SOL
Reform
SOL-Standards
of Learning PAVURSOL
SOL
Reform
Test Usage Information Links:
January, 2003
"Not everything that counts can be counted,
and not everything that can be counted counts."
-Albert Einstein*
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi
"I don't ever want you to forget that there are millions
of God's children who will not, and cannot get a good education,
and I don't want you feeling that you are better than they are.
For you will never be what you ought to be
until they are all that they ought to be."
-Martin Luther King Jr."The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed
(and hence clamorous to be led to safety)
by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
--H. L. Mencken.
Please contact me regarding any corrections and/or additions needed for this page.
Lowell L. Fulk Rockingham County School Board---District II
Has this page been of help? Please let me know.Don't forget to REFRESH or RELOAD there might be something...
YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
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MAKE YOUR OPINION KNOWN!!!
The Kids Are Hurting
IMPORTANT!!!
Thousands of test results on hold
Test Talk for Leaders
The Death of Science? What We Risk in Our Rush
Toward Standardized Testing and the Three R'sTeachers feel stress of high-stakes testing
The Human Face of the High-Stakes Testing Story
The Malevolent Tyranny of Algebra Gerald Bracey
Testing, Testing
The High Stakes Testing Mania Hurts Poor and Minority Students the Most.Algebra for Everyone? John E. Bonfadini, Ed.D
SPECIAL REPORT: States Pay $400M For Tests In 2001
(At just under $18,000,000 for this year,
VA has now spent over $50,000,000. On the testing alone...)San Antonio companies score big with test mandate
Professional Organizations' Position Statments on High Stakes Testing
Confusing Harder With Better Alfie Kohn
Americans Oppose Cuts to Education Spending;
Will Turn Against Politicians Who Trim School
Aid Says New National Poll
Public Ranks Education Above Terrorism, War as IMPORTANT!!!
National Priority; Concern for Schools Tops Social
Security, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Across All
Groups, Including Seniors
Kids need the basics in education
Schools, Accountability and a Sheaf of Fuzzy Math
Educational Reform in an Era of Disinformation IMPORTANT!!!
David C. Berliner, Arizona State University
Data which suggest the failure of America's schools
to educate its youth well do not survive careful scrutiny.
co-author of "The Manufactured CRISIS"Test Drive
"The market for K-12 test-prep services for state exams,
which was almost insignificant three years ago,
is now a booming $50 million arena..."Education experts dig in on test data.
Testing: Snapshots Should Not Lead to Snap Judgments IMPORTANT!!!
Commentary by Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO
Educational Testing ServiceAlso from the Educational Testing Service:
Facing the Hard Facts in Educational Reform IMPORTANT!!!MD Reports Broad Decline in Test Scores
If talk won't work, how about a 2x4?
"The collective body of Virginia's General Assembly are aces when it comes to puffery
and pious nonsense, but where the rubber meets the road, they leave a lot to be desired."
Editorial from Staunton News Leader.SOL Exams To Expand To Grades 4, 6 and 7
State use of MCAS exams 'wrong' IMPORTANT!!!
"standardized tests are good measurement tools,
but they should not be used as a requirement for high school graduation."
Eugene Paslov, President
Harcourt Educational Measurements (The Company that makes the SOL and the MCAS)OVERCOMING AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH STANDARDIZED TESTS
North Carolina School Psychology Association has researched and published
positions on a variety of issues related to school psychology.
Student Accountability Standards Position Statement and
Student Accountability Standards Background PaperSOL Tests Create New Dropouts
Frustrated VA Teachers Switching Courses, Leaving Public SchoolCongress Tries to Tell the Bad Schools from the Mediocre
Signatures For Students A National petition
urging the use of good judgment in educational reform. IMPORTANT!!!Right Answer, Wrong Score: Test Flaws Take Toll
When a Test Fails the Schools, Careers and Reputations Suffer
Mickey VanDerwerker of PAVURSOL debates Mark Christie of the VA BOE IMPORTANT!!!
Teachers' Literacy Skills Akin To Other Professionals IMPORTANT!!!
Kozol sees hypocrisy in testing craze.
Schools Find Wrong Answers To Test Pressure
Poverty takes a toll on school test scores IMPORTANT!!!
1448 people responding to the question:
"Do you think the SOL's are improving the quality of education?"
24% Yes
71% No
2% Undecided
Richmond Times DispatchReading Between the Lines
Varying Results of 4th-Grade Tests Lead Researchers to Wonder
Whether Grading Standards Are Too HighTHINKING ABOUT TESTS AND TESTING: A Short Primer in "Assessment
Literacy" by Gerald BraceyWhat is a Failing School? by Barry McGhan
"Don't Make Teachers the Villains for Problems Imported to Schools"High stakes tests
Standardized tests produce substandard education: by Ralph NaderUnderstanding Tests and Measurements: for the Parent and Advocate
"High Stakes Tests: A Harsh Agenda for America's Children"
U.S. Senator Paul D. Wellstone-Teachers College, Columbia UniversityWhat Do Tests Test? A Commentary by Howard Gardner, professor in cognition
and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Author of: "The Disciplined Mind : Beyond Facts and Standardized Tests,
the K-12 Education That Every Child Deserves"Educating a Democracy Standards and the future of public education.
