Problems+with+standardized+tests

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STRONGLY RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARY:
//For decades, standardized testing has been a part of public education. Within the last ten years, however, the testing has taken on a more important, and possibly more damaging, role. Test scores, mistakenly viewed as effective assessments of student ability and teacher/school effectiveness, are anything but. This film sheds light on the invalid nature of these tests, the terrible consequences of high-stakes testing, and the big money that's involved.//
 * //Standardized: Lies, Money & Civil Rights: How Testing Is Ruining Public Education (2013)//**
 * Purchase or rent here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/standardized

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 * //Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Standardized Testing (HBO), May 2015.//**

https://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/blinded-by-pseudoscience-standardized-testing-is-modern-day-eugenics/
 * Steven Singer, "Blinded by Pseudo-Science: Standardized Testing is Modern-Day Eugenics," //GadflyOnTheWall// blog, Mar. 2016.**

//"This can't be stressed enough in the testing debates: we design tests not based on objective criteria, but on socially constructed frameworks that assume some of us are above average, some of us are below, and most of us are in the middle."//
 * Jersey Jazzman, "Standardized Tests: Symptoms, not Causes," //Jersey Jazzman// blog, May 2015.**

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/05/standardized-tests-symptoms-not-causes.html

=** The Network for Public Education's press release calling for "Congressional hearings to investigate the over-emphasis, misapplication, costs, and poor implementation of high-stakes standardized testing in the nation’s K-12 public schools," Mar. 2014. **= http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/2014/03/press-release-npe-calls-for-congressional-hearings/ //Full text:// http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/2014/03/npe-calls-for-congressional-hearings-full-text/

http://www.publicschoolshakedown.org/are-common-core-and-testing-debates-two-different-matters
 * Paul Thomas, "Are Common Core and Testing Debates 'Two Different Matters'?" //Public School Shakedown,// Nov. 2013.**



//As Valerie Strauss puts it, this article shares "...irrefutable data to show that the test-based reforms are taking public education down the wrong road."// http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/23/why-test-based-school-reform-isnt-working-by-the-numbers/
 * Carol Burris, "Why Test-Based School Reform Isn't Working--By the Numbers," Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" column in the //Washington Post//, Feb. 2014.**

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/01/what-do-standardized-tests-actually-test/
 * Marion Brady, "What Do Standardized Tests Actually Test?" Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" column in the //Washington Post//, Aug. 2014.**

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-opposite-of-excellence.html
 * Peter Greene, "The Opposite of Excellence," //Curmudgucation// blog, Aug. 2014.**

http://college.usatoday.com/2014/07/07/no-the-sat-is-not-required-more-colleges-join-test-optional-train/
 * Justin Peligri, "No, The SAT is Not Required. More Colleges Join the Test-Optional Train," //USA Today,// Jul. 2014.**

//Subtitle: When Dr. Walter Stroup showed that Texas’ standardized testing regime is ﬂawed, the testing company struck back.// http://www.texasobserver.org/walter-stroup-standardized-testing-pearson/
 * Jason Stanford, "Mute the Messenger," //Texas Observer,// Sep. 2014.**

media type="youtube" key="x-shockwave" width="420" height="315" //**Remarks by members of the Palm Beach County (FL) School Board about excessive standardized testing, Aug. 2014. **//

= HISTORY OF STANDARDIZED TESTS =

http://www.livingindialogue.com/ranking-sorting-real-purpose-standards-tests/
 * Anthony Cody, "Ranking and Sorting: The Sordid History of Standards and Tests," //Living in Dialogue,// Aug. 2014.**

http://raceandgenetics.blogspot.com/2010/10/racialized-intelligence-and-iq.html
 * Theresa Byrd, Genora Givens, Matt Parr, and Alex Watilo, "Racialized Intelligence and IQ," //Race, Racism, and Human Genetics,// Oct. 2010.**

https://educarenow.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/skull-measurements-achievement-data-and-the-destruction-of-the-public-school-system/
 * Bill Boyle, "Skull Measurements, Achievement Data and the Destruction of the Public School System ," //Educarenow blog,// Mar. 2015.**

