Send Back the Scores Event Raises Awareness of the Effects of High Stakes Testing

The New Paltz Oracle, October 3, 2013

"The education activist group Re-thinking Testing Mid-Hudson Region held a “Send Back The Scores” event on Saturday, Sept. 28, to raise awareness of the effects on high stakes testing on public school students. The group collected the test scores to send them to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to show their disapproval for “invalid” testing, according to their website rethinkingtestingmidhudson.blogspot.com.

“Testing is taking over public education,” Re-thinking Testing Mid-Hudson Region member and Professor of Educational Studies Nancy Schniedewind said. “That’s not a good thing. This is hurting students, teachers, local school budgets and democratic control of  public education.”

Re-thinking Testing Mid-Hudson Region member KT Tobin said she saw the future of state testing “coming down the pike” during her time on the New Paltz School Board.

“We’ve been working on creating awareness because we knew this was coming,” Tobin said. “It’s changing how we teach and how we learn. We’re teaching to the test.”

Tobin said the mandates ultimately serve to put more of a strain on the students, teachers and tax payers."

Read more at:

http://oracle.newpaltz.edu/invalid-testing-stirs-parents-and-educators/