Early Struggles In Vocabulary Development
Can Hamper Economically Disadvantaged ChildrenThe Myth of Public School Failure by Richard Rothstein
Failing Public Schools? Who Says?
Leave No Child Behind? by Nancy Folbre
Poverty: Litany of social ills impedes learning
High Stakes Testing
Center for Education Research, Analysis, and Innovation
American policy-makers are turning to high-stakes tests to measure
the performance of their schools. But fears that schools aren't measuring up
aren't warranted by the data, and testing is actually hurting school curricula.
Predictable Losers in Testing Schemes by Peter Sacks IMPORTANT!!!
Author of "Standardized Minds"
What You Can Do To Fight Standardized Tests IMPORTANT!!!
Mothers 'Fed Up' Over Tests IMPORTANT!!!
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing
Teachers United Across Virginia
Major Victory for Children of New York State
CARE Massachusetts Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education
CalCARE California Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education
Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform
Student Assessment and Testing
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
"The important distinction is between "assessment" and "test." A test is a single occasion,
unidimensional, timed exercise, usually in multiple choice or short answer form.
Assessment is an activity that can take many forms, can extend over time, and aims to
capture the quality of a students work or of an educational program...."Why Bad Reforms Won't Give Us Good Schools by Larry Cuban
Professor of Education at Stanford University IMPORTANT!!!The use and misuse of test scores
Much of the research on standardized testing concludes that tests can be biased
against minority and low-income students. Tests generally draw from the vocabulary
and experiences of white middle and upper class students. If racial and socioeconomic
factors are not controlled for, test scores may not accurately reflect student ability or
aptitude. When lower test scores mean school sanctions, small communities with high
poverty rates and/or diverse populations face serious consequences.Education Disinformation Detection and Reporting Agency
The Myth of the Texas Miracle in Education by Walt Haney--Boston College
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition
The Truth About 'All Children Can Learn
recommended by Roxie GrossmanHigh Stakes Testing Has its Origins in the Eugenics Movement
Forced sterilizations conducted until 1979
Nominees for governor agree on full apology for eugenics
House 'regrets' eugenics Va. eugenics policy led to sterilization
Report: More pupils in Va. are 'disabled'
Standardized Schools Commentary by Susan Ohanian
author of "One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards"Also by Susan Ohanian Commentary:
Goals 2000: What's in a Name?"I am not convinced that a high score on the TIMSS test is equivalent
to being scientifically literate," says Angelo Collins, who led the development
of the National Science Education Standards.
"The tests don't get at long-term problem-solving skills and concepts about
the nature of science," agrees J. Myron Atkin of Stanford.
"Trying to raise TIMSS scores is a regressive step, because those tests don't
correspond to what we want our kids to know.
Quotes from: "The False Crisis in Science Education" in Scientific American.Class Struggle: U.S. Schools Not as Bad as Portrayed
Calculating the Benefits and Costs of For-Profit Public Education
FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS DON'T DELIVERShould We End Social Promotion? Truth and Consequences IMPORTANT
Taking Responsibility for Ending Social Promotion:
A Guide for Educators and State and Local Leaders IMPORTANT
"Policies to end social promotion must be accompanied by a recognition that it will take
much effort and many resources to help those students who do not meet standards"Finding Alternatives to Failure: Can States End Social Promotion IMPORTANT
and Reduce Retention Rates?Schools taking breaks from recess
WHAT YOU TEST IS WHAT YOU GET. IMPORTANT!!!
"Traditionally, schools have tested low-level skills and fact-based knowledge.
That kind of learning best prepared workers for rote factory work. But to be
competitive in the next century, the United States will demand more of its
workers. In new, high-performance workplaces, individuals will have to do a
lot more critical thinking--analyzing problems, proposing solutions,
trouble-shooting, communicating with others, and managing their time."Can the Standards Movement Be Saved?
On Standardized Testing Vito Perrone
Testing: The Need and Dangers
"High stakes decisions should not be made on the basis
of test scores alone – other factors must be considered."Fixing Our Schools Commentary by Barbara Cervone
"Well-considered policies, backed up by funding and
intensive support, can indeed invigorate the tough
enterprise of improving schools. But the current rash of
reform-minded "laws" typically fails to secure the
substantial resources, teacher training, and time required
to carry them out well."Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality
National Council of Teachers of English: On High-Stakes Testing
ETS Study Links Effective Teaching Methods to Test-Score Gain
Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence
Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University IMPORTANTNational Tests and Education Reform: Are They Compatible?
Coordinating Top-Down and Bottom-Up Strategies for Educational Reform
Neither top-down nor bottom-up strategies for educational reform work.
What is required is a more sophisticated blend of the two. A MUST READ!!!The Educational Costs of Standardization
Too Much Testing of the Wrong Kind;
Too Little of the Right Kind in K-12 Education IMPORTANTStandardized Testing and Its Victims Alfie Kohn
Some Teachers, Students, Parents Say No to Tests!
