To: President Donald Trump
President Obama: End high-stakes testing in public elementary and secondary schools.
End high-stakes standardized testing in public elementary and secondary schools. Instead, use the resources consumed in testing to pursue school improvement measures that do not involve testing, and provide positive support for struggling schools.
Why is this important?
Despite changes under the current administration, high-stakes testing remains a cornerstone of "accountability measures" for schools. This testing harms schools and has caused states to lower their standards so that their students perform better on the tests. Teachers are now so stressed from this unreasonable emphasis on testing, which takes away from college readiness and higher-order thinking, that they routinely dissuade others from entering this important field.
We call on President Obama to end high-stakes testing in schools and develop alternative means of school improvement using those same resources.
Please also sign the Whitehouse.gov petition:
www.wh.gov/PtG