COMMON CORE TESTS


//** Related: **// http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/new-york-common-core-test_n_5659604.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
 * == See the CCNS assessments for yourself...for there's no better argument against them: == ||
 * * Smarter Balanced Pilot Test: [] ||
 * * Smarter Balanced Sample Items and Performance Tasks: [|http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample-items-perf-tasks/] ||
 * * PARCC Task Prototypes and Sample Items: [] ||
 * Rebecca Klein, "How Would you Score on a Third Grade Common Core Math Test?" //Huffington Post,// Aug. 2014.**



http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/06/common_core-aligned_tests_and_.html
 * Anthony Cody, "Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design?" //Education Week,// Jun. 2014.**

http://www.businessinsider.com/educators-are-slamming-the-new-common-core-tests-2014-8
 * Amanda Paulson and Noelle Swan, "Educators are Slamming the New Common Core Tests," //Business Insider,// Aug. 2014.**

//Quote from article: "A 2006 primer on cut scores prepared by the Educational Testing Service found that cut scores can be reliable, but are based on a group's opinions. 'It is impossible to prove that a cut score is correct,' the report said."// http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/07/26/common-core-cut-scores-examined/13219981/
 * Gary Stern, "Who's on Track for College and Who is Not?" //Lohud,// Jul. 2014.**

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/31/a-ridiculous-common-core-test-for-first-graders/?tid=pm_pop
 * Carol Burris, "A Ridiculous Common Core Test for First Graders," Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" in the //Washington Post,// Nov. 2013.**

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/06/27/a-disturbing-look-at-common-core-tests-in-new-york/
 * Carol Burris and John Murphy, "A Disturbing Look at Common Core Tests in New Your," Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" in the //Washington Post,// Jun. 2014..**

http://time.com/2809215/pearson-testing-common-core/
 * Brian Braiker, "My Daughter Isn’t Going to Help School Testing Companies Refine Their Product," //Time magazine,// Jun. 2014.**

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/how-to-pass-a-pearson-tes_b_5428565.html
 * Alan Singer, "How to Pass a Pearson Test, or, Peeling the Pearson Pineapple," //Huffington Post,// Jun. 2014.**

//"14 states are planning to use PARCC to assess CCSS; and SmarterBalanced, which also intends to us AES in its CCSS tests, isn’t far behind."// http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/06/18/sarcasm-scarlett-johannson-and-why-machines-should-never-grade-student-writing
 * Maja Wilson, "Sarcasm, Scarlett Johansen, and Why Machines Should Never Grade Student Writing," //Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" column// in //The Washington Post,// Jun. 2014.**

http://nypost.com/2014/08/06/common-core-exam-includes-question-about-bigfoot/
 * Aaron Short, "Common Core Exam Includes Question about Bigfoot," //New York Post,// Aug. 2014**.

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/08/accountability-in-age-of-high-stakes.html
 * Peter Greene, "Accountability in the Age of High-Stakes," //Curmudgucation// blog, Aug. 2014.**



= STANDARDIZED TESTS IN GENERAL =

http://www.ctunet.com/quest-center/research/position-papers/text/CTU_Testing_Position_Brief_web.pdf
 * Chicago Teachers Union //position paper:// "Debunking the Myths of Standardized Testing," Chicago Teachers Union website (undated publication; accessed and posted here Feb. 2014).**

http://www.livingindialogue.com/schools-need-new-accountability-system/
 * Anthony Cody, "Do Our Schools Need a New Accountability System?," //Living in Dialogue, Sept//. 2014. **

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/09/04/anthony-cody-what-marc-tucker-gets-wrong/
 * Diane Ravitch, "Anthony Cody: What Marc Tucker Gets Wrong," //Diane Ravitch's blog,// Sept. 2014.**

http://www.livingindialogue.com/time-give-yong-zhao-responds-marc-tucker/
 * Yong Zhao, "Time to Give Up: Yong Zhao Responds to Marc Tucker," //Living in Dialogue,// Sept. 2014.**

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/12/13/study-high-standardized-test-scores-dont-translate-to-better-cognition
 * Allie Bidwell, "Study: High Standardized Test Scores Don't Translate to Better Cognition," //US News and World Report,// Dec. 2013.**



