Citizens for Public Schools

Calling for a moratorium on the high-stakes uses of standardized testing in our public schools, Citizens for Public Schools members and allies testified today at a State House hearing in support of bills that would also require development of alternative assessments and other crucial reforms to improve assessments.

Educators, parents, a student and others detailed the increasingly harmful consequences of our overuse and misuse of standardized testing, and the urgent need to pause the current testing regime to develop alternative approaches to educational assessment and accountability to improve our children’s education. All the speakers emphasized that the current system has failed to reduce disparities based on race, income, disability and language.

CPS supports five bills considered at today’s hearing (see below). Collectively, they would impose a three-year moratorium on the high-stakes uses of standardized test results, establish a grant program to develop alternatives to high-stakes standardized testing, inform parents about their rights to opt out, allow local districts to determine graduation requirements, and make other improvements.   → Read More

CPS Executive Director Lisa Guisbond’s public comments, delivered at the April 23, 2019 Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Meeting.

An MCAS question on the 10^th grade ELA exam caused enough consternation and trauma to students of color (and other students) that some students and teachers courageously spoke up, despite a gag rule put in place to protect the tests, not the students.

Commissioner Riley, to his credit, withdrew the question when it came to light (again, thanks to the students), but more needs to be done.

After all, research shows that when faced with a racially biased question, students of color are likely to be thrown off and do worse on the whole test than they would otherwise have done.

According to the American Psychological Association, researchers Steele, Aronson, and Spencer, found that even passing reminders that someone belongs to one group or another, such as a group stereotyped as inferior in academics, can wreak havoc with test performance.   → Read More