Earlier this month, acting Secretary of Education John King expanded on these proposals. In a video released by the United States Department of Education, King announced federal plans to help states and districts minimize the amount of needless testing. Take a look at the video below:
Some key takeaways from the video:
- New guidelines for federal funds that can be used towards testing practices--specifically with regards to the specific type and quality of state tests.
- Continued emphasis on moving away from traditional "bubble tests" to those that emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
King's video was followed up with letters and additional materials sent to state Departments of Education and local districts outlining the specific protocols mentioned in his message. The letter, in particular, provides states with specific options on how to utilize remaining federal funding under No Child Left Behind (the new education law--Every Student Succeeds Act--will not be fully implemented until the 2016-2017 school year). In the letter, King stresses the following uses for remaining NCLB funds:
- State-wide audits on the current testing systems and procedures in each district.
- Professional development for testing coordinators and teachers--specifically focused on testing literacy and best practices for interpreting and leveraging student results.
- Developing more efficient and transparent systems for sharing results with students and families
- Working to create more reliable and useful tests that better reflect student learning and skill-sets.
To view the distributed materials, see below:
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