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I am currently a middle school teacher pursuing a degree in counseling. My audience would be K-12 teachers. I chose this topic because it has been a controversial topic for several years all across the United States.

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This legal guide summary is important in my field of education because it has been a widely talked about topic for many years. Students are often stressed about upcoming tests and teachers feel stress as well. Teachers are often evaluated based on students' test scores. There are numerous factors that affect how a student may score.

Currently, state testing has been placed on hold due to COVID-19. The STAAR test was cancelled during this past school year and many teachers are awaiting the decision from TEA in regards to this school year. Without last year's test results, teachers and administrators were unable to monitor student progress, thus allowing all students to be passed to the next grade. This has caused learning gaps for the current school year.

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Summary: The article discusses concerns that parents and educators have in regards to state testing. This article reports on decisions made in 2015 to limit the use of state testing and to lower the weight of student test scores on teacher evaluations. A new bill was also passed to increase instructional time in the classroom.

Citation:
Rosales, J. (2015, May 26). Educators and Parents Demand Less Testing … and Lawmakers Listen | NEA. National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/educators-and-parents-demand-less-testing-and-lawmakers-listen

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With congressional efforts underway to reauthorize No Child Left Behind, a burgeoning movement of educators, school administrators, parents and students has blossomed in the fight against high-stakes standardized testing. They have taken action across the country as part of NEA's Time to Learn, Time to Teach campaign. The message has been heard loud and clear as school trustees, state and local policymakers are finally deciding to let students learn and let teachers teach.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation in April to eliminate at least one exam and delay the release of school grades until other exams are deemed valid. The Florida Education Association (FEA) and United Teachers of Dade (UTD) had rallied members, lobbied legislators, and worked with parent groups to limit the use of standardized tests.

"It's time for a new accountability system," says UTD President Federick Ingram. "One that reduces high stakes testing and uses multiple measures to gauge student progress."

Miami-Dade, the nation's fourth largest school district, recently slashed the number of district end-of-course exams from 300 to 10, with other Florida districts taking similar actions. The new law also reduced the weight of student test scores on teacher evaluations from 50 percent to one third.

This month, a new bill to prioritize more class time for teaching was approved by the Colorado General Assembly.

"I'm pleased our legislators moved on the public outcry to dial back the amount of testing," says Kerrie Dallman, president of the Colorado Education Association (CEA). The bill eliminates Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers (PARCC) testing in the 10th through 12th grades, takes steps to alleviate testing for English language learners, and streamlines School Readiness and READ Act testing to give more instruction time to students in kindergarten through third grade.

The CEA worked closely with the bill sponsors throughout the current session, reiterating strong sentiments expressed by educators, parents and voters to end excessive standardized testing.
Capping the Amount of Testing Time
Further north, a grassroots movement has been gaining momentum in Minnesota and in places like Hazelwood, Mo., where more than 300 educators, parents, and students assembled for a highly charged board meeting carrying signs which read, "Let Teachers Teach." Supported by Hazelwood NEA (HNEA), the crowd handed out testing information while chanting "solidarity forever." Though 93 percent of teachers already belong to HNEA, President Diane Livingston says they recruited several more members that evening and the next morning.

"We have gathered three times before school board meetings since March," says Livingston, who credits members' social media activities as helping to boost attendance. "Everyone involved is encouraged to share information online."

Similarly, more than 450 members of Education Minnesota (EM) have traveled to the statehouse this session to meet with legislators about excessive testing.

The result: Passage of Senate policy and finance bills that capped the amount of class time students spend on testing at 2 percent of the school year, or about 19 hours in elementary school and 20 hours in middle and high school.

"Our members brought the issue of over testing to legislators in both parties," says EM President Denise Specht. "They responded by inserting language reducing the emphasis on testing."

Specht is quick to share this success with a growing cohort of parents, students, and school administrators who were also fed-up with the corrosive effects of high-stakes testing.

School districts in California, Mississippi, Louisiana and dozens of other states are also responding to union-and parent-driven charges to scale back testing.

