990WBOB
  • WBOB READS
  • WBOB Radio
  • Past Casts
  • F Bomb Friday
  • Register To Win
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA

Tanzi Pleased that Standardized Testing Will Be Studied

9/5/2014

Comments

 
Picture
Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi, who proposed legislation earlier this year aimed at finding out how much of students’ time and districts’ money is spent on standardized testing annually, said she is pleased that the Department of Education has announced it will study this issue this year.
“While I suspect students are spending quite a bit of time taking and preparing for the many tests they take, we don’t even have enough information to know just how much testing is happening in each school or grade. I’m really looking forward to the results of this review, and I’m heartened to know that the Department of Education is listening to parents, teachers and students and is taking this concern seriously,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett).

A recent letter sent to school superintendents from the Department of Education and the Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association informed districts that concerns about “over-testing” prompted the study, and that the department would consider streamlining assessments and eliminating those that do not advance education. The study will include community meetings, focus groups and a working group of four districts – East Providence, Newport, North Kingstown and North Providence – whose leaders volunteered to analyze their assessment and help develop plans to trim testing if appropriate.

Representative Tanzi’s bill (2014-H 7835) would have required annual reporting by all public schools, school districts, mayoral academies, and charter schools on any federally, state or locally mandated or voluntary tests for students in each grade from kindergarten through 12. The report would have had to include information such as the grade level and number of students taking each test; whether each test is federally, state or locally mandated, or voluntary; an indication of whether each test is primarily a tool to measure student, teacher, school district or state performance; the costs per test; and the time spent in test preparation and taking the test.

“There have to be some assessments to ensure that schools are effective in teaching students, but it needs to be done in a manner that doesn’t imperil teachers’ ability to teach. Days and weeks spent on testing are days and weeks that aren’t spent teaching and learning, and if there are too many of them, kids aren’t getting all the education they deserve,” said Representative Tanzi.

The department’s announcement about the study comes after the General Assembly passed legislation halting the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement this year until at least 2017. Representative Tanzi cosponsored an earlier version (2014-H 7256) of that legislation. The move enabled students who were otherwise eligible to graduate but who were unable to demonstrate adequate mastery or improvement on the controversial New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) test to get their diplomas this year. Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist, who had been a proponent of the use of the NECAP as a graduation requirement, later recommended delaying the use of any standardized test as a graduation requirement until 2020.


More WBOB News

  • Dee DeQuattro: Pulse on Politics - September Surprise
  • Former RI Lawmaker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
  • CDC: 27.3% of Adults in Rhode Island are Obese
  • Father Arrested for Impersonating a Cop
Comments

    WBOB
    Original
    ​Reads

    Picture

    Unbiased, Unfiltered. WBOB's Original Reads feature our brightest and boldest personalities, offering their two-cents on the goings on of news, sports, politics, entertainment, and business. -- Are our opinions always PC? Nope. Are they always perfect? Nah. But, are they always 100% authentic? Absolutely!


    LISTEN
    ​TO WBOB ORIGINAL PODCASTS

    Picture
    Listen to
    ​Past BOBCasts

    WBOB 
    Best Reads
    Brought To You By
    TripAdvisor.com

    Picture

    Celebrating David Clyde: A Wild Passionate Friend To All


    Picture

    Search 
    The Archives


    Reads From Our Friends

    Picture

    The Best Game Development Tools: How to Make Your Own Game


    Contact Us
    info@990WBOB.com


Search For Your Favorite WBOB Author,
​or BobCast

990WBOB 
An Independent Media Outlet.

The views opinions and thoughts expressed do not  reflect those of 990WBOB, its management or its staff. All Rights Reserved 990WBOB.com 2007-2020
​
Contact WBOB HERE

WBOB Reads

Weather

Live BOBCasts

Past Casts

Contact Us

Join Our Team!

Featured Supporters

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photo used under Creative Commons from nzhamstar
  • WBOB READS
  • WBOB Radio
  • Past Casts
  • F Bomb Friday
  • Register To Win
  • Weather
  • Contact
  • About
    • WBOB Press Releases
    • Join Our Team!
    • CHARITY GALA