By Dale Chu As predicted, two consecutive years without state testing has provided the permission structure for some to begin questioning the utility of statewide standardized assessments. Take California as a prime example, where Uncle Sam afforded local jurisdictions an escape hatch from federal testing requirements...
By Dale Chu The original eduwonk, Andy Rotherham, penned a worthwhile read recently on where we find ourselves on K-12 testing, along with the inescapable tensions that are part and parcel of the competing interests and aspirations involved. Rotherham correctly observes that the “holy grail” are...
By Dale Chu This past weekend, the Associated Press published an article on the current state of play in regard to state testing. The upshot is that states have adopted a patchwork of approaches in large part due to Uncle Sam’s convoluted waiver process. Some states—New...
By Dale Chu As I’ve made my way through states via the assessment power rankings, a question I sometimes get is which one has been the most egregious. An argument can be made for the nation’s capital, the only jurisdiction to receive an official pass from...
By Dale Chu Recently, EdNavigator published an easy-to-use resource for helping parents better understand student test results and why they matter. It’s an important question to answer because the value of large-scale testing is more clearly understood as a benefit to policymakers than as one for...
By Dale Chu The time for states to make their case for waiving out of testing this spring is likely at an end, but the period for mischief-making is just getting started. In the coming weeks and months, in addition to examining assessment waivers, I’ll be...
By Dale Chu As some states and districts duck out of testing for a second consecutive year, it’s easy to forget that others have been resolute and standing firm. Arkansas is one such paragon, where state leaders have remained steadfast in their commitment to state testing...
By Dale Chu Late last night, the U.S. Department of Education approved Oregon’s amended waiver request. The verdict itself was expected given the similarities with Colorado’s approved waiver (more on that below) coupled with the opening of Oregon’s testing window next week (i.e., April 13th). Nevertheless,...
By Dale Chu Last summer, Michigan became the first state to formally seek federal permission to suspend state testing in 2021—a full ten months before the assessments were even slated to begin. Former education secretary Betsy DeVos appropriately denied that request, but Michigan was undeterred and...
By Dale Chu Last week, Washington state filed their assessment waiver request with the feds, proposing to conduct a NAEP-like sampling of approximately 50,000 students—in selected grades and content areas—in lieu of attempting to test the 700,000 students across the state ordinarily eligible in a given...