The Oxnard Union High School District in Oxnard, Calif., unanimously adopted the National Education Association's (NEA) "Time to Teach, Time to Learn" resolution during its April board meeting.

"As a district, we are taking a position and calling on Congress and the Administration to also take a stand," says board trustee and teacher Karen Sher, who proposed the resolution.

Each of the five Oxnard trustees is a current or former educator.

"This is a clear indicator that students, parents, educators, and trustees understand the desperate need for change with regard to high-stakes testing," says Sher, whose district at one point spent 32 days testing students.

Federal law requires states to test students annually in math and reading in grades three through eight and once in high school, and in science in elementary, middle and high school. However, districts have added their own time-consuming assessments. According to a study by the Council of the Great City Schools, students take an average of 113 standardized tests over the course of their K-12 careers.

"Taking multiple-choice, bubble tests is not in the best interest of students," Sher adds.

In Mississippi, the Greenville Public School District school board passed a version of NEA's resolution calling on district leaders to reduce high-stakes assessments.

"Tests can and should be a part of the way we measure student growth," says Reva Pree, Greenville Association of Educators (GAE) president. "But the misuse of tests has robbed our students of the valuable opportunity to connect one-on-one with educators."
Bringing Everybody Together
The Natchitoches Association of Educators in Louisiana also passed the resolution with help from administrators, parents, and other community members, according to Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) President Deborah Meaux.

"The creativity of teaching has been sucked out of the classroom," says Meaux, who has been on a statewide "listening" tour since January attending educator and community meetings.

"I heard from teachers and principals who say they have been under a lot of pressure having their job performances measured by students' test scores," she says. "Parents are also upset, so we are working together to regain the time to teach."

In Newport, R.I., parents joined almost 50 educators, government officials, and others at a "Time to Learn" forum organized by NEA Rhode Island (NEARI).

"The real objective of the forum and similar activities is to show legislators that there is strong community support to minimize testing," says NEARI President Larry Purtill, who co-hosted the meeting with NEARI Vice President Val Lawson.

The discussion included remarks from state Rep. Gregg Amore, who introduced legislation to allow parents and guardians of students to "opt-out" of PARCC. This legislation would not penalize students for not participating in the tests and ensures that schools will provide an alternative mechanism for students not taking the tests.

"One of our roles is to bring everyone together," says Purtill, who is also overseeing a grassroots petition drive against toxic testing. "Getting parents and students on board with educators is key."

Members of the Willingboro Education Association (WEA) in New Jersey vigorously promote testing reform at school board and parent coalition meetings.

"We speak to parents about PARCC and excessive testing," says WEA president and school secretary Vicki Benedict. "We explain that even though their child might not be in a testing grade, all students are affected by over testing due to loss of computer lab and library time."

Students in Willingboro are tested an average of 17 out of 36 weeks during the school year.

"And that does not include the district mandated benchmark tests administered each month," she says.

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Educators and Parents Demand Less Testing ... and Lawmakers Listen | NEA

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With congressional efforts underway to reauthorize No Child Left Behind, a burgeoning movement of educators, school administrators, parents and students has blossomed in the fight against high-stakes standardized testing. They have taken action across the country as part of NEA's Time to Learn, Time to Teach campaign.

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Slide #4: Current News Articles (three years or earlier)

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Slide #4: Current News Articles (three years or earlier)

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Rick Hess states that state testing should be waived all together for the 2020 school year.

It is hard to administer state tests properly when many students are working online.

State tests should be the least of parents, students and teachers' worries during a pandemic.

Citation:
Hess, R. (2020, March 17). Secretary DeVos, It’s Time to Scratch the 2020 State Tests. Education Week - Rick Hess Straight Up. https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rick_hess_straight_up/2020/03/secretary_devos_its_time_to_scratch_the_2020_state_tests.html

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Dear Secretary DeVos,

It's time to scratch federally mandated state testing for 2020. All of it. All of the reading, math, and science testing mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Scratch it. Period.