Tests That Cheat Students Alfie Kohn
The Role of High Stakes Testing---Manitoba Teachers' Society
"SAT scores are better predictors of income, race and gender than of performance
at university,"Using High Stakes Test Results to Give Disadvantaged Kids Access to Outstanding
Responsive TeachersHigh Standards for Whom? Poor implementation and unintended consequences are
fueling a growing rebellion against high standards and tough tests.Test Foes Predict Dropout Rates will Worsen
High Stakes Testing and Economic Productivity
HIGH STAKES TESTING: Why are they doing this to our kids?
Betraying Public Education in the Name of Reform
Commentary by Jennifer Rockne Boulder, COThe Standards Juggernaut "It is hard to resist the notion that what is important
is whatever we and our peers happen to know."Fixing the Race: Is High Stakes Testing Like a Race Without a Starting Line?
MCAS: Making Massachusetts Dropout Crisis Worse
Substitute SOL for MCAS, and Virginia for Massachusetts...
Is this what we want for Virginia?The Development and Impact of High Stakes Testing
National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy: Graduation Testing
Scoring Flub Mars Results of State Academic Test This article deals with
Washington state, in states like Minnesota, California, and New York
students have had graduation delayed, and in some cases had to take
unnecessary remediation because of errors.It's Come To This: Companies Profiting on Test Preparation
Debate Over SOL Tests Spawns Dueling Forums
Three Fairfax County parents tried to organize a debate between leading supporters
and critics of the Virginia Standards of Learning tests, thinking the public would
benefit from the exchange of ideas.
Cartoons contributed by Tom LongWisconsin Study Finds Benefits In Classes of 15 or Fewer Students
The Standards Movement: Quality Control or Decoy?
High-Stakes Tests: Ensuring Accurate Reflections of Student Learning
Testing Kids and Predicting Future Success--John E. Bonfadini, Ed.D
Position Paper on the Standards of Learning prepared by the Faculty
of the Graduate School of Education, George Mason UniversityHer Activism has High Stakes for Nation's Students Rutland Herald, Vermont
Charges grow that schools too often teach to the test
When the page loads, go to the left side of the page to "Jump to year"
and click on 92, then find "Testing in American Schools: Asking the
Right Questions" (February, 1992)" A Study by the Federal GovernmentVa. Poll Gives SOLs Vote of No Confidence
The 32nd Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup POLL
Of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public SchoolsPutting High-Stakes Testing to the Test-a good article with links to
other good articles on both sides of the debate.AERA Position Statement Concerning High-Stakes Testing
in PreK-12 Education. IMPORTANT!!!
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the nation's
largest professional organization devoted to the scientific study of education."High Stakes Are for Tomatoes" Another very good article with links.
Ensuring Equity with Alternative Assessments
High Stakes Testing for Students: Unanswered Questions and
Implications for Students with DisabilitiesHigh-Stakes Test-Based Accountability Policies: Problems and Pitfalls
The Learning Is in the Details-Washington Post
American Educational Research Association Urges Caution: High Stakes Tests
ANALYSIS: High Stakes Tests Do Not Improve Learning
Canadian Teachers' Federation: Standardized Testing and High Stakes Decisions
The Impacts of Minimum Competency Exam Graduation Requirements on College
Attendance and Early Labor Market Success of Minority StudentsHigh Stakes Testing and Civil Rights: Standards of Appropriate Test Use...
The Adverse Impact of High Stakes Testing on Minority Students: Evidence from
100 Years of Test DataDo High Stakes Graduation Tests Improve Learning Outcomes? Using State-Level
NAEP Data to Evaluate the Effects of Mandatory Graduation TestsExtra Benefits Tied to Extracurriculars Michigan Study
of Adolescent Life TransitionsHISTORY TEST STUMPS STUDENTS--SOL QUESTIONS TOO
CHALLENGING; MOST HIGH SCHOOLERS FAILThe Harmful Impact of the TAAS System of Testing in Texas: Beneath
the Accountability RhetoricFocus On Assessment that Informs Practice Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Are High-Stakes Tests Punishing Some Students?
How Important Should One Test Be?
Cautions Issued About High-Stakes Tests
High Stakes
TESTING FOR TRACKING, PROMOTION, AND GRADUATION
Committee on Appropriate Test Use
Board on Testing and Assessment
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
National Research CouncilPolls: High Stakes Tests Don't Score the Whole Student-Fox News
High Stakes Tests Do Not Improve Student Learning
The Harvard University Gazette Studies: 'High Stakes' Tests Are Counterproductive
for Economically Disadvantaged StudentsPass the Test or No Diploma: High Stakes Graduation Testing and Children with
Learning DisabilitiesWhy Public Schools Rule Article comparing Public and Private schools.
Time: Is That Your Final Answer?
Please contact me regarding any corrections and/or additions needed for this page.
Lowell L. Fulk Rockingham County School Board---District II
*Quoted by Linda Mabry in her book,
Portfolios Plus: A Critical Guide to Alternative Assessment, p.5. (Corwin Press, 1999)
