Let’s Not Waver on Testing: An Open Letter to MA Education Commissioner

In the letter below, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios raises important questions about academic accountability and legality with regard to Massachusetts’ administration of student assessments. New PARCC tests related to Common Core national standards are being field-tested in Massachusetts this year, in lieu of or in addition to MCAS, adding countless more hours teachers’ workloads. Schools and parents would not receive results of PARCC tests, despite federal and state laws (NCLB and MERA) that require testing for consequences of every child in grades 3-8 and again in high school. Stergios asks Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to disclose whether the Commonwealth has received a waiver from the federal government that would authorize school districts to forego administering  testing for consequences.  And if so, why it has not been made public? Read Stergios’ entire “Open Letter to the Commissioner” below:

The link to the letter: http://bit.ly/1eaeNjh

Open Letter to Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester

Top photo credit: Dave Souza, Fall River Herald News