Section 8401 of ESSA empowers the U.S. Secretary of Education to waive certain requirements. Madam Secretary, it's time for you to waive the assessment requirements, everywhere and for everyone. If the lawyers quibble, you should forcefully urge Congress to act.

I don't say this lightly. These state tests are valuable for providing both transparency and some baseline accountability. But that's not a good enough reason enough to go forward with the tests this year amidst the coronavirus chaos and a fast-moving national shutdown.

The best reason to scratch the tests? Complying with federal guidelines regarding mandated assessments is the very last thing educational leaders should be thinking about right now. They should be focused on the safety of students, educators, and communities; developing alternative instruction; supporting parents; feeding and aiding kids in need; and thinking about what it'll take to reopen schools.

At this juncture, not an ounce of time or energy should be lost to planning how to administer tests or manage testing windows-much less to the impact of the outcomes on performance metrics. And let's not kid ourselves, educational leaders' livelihoods are linked to these scores. They'll feel pressed to worry about testing logistics and scores-even if that compromises more important things.

With the White House now urging all Americans to school kids from home, if possible, I hope the U.S. Department of Education responds with appropriate measures. As of today, the relevant Department fact sheet, (issued March 12) blandly observed that "the Department generally does not grant statewide waivers of assessment requirements" because "assessments provide important information to parents, educators, and the public about how well students are doing at mastering a State's content for each tested grade and subject."

That's not the case this year. This spring, the data wouldn't be worth the pixels required to display them. Schools serving half of the nation's students have closed. Plenty more are likely to be shuttered over the next week or two-and there's no telling when they might reopen. In the meantime, some students will be getting instruction online, some will be getting parental instruction, some will be getting tutoring, and others will be on their own.

Indeed, even the Department's hints of accommodation to this point are massively inadequate. The Department's advisory has grudgingly conceded only that the "unique circumstances that may arise as a result of COVID-19, such as a school closing during the entire testing window" would only prompt it to "consider a targeted one-year waiver of the assessment requirements for those schools impacted by the extraordinary circumstances." This reads like a parody. Shuttered school systems are scrambling to provide meals and get instruction online, and education leaders are being directed to spend time assembling, one-by-one, 100,000 or more files with enough documentation to assure nameless federal officials that circumstances are "extraordinary" enough to merit a "targeted one-year waiver"?

The truth is, at this point, it would be nearly impossible to administer more than a handful of state assessments in a consistent or coherent manner. The logistical hurdles of figuring how to get all kids tested, how to configure testing windows, and how to rearrange testing schedules would require enormous time and energy-time and energy that should be spent on much more important things.

And keep in mind that these annual tests aren't actually of much use for instruction; heck, results aren't usually even available until the following academic year. They're mostly good for system management, academic research, accountability systems, and public consumption-not helping teachers better educate current students. Normally, that's a defensible trade-off; this year, not so much. The data's value is usually that its broadly consistent and comparable. Well, the 2020 data won't be. No one should want states or districts plugging erratic, dubious data into accountability systems or public report cards. If that creates headaches for scorecards, accountability systems, or researchers, so be it.

A final consideration: In far too many classrooms, instruction grinds to a halt once the state test has been taken. This year-if students end up back in classrooms at all-there's no room for that. The days consumed by testing and the slow days that follow will need to be redirected to instruction if we hope to make up for even some of the time and opportunity that kids will have lost.

If you're concerned about a dearth of important information on how schools are doing, I'm with you. While I'm no testing aficionado, I actively defended ESSA's testing requirements before and after the law's passage. But we already have the 2019 results, and we'll eventually have the 2021 results. That's enough. After all, we only give the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading and math tests every other year. If you suggest that, in lieu of state tests, school systems should ramp up diagnostic assessment so as to better support learners-that'd be smart. As for research, you should absolutely encourage researchers, funders, and IES to step up and dig in. But this spring is not the time to have state and district leaders worrying about tests and testing schedules.

