Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Testing

New York
24 hours ago

Rise & Shine: Brush up your SHSAT–testing for New York City’s specialized high schools begins

COLLATERAL DAMAGE School-based health clinics that partially rely on reimbursements from Medicaid could suffer if a new federal proposal is adopted…

testing questions

New York
October 15, 2018

‘The needle hasn’t moved’: Regents sound off on racial gaps in 2018 test scores

New York State’s top education policymakers raised concerns Monday about whether the state is doing enough to address persistent racial gaps on state…

talking testing

New York
September 14, 2018

New York officials soften potential penalties for schools where many students opt out of tests

Under the initial rules, districts that had high opt-out rates for five years could have to set aside Title I funding, which is earmarked for high-poverty schools.

First Person

Tennessee
September 14, 2018

I spoke with our governor during his TNReady listening tour. Here’s what I hope he heard.

Tara Baker, an assistant principal at Nashville's McGavock High School, was among about 150 educators invited to participate.

Trending up

Tennessee
August 16, 2018

Most schools in Tennessee’s largest district show growth on state test

About half of schools in the Memphis district saw a bump in English scores, earning the district the state's highest rating of growth.

test scores

Tennessee
August 16, 2018

How did your school perform on TNReady tests? Search here for results

Nearly 700 schools – more than 40 percent of schools in Tennessee – improved in student performance across most grades and subjects, according…

More backlash

Tennessee
August 9, 2018

Citing ‘multiple years of failure,’ Knoxville school leaders vote ‘no confidence’ in state

Board Chairwoman Patti Bounds says the Tennessee Department of Education “still takes no ownership” of its mistakes.

Emerging differences

Tennessee
August 3, 2018

Here’s how Lee, Dean compare on education in the race to be Tennessee’s next governor

The state's next leader will set the course for school funding and shape education policy on everything from student testing to teacher evaluations.

Education Attack

Colorado
June 7, 2018

Fact checking the Colorado governor’s race: The truth behind 5 claims dividing Democratic contenders

As the Colorado Democratic primary nears, candidates for governor are using old education positions to highlight small policy differences.

MIA

Tennessee
May 9, 2018

Some Tennessee students lost their TNReady test answers despite state’s reassurance they wouldn’t

When tests didn’t submit properly, most students were able to later. But in an unknown number of cases statewide, students lost test answers.

On the Agenda

New York
May 6, 2018

New York’s top policymakers leave open questions about testing, teacher evaluations

Despite brewing state education policy controversies, May's Board of Regents meeting is shaping up to be a quiet one.

conflicting reports

Tennessee
May 3, 2018

Did Tennessee offload too much blame for TNReady testing woes onto a dump truck?

The troubles that at least two school districts had connecting to Tennessee’s online testing system were not related to a slashed cable, the internet provider says.

testing testing

Tennessee
May 2, 2018

Inside a Memphis school dealing with the fallout of TNReady problems

Student anxiety, last-minute schedule changes, and hour-long holds with customer service hotline were common.

message to educators

Tennessee
April 27, 2018

Tennessee lawmaker urges teachers to make students “winners” not “whiners” about TNReady

Rep. Sabi Kumar sent an email to Robertson County educators after several urged him to advocate for this year’s state test results not counting on their evaluations.

TNReady trouble

Tennessee
April 27, 2018

About 1,400 TNReady tests invalidated after students take wrong test for their grade

Nearly 500 instances involved students in Anderson County near Knoxville who took science or social studies tests that were below their grade level.

Chalkbeat explains

Tennessee
April 20, 2018

Four reasons Tennessee likely won’t go back to paper testing

In short, reverting to pencil-and-paper tests would be akin to ordering iPhone users to go back to flip phones. It almost certainly won’t happen.

TNReady shockwaves

Tennessee
April 17, 2018

Memphis school board discusses dropping TNReady scores from teacher decisions after testing failures

The angry declarations came after two days of glitches in Tennessee testing including what the state called a “deliberate attack” on its testing vendor’s data center.

TNREADY THOUGHTS

Tennessee
April 17, 2018

How Tennessee’s testing snafus impact kids and educators — in their own words

We asked educators, parents, and students how this week’s testing snafus have impacted them personally. Here are some of your responses.

Testing backlash

Tennessee
April 17, 2018

Tennessee lawmakers call for McQueen’s resignation, scrapping TNReady over more testing failures

Problems with Tennessee's online student testing system for a second straight day spurs talk on Capitol Hill.

Target on TNReady

Tennessee
Updated April 17, 2018

‘Deliberate attack’ during day two of TNReady testing creates chaos for Tennessee districts

Tennessee’s student tests were derailed on Tuesday for a second straight day, this time by what state education officials say might have been “a deliberate…

TNReady

Tennessee
April 16, 2018

Some Memphis-area schools opt to wait a day after system snafu stalls online testing

The state said its testing vendor fixed the problem, but Shelby County Schools left it up to individual high schools to decide how to proceed.

testing takeaways

Indiana
April 10, 2018

Unlike most states, Indiana boosted eighth-grade reading scores on 2017 ‘nation’s report card’

Indiana’s scores on the “nation’s report card” haven’t changed much since students took the federal math and reading tests two years ago,…

National testing time

Tennessee
April 10, 2018

In first comparison with other large cities, Memphis students score poorly on national test

Compared to 27 large cities, the district landed in the bottom third of results from the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as NAEP

testing testing

Tennessee
April 9, 2018

Concerned about over-testing, Tennessee will eliminate two high school exams

Dropping the two end-of-course tests represents Tennessee's most significant reduction of state-mandated testing in recent years.

