — by teachers, principalsContinue Reading »

USA Today’s Testing the System series continues today, with a look at how clear oversight, better assessments, and new sources of information can help prevent cheating on high-stakes, standardized tests. Yet, there’s one group that may be the most overlooked buttress against cheating: students.

Earlier this week, a former principal reminded me that in many cases where cheatinContinue Reading »

USA Today’s important “Testing the System” series is exploring the extent and causes of cheating — by teachers, principals, and schools — on standardized tests. Like many issues, this is one where multiple things can be true — all at the same time:

1. Cheating is Wrong. Period. — I have little tolerance for those who excuse cheating by blaming stContinue Reading »

Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day. The content of these Hits is not necessarily endorsed by the organization or any particular team member.

Image from Economix (Rojstaczer & Healy)

Want a higher college GPA? (Economix)Continue Reading »