Secretary DeVos, it's time to scratch the 2020 tests.

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Secretary DeVos, It's Time to Scratch the 2020 State Tests

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Dear Secretary DeVos, It's time to scratch federally mandated state testing for 2020. All of it. All of the reading, math, and science testing mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act. Scratch it. Period. Section 8401 of ESSA empowers the U.S. Secretary of Education to waive certain requirements.

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Slide #5: Current News Articles (three years or earlier)

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Slide #5: Current News Articles (three years or earlier)

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Teachers are the ones responsible for educating students, however, they are not involved in creating the state tests.

Students cannot be classified into the same box; each child is different.

Educational systems need to re-evaluate how students are being assessed.

Citation:
Sackstein, S. (2018, May 3). State Tests Do Not Assess Student Learning. Education Week - Work in Progress. https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/work_in_progress/2018/04/state_tests_do_not_assess_stud.html

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Before third grade in NY, students are learning completely unencumbered by the fear and useless waste of time of state testing. Kids are free to learn in an environment that challenges their curiosities and classroom teachers in collaboration with school or district-wide expectations teach curricula that truly engage and assess students.

And we would all agree that students at this age should NOT be tested as they are too young and what those tests would show would likely not shed any light on future learning.

The classroom teacher is allowed to develop the assessments that are appropriate for their students and then review the assessments immediately after and determine future learning experiences based on the data from these assessments. The learning and the assessment play a big role in planning and in individualized student learning.

By the time students make it to third grade, the state begins to test them. The teachers aren't involved in making these tests and like any standardized test, although the intention is to be able to see where students fit on a spectrum larger than just your class or even school, they aren't really about what students know and can do. If that was the ultimate goal, there would be multiple means for measuring it and comparing the data.

In NYS, the ELA and Math exams grades 3-8 are slowly losing their meaning altogether. The more families make the choice to opt their children out, the less the data even means because people don't look closely enough at the demographics of the students who ARE taking the tests.

For the record, when I shared that I opt my son out, many folks who read my post attacked me as a mother and my son claiming that I am a helicopter mom and that my son will never be able to get into the Ivy League schools of his aspirations because he can't deal with the pressure. This is not factual. When my son did take the tests, he always scored in high 3s or 4s. Our decision to opt him out had less to do with his capacity as a learner as it did us exercising a right we have to not create undue stress for something that won't even inform his classroom performance in that year.

Standardized tests, whether state or national are meant to norm student learning, but this is flawed even in its conception. These exams are often skewed and favor those who have the means to be successful on them. And let's not even get into the kinds of bias that exist in the kinds of questions asked or the passages presented in terms of student experience based on their location and life experience.

We, unfortunately, live in a world that wants to label everything for the sake of comparison instead of seeing each learner as an individual who has something positive to work with. In educational institutions, it is our job to make sure all students get the learning they need to be prepared for the paths they will choose later and not every child should be doing the same thing. That isn't how society works either.

No two people can fit into the same boxes in a multiple choice test and by using these methods of assessment, we are reducing children and young adults to quantifiable measures for efficiency and ease. That doesn't seem a good enough reason and this, of course, is oversimplifying the folks who are making money off of these endeavors as well as institutions being held accountable using them. Very few people win with this equation no matter how smart they are.

Schools and educational institutions from k-12 and higher need to re-evaluate how students are being assessed, well beyond the state testing. Inconsistent grading practices and expectations are rampant in most schools, greatly watering down what those scores actually mean.

As a profession, we need to take the reins back here and ask ourselves what we are hoping to get out of these experiences. What do we value for students and how is that being communicated.

There are many other ways of assessing student learning that is more indicative of actual experiences than tests. If our goal is truly to know what students know and can do, we should be providing multiple opportunities for them to show it. We should be giving them opportunities to regularly reflect and self-assess against an agreed upon criteria. They should know what success looks like before they start and have a plan to achieve it that suits their path.