extra time

New York
January 23, 2018

Expect delays: New York will release statewide test scores later this year

Statewide test scores will be released about a month later than usual this year.

the fight continues

New York
January 22, 2018

New York officials vow to keep fighting for controversial testing rules after federal agency rejects them

New York is “not giving up” on its testing waiver requests, the state's education commissioner said Monday.

failing grade

National
January 19, 2018

Why one Harvard professor calls American schools’ focus on testing a ‘charade’

Harvard professor Daniel Koretz is on a mission: to convince policymakers that standardized tests have been widely misused.

test stress

New York
January 18, 2018

Personal data of 52 New York students is compromised after testing-company breach

The breach is likely to fuel the already widespread opposition among parents and educators to the state standardized exams in New York.

2017 in review

National
December 22, 2017

What we’ve learned: 5 lessons from education research to take into 2018

Researchers have worked through 2017 to separate fact from fiction.

testing testing

Tennessee
November 20, 2017

McQueen to convene third task force as Tennessee seeks to get testing right

The group will examine the state's testing program in the wake of persistent hiccups with TNReady and perennial concerns about over-testing.

a test of happiness

National
November 2, 2017

When teachers are better at raising test scores, their students are less happy, study finds

A new study finds a negative correlation between teachers’ impact on students’ test scores and those students’ reports of how happy they were in class.

Results are in

Tennessee
October 19, 2017

Tennessee’s largest district sees 1 in 5 young students meeting expectations on new TNReady test

The switch to the new test was especially disruptive for the iZone, which until now showed significant progress compared to other low-performing schools in the district.
Tennessee
October 19, 2017

School-by-school TNReady scores for 2017 are out now. See how your school performed

Nearly six months after Tennessee students sat down for their end-of-year tests, all of the scores are now out. State officials released the final installment…

explainer

Tennessee
October 17, 2017

Five things to know about the latest brouhaha over Tennessee’s TNReady test

The revelation that nearly 10,000 Tennessee high school tests were scored incorrectly unleashes a new round of complaints about the standardized test.

Clarion call

Tennessee
October 16, 2017

Memphis teachers union calls on Tennessee to invalidate TNReady over scoring errors

From the State Capitol, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell called for a hearing on recently revealed scoring errors by the state department's testing vendor.

Another error

Tennessee
October 13, 2017

Missing student data means 900 Tennessee teachers could see their growth scores change

The latest glitch follows a series of mishaps, including test scanning errors, which also affect teacher evaluations.

Scores in

Tennessee
October 4, 2017

The report card is in for Tennessee grade-schoolers. It’s not good, but it’s expected.

Most elementary and middle school students are lagging in English and math, based on the first year of scores under the state's harder new TNReady test.

Finally

Tennessee
October 3, 2017

After a two-year gap, Tennessee is about to release test scores for grade-schoolers. Here’s what to expect.

A significant void in test score data will start to be filled with this week's release of statewide TNReady scores for grades 3-8.

Test talk

Indiana
September 26, 2017

Want to boost test scores? Experts say Indiana must change teaching

The suspicion that the flat scores are the new normal for Indiana has testing experts and educators speculating about why, and what could be done to nudge them upward.

exclusive

Tennessee
September 18, 2017

Most Memphis schools score low on student growth under new state test

Find out how your school fared in growth on the state's new test in this Chalkbeat exclusive.

Scores in

Tennessee
August 30, 2017

More Tennessee districts doing better on high school English tests, less so on math

Three out of every four districts see English proficiency rise in the second year of TNReady testing — but less than half see the same trend in math.

TNReady preview

Tennessee
August 25, 2017

The early data is in. Tennessee scores dropped for grades 3-8, too.

Calling it a "reset moment," state officials review preliminary TNReady data with the State Board of Education.

more soon

Detroit
August 4, 2017

Here’s Detroit’s slimmed-down testing schedule, which Vitti says is only a first step in reducing pressure

High school students will see the greatest impact of the changes this year, but more changes could come to schools in the future, Vitti said.

year two

Tennessee
July 27, 2017

Tennessee high schoolers post higher test scores, but some subjects remain a struggle

The increases were modest on average, but sharp for some of the students who have historically struggled most.

First Person

New York
July 20, 2017

Two fewer testing days in New York? Thank goodness. Here’s what else our students need

My students are concerned that all of their hard work throughout the year will boil down to six intense days of testing.
Indiana
July 14, 2017

Now hiring: Indiana is looking for a testing company to create ISTEP’s replacement

The testing system goes into effect in 2019.

action plan

Tennessee
July 6, 2017

Weary of stagnant ACT scores, Tennessee is giving all its seniors a second chance to test

The state's inaugural ACT Retake Day a success, state officials are expanding the program to all public high school students in the Class of 2018.
Indiana
June 20, 2017

Calculator mix-up could force some students to retake ISTEP, and Pearson is partially to blame

Students at 20 schools used calculators on a section of the 2017 ISTEP math test when they shouldn’t have.

End of an era

Colorado
June 14, 2017

Colorado backing away from PARCC English and math tests, forging its own path

However, Colorado will likely keep using some PARCC questions in the math and English tests given to students in grades three through eight.

TNReady snag

Tennessee
May 25, 2017

Tennessee’s ill-timed score delivery undercuts work to rebuild trust in tests

TNReady testing went smoother this year, but score delivery issues have put state education officials back on the defensive.
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