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 * Bob Sternberg, "None of the Above: Why Standardized Testing Fails," //TEDx talk,// Dec. 2012. **

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/03/you-dont-know.html
 * Peter Greene, "Standardized Tests Tell Nothing," //Curmugucation// blog, Mar. 2014.**

Link to more info about the book: http://www.alfiekohn.org/books/tcast.htm
 * Alfie Kohn, "The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools," //[excerpt from his book],// 2000.** (PDF file)

http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6900
 * John Merrow, "Mistreating Teachers and Students in the Name of Higher Test Scores," //Taking Note// blog, Apr. 2014.**


 * W. James Popham, "Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality," ASCD's //Educational Leadership,// Mar.1999.** (PDF file)

http://twinlifehavingitall.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-i-am-against-high-stakes-testing.html?m=1
 * KM, "Why I am against High-Stakes Testing," //Twin Life: Having it All// blog, Mar. 2014.**

http://mrdsneighborhood.com/2010/09/13/how-standardized-testing-created-then-destroyed-an-empire/
 * Luciano D'Orazio, "How Standardized Testing Created, then Destroyed, an Empire," //Mr. D's Neighborhood,// Sept. 2010.**

//Download://
 * Christopher Chase, "**** Understanding How High-stakes Testing **** Disrupts the Natural Learning Process," __RTF file__ copied from an //Art of Learning// post on //Facebook.// **

//Subtitle: MIT neuroscientists find even high-performing schools don’t influence their students’ abstract reasoning // http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/even-when-test-scores-go-up-some-cognitive-abilities-dont-1211.html#.UqnNd5VX4TJ.twitter
 * Anne Trafton, "Even When Test Scores Go Up, Some Cognitive Abilities Don't," MIT News, Dec. 2013.**


 * Heather Vogell, "Errors Plague School Testing", //Atlanta Journal-Constitution,// Sept. 2013. ** [|http://ireader.olivesoftware.com/Olive/iReader/AtlantaJournal/SharedArticle.ashx?document=AJC\2013\09\15&article=Ar00103]

[|http://ireader.olivesoftware.com/Olive/iReader/AtlantaJournal/SharedArticle.ashx?document=AJC\2013\09\15&article=Ar00900]
 * Heather Vogell, "Flawed Questions Fluster Students", // Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sept. // 2013. **

Article from a NY paper about the 2013 NYS standardized tests. []
 * Gary Stern, "Critics: Test Scores Failing, Not Students," //Journal News' lohud.com//, Sept. 2013.**

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/06/opinion_educational_standardized_tests_are_fundamentally_flowed_have_no_legitimacy.html
 * Frank Breslin, "Educational Standardized Tests Are Fundamentally Flawed, Have No Legitimacy," NJ.com, Jun. 2014.**

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 * Ronda Matthews, "What Testing Looks Like," Dec. 2013.**

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 * Jessie B. Ramey, "A Teacher's Troubling Account of Giving a 106-Question Standardized Test to 11-year-olds," Valerie Strauss' "Answer Sheet" in //Washington Post,// Oct. 2013.**

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/2014/03/26/Slay-the-testing-beast/stories/201403260004
 * Greg Taranto** //(principal at an award-winning Canonsburg, PA, middle school)// **, "Slay the Testing Beast: Standardized tests are out of control; let's stand together to fight them off," //Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,// Mar. 2014.**

[]
 * Mary Koerth-Baker, "The Not-So-Hidden Cause Behind the ADHD Epidemic," //New York Times,// Oct. 2013.**

http://www.alternet.org/education/corporations-profit-standardized-tests?fb_action_ids=10203737973557308&fb_action_types=og.likes&paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark
 * Alyssa Figueroa, "8 Things You Should Know About Corporations Like Pearson that Make Huge Profits from Standardized Tests," //Alternet,// Aug. 2013.**

//Subtitle: "In an era of high-stakes testing, a struggling school made a shocking choice."// http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/07/21/140721fa_fact_aviv?currentPage=1
 * Rachel Aviv, "Wrong Answer," //The New Yorker,// Jul. 2014.**