Yes, I agree that students need to be challenged in ways that push them outside of their comfort zones at times, but we also have to listen to them more. Portfolio assessment aligned with project-based learning is one example of getting more student voice and choice into our understanding of their learning. Teaching students to articulate their learning will help them and help us get them to where they need to be.

Granted, it's not just the assessments that are broken, but the system needs more than an upgrade; it's time for us to dismantle what is and start from scratch with a system that will suit our current world and not the industrial one that our current system was born in.
What does assessment look like in your classes, schools? Does it truly reflect student learning? How do you know? Please share

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State Tests Do Not Assess Student Learning

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Before third grade in NY, students are learning completely unencumbered by the fear and useless waste of time of state testing. Kids are free to learn in an environment that challenges their curiosities and classroom teachers in collaboration with school or district-wide expectations teach curricula that truly engage and assess students.

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House Bill (HB) 3906
Statutory

This bill expands on input from educators about assessments and administrations and provides for flexibility for campuses.

Provides a transition to online tests

Implements an Educator Advisory Committee

Provides stand alone writing exams

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What You Need to Know

House Bill (HB) 3906 was one of several bills addressing public education that was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The bill addresses several components related to assessments and administration that expands input from educators, provides more flexibility at the campus level for test administration, and more. Below are key components of the bill that are important for you to know.

HB 3906 Resources

Each link below opens a webpage with useful HB 3906 information.

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House Bill (HB) 3906 was one of several bills addressing public education that was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The bill addresses several components related to assessments and administration that expands input from educators, provides more flexibility at the campus level for test administration, and more.

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Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Statutory
United States. (1965). Elementary and secondary education act of 1965 : H. R.
2362, 89th Cong., 1st sess., Public law 89-10. Reports, bills, debate and act.
[Washington] :[U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]

Authorizes state-run programs to raise academic-achievement from struggling learners.

Shows a long standing committee to an equal opportunity for all students, regardless of disability, poverty, or English language learners.

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The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), enacted in 1965, is the nation's national education law and shows a longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

ESEA authorizes state-run programs for eligible schools and districts eager to raise the academic achievement of struggling learners and address the complex challenges that arise for students who live with disability, mobility problems, learning difficulties, poverty, or transience, or who need to learn English.

Every Student Succeeds Act

On December 10, 2015, President Obama reauthorized ESSA as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The new law builds on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country.

ESSA replaces the previous reauthorization of ESEA, known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, enacted in 2002. ESSA will be fully operational in school year 2017-18, and a lot of work needs to be done between now and then as we make the transition.

Unlocking Federal & State Program Funds

ESSA allows some funding sources to be merged, or "braided," to support programs that improve student learning. A very simple example, given in more detail on page 8, suggests braiding multiple funds to help students who are not meeting standard for their grade in English language arts. The district could use funds from the following:

Title I, Part A of ESSA;

Individuals with Disabilities Act, Part B CEIS;

Learning Assistance Program (a state program that provides funds to help students meet standard); and

Title II, Part A

Unlocking Federal and State Program Funds to Support Student Success
Federal (ESEA) Programs for Schools & Districts

Title Programs

Title I, A Programs and services for struggling learners

Title I, C Migrant Education

Title I, D Institutional Education

Title I, G Advanced Placement

Title II, A Teacher & Principal Quality

Title III English Learners & Immigrant Students - Language Instruction

Title IV, A Student Support & Academic Enrichment

Title IV, B 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Title V Rural Education Achievement Program

Title VI Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native Education

Title IX Homeless Education (McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children & Youth Program)

Advanced Placement (AP) & International Baccalaureate (IB)

Advanced Placement (AP) AP/IB Test Fee Program

Career & Technical Education

Perkins Carl D. Perkins Act/Career & Technical Education Improvement

Discrimination, Section 504, Harassment

Equity & Civil Rights promotes the understanding of rights and responsibilities under civil rights laws, and monitors school district compliance with these laws.

