Bill Aims To Curb High-Stakes Testing Mandates

[Disir]

A bipartisan bill that aims to cut the number of standardized tests the federal can impose on states has received approval from the nation's largest teacher's union.

Today the National Education Association endorsed HR-4172, introduced last week by Reps. Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). The bill would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to change the number of federally mandated standardized tests state would be required to administer under the current law, eliminating annual testing and replacing it with grade-span testing (or testing once over a certain span of grades.)

According to Rep. Gibson: "In the decade since No Child Left Behind was signed into law the focus in education has shifted from teaching to testing. But data shows the current testing regime established in No Child Left Behind has not led to higher standards. Teachers are spending more time preparing students to take tests and less time educating, while students are spending more time taking tests and less time learning."

The NEA's leadership agrees. The organization today issued a lengthy endorsement of the legislation, praising the bill's sponsors and slamming high-stakes standardized testing as harmful to students and detrimental to education.

"The National Education Association and its 3 million members applaud Representatives Gibson and Sinema for listening to the growing chorus of voices from parents, teachers, students, and entire communities expressing concern about the detrimental effects and harm caused by the overuse and misuse of high-stakes standardized testing," the endorsement read. "The federal testing mandates, combined with state and district level assessments, have snowballed to create the feeling that our schools are not centers of learning, but rather are test-prep factories."

Read more at Bill Aims To Curb High-Stakes Testing Mandates -- THE Journal

Here it is:
Text - H.R.4172 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Student Testing Improvement and Accountability Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress