Op-ed: Teaching American History: A Straightforward Fix For The Bay State

Read this full article on WGBH News. 
THOMAS BIRMINGHAM
It’s often said that what isn’t tested isn’t taught.  At the same time, recent federal laws compel far too much standardized testing.  State education leaders should reinstate passage of a U.S. history MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement, as was envisioned in the commonwealth’s Education Reform Act. Given the proven performance of Massachusetts public schools over the last two decades in English language arts and math, the commonwealth should also apply for a waiver from federal, annual testing mandates.

Massachusetts public schools have had much to be proud of over the last two decades.  Between 2005 and 2013 we led the nation at every grade level and every subject tested on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.”  Read more…

Thomas Birmingham is a former president of the Massachusetts Senate, coauthor of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, and a distinguished senior fellow in education at Pioneer Institute.