Private Schools & Federal Programs

Private School & Non-profit Participation in federal programs, equitable services

School Safety

Gun-Free Schools Supports school safety and monitors/reports gun-related incidents

Monitoring & Compliance

Consolidated Program Review (CPR) is the monitoring arm of the ESEA, responsible for the review of all ESEA-funded and several state-funded programs. Our CPR team is focused on compliance with law and regulation as central to the positive potential in these programs to support high-quality interventions and lead to better student outcomes.

Federal Program Accountability

Federal Accountability Reports capture student data and information related to the performance of federal programs. OSPI submits these reports to the U.S. Department of Education.

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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

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The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), enacted in 1965, is the nation's national education law and shows a longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

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Doe vs. Antioch
Statutory
Doe v. Antioch Unified School District (Super.Ct. Contra Costa County, 2016, No. MSN15-1127.

Case ruled that standardized tests do not have to be used in teacher evaluations

Examined the text of Education Code section 44662(b)(1)

Requires the use of "objective evaluation and assessment guidelines" in teacher evaluations

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A judge in Northern California dealt a blow this week to a controversial campaign to make teachers more accountable for their students' level of achievement, the second key setback in recent months for those behind the effort.

The ruling by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barry Goode went against the Bay Area group Students Matter. The group's lawsuit aimed to force 13 school districts, including seven in Southern California, to make student standardized test scores a key part of teacher evaluations.

For the record:

Students Matter had hoped to build on a 2012 ruling against the Los Angeles Unified School District, which led to a settlement under which test scores were supposed to become part of teacher evaluations.

But in Doe vs. Antioch, the case decided this week, the judge concluded that districts had broad discretion over how to use test results. The school districts in question, including Inglewood Unified, El Monte City, and Saddleback Valley Unified, were meeting their legal obligations, he said.

"The Legislature endorses many uses of those tests, including evaluating pupils, entire schools and local educational agencies," Goode wrote in an opinion released Monday. "But it does not say the results should be used to evaluate individual teachers."

This week's ruling follows the California Supreme Court's August decision not to re-examine a ruling that preserved traditional teacher job protections, including tenure and seniority-based layoffs. In that nationally watched case, Vergara vs. California, Students Matter argued that these job protections are unconstitutional because, by protecting ineffective teachers, they deprive students, especially poor and minority ones, of their right to an education.

The Antioch decision surprised Marcellus McRae, who represented the plaintiffs, six California residents including parents and teachers.

"If you really think about it, this is such a basic concept that the goal of teaching is for students to learn," said McRae. "It is, to me, axiomatic that teacher evaluations have to be based at least in part over whether students have learned."

"What other profession is there where people do not get evaluated on results as opposed to their efforts only?" McRae added. "How is that, in California school districts, 98% of teachers get satisfactory ratings, but only 44% of students meet the English Language Arts literacy standards? And only 34% met the standards in math?" he said, referring to 2014-15 numbers. (Performance improved somewhat in the tests taken during the last school year.)

Teachers unions argue that judging teachers by test scores overlooks the effects of poverty and other external factors on student achievement. They also challenged the focus on test scores as a uniquely important measure of student progress.

"Every day teachers across California use a variety of benchmarks, including in-class quizzes, tests, projects, and personal observation to fine-tune their approaches with their students," said Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers. "There is no single method for assessing progress that is ideal or that should be used to the exclusion of all others."

Students Matter, which focuses on "impact litigation," also is pursuing a lawsuit in Connecticut that aims, among other things, to make it easier to open charter schools. The group is funded by philanthropists with an agenda that broadly includes greater reliance on test scores, weakening teachers unions and spurring the growth of charter schools. Allied groups have active Vergara-like cases in New York and Minnesota.

A fundamental goal of their strategy is to use the courts to bypass state legislatures in which teacher unions exert powerful influence.

Initially, the Antioch litigation seemed like low-hanging fruit. If L.A. Unified, the nation's second-largest school system, could be brought to heel, what hope of resistance was there for Antioch Unified, a district of 18,000 students about 35 miles east of Berkeley? Perhaps fearing the worst, nine of the districts revised their evaluation processes after the suit was filed, McRae said.

Both the L.A. and Contra Costa cases were based on language from the the Stull Act, which the Legislature passed in 1971 and amended several times since. It requires school districts to "evaluate and assess" teachers in a manner that "reasonably relates" to the progress of pupils toward established standards and, "if applicable," to state learning goals as measured by standardized tests.

The judge found wiggle room.

"There are serious questions about whether, and the extent to which, a pupil's standardized test score is 'reasonably related' and 'applicable' to the performance of a given teacher," Goode wrote.

Even in L.A., an evaluation process that relied directly on test scores never went into effect, Goode noted in his opinion.

Students Matter is weighing whether to appeal.
howard.blume@latimes.com Twitter: @howardblume To read the article in Spanish, click here MORE EDUCATION NEWS Cal State wants to double its graduation rate by 2025 UC campuses scramble to make room for thousands more new California students For the first time, California releases test scores for foster youth - and they're not good

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Court refuses to mandate use of test scores in teacher evaluations

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A judge in Northern California dealt a blow this week to a controversial campaign to make teachers more accountable for their students' level of achievement, the second key setback in recent months for those behind the effort. The ruling by Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barry Goode went against the Bay Area group Students Matter.

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Every Student Succeeds Act
Statutory
Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015)

Original bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

This provided modified assessments for students with severe cognitive disabilities

Option for testing through-out the year instead of the end-of-year exams

Allows the districts to use SAT and ACT scores instead of high-school exams

129 STAT. 2021
"early-phase grants to fund the development,
implementation, and feasibility testing of a program, which
prior research suggests has promise, for the purpose of
determining whether the program can successfully improve
student achievement or attainment for high-need students"

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Slide #10: Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Slide #10: Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Waller ISD
Student Handbook: provides information regarding testing and accommodations for
students with disabilities.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Waller ISD is also allowing online testing for students who have opted to stay home. They are required to log onto a ZOOM session with their teacher and must show their faces for the entirety of the test.

Waller Independent School District Student Handbook. 2019. Pamphlet. Waller, TX

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Welcome to the Waller Independent School District!
Waller ISD is celebrating 130 years of service to our community! Since 1887, the Waller Independent School District ( Waller ISD) long-standing tradition is of academic and extracurricular excellence. Read more

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Welcome to the Waller Independent School District! Waller ISD is celebrating 130 years of service to our community! Since 1887, the Waller Independent School District ( Waller ISD) long-standing tradition is of academic and extracurricular excellence. Read more

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A.13. Evaluation, Assessment and Interpretation
School counselors:
a. Use only valid and reliable tests and assessments with concern
for bias and cultural sensitivity.
b. Adhere to all professional standards when selecting, administering and interpreting assessment measures and only utilize
assessment measures that are within the scope of practice for
school counselors and for which they are licensed, certified and
competent.

Citation:
American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf

This code relates to the topic because it discusses the use of valid and reliable tests. Test scores during a pandemic are not reliable as the students had a large gap between schooling from the month of March to the month of August.

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Not-Found - American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

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Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced 3rd Edition

Citation:
Neukrug, E. S., & Fawcett, C. R. (2019). Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.

This book provides concepts and applications of assessment and testing for counselors. It also provides exercises and activities to increase understanding.

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essentials of testing and assessment: a practical guide for counselors

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education / teaching methods & materials / general

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testing; assessment; guide; psych; counseling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
education / teaching methods & materials / general

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Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced

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Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists, Enhanced: 9781285454245: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com

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Slide #13: Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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Slide #13: Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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Standardized testing does not have to be used in teacher evaluations.

State testing was placed on hold during that 2018-2019 school year and therefore did not provide information in regards to student progress.

School counselors are to use only valid and reliable tests to assess students.

All tests must use concern for cultural sensitivity among students and bias.

Counselors are to only utilize testing duties within their scope of practice.