Over 800 Texas School Districts Pass Resolution Against Standardized Testing

Problems with high-stakes standardized testing and how it affects the quality of Texas education has been at the forefront of the minds of Texas educators and school districts for quite some time. This has been especially the case after the TEA announced this past August that fewer than half of Texas schools met the yearly requirements set by the federal government under the No Child Left Behind Act.

In reaction to this, Texas school districts have begun taking a stand against standardized testing in droves.

The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) proposed a sample resolution against high-stakes testing, arguing on their website that the "current testing system is strangling our public schools, imposing relentless test preparation and memorization and is stealing the love of learning from [our] students."

The resolution, in part, calls Texas legislators to "develop a system that encompasses multiple assessments," and one that, "reflects greater validity" concerning what students actually know.

The overall goal is to create a learning environment that focuses less on test preparation, and more on preparing students to be productive in the real world and in daily life.

So far, 819 Texas school districts have adopted the resolution, affecting 4.2 million students--roughly 88 percent of Texas public school students--according to the TASA website.

Snyder Daily News has reported that Hermleigh and Ira school districts have adopted the resolution, while Snyder has yet to consider it.

The Abilene ISD school district unanimously passed the resolution over the summer with a 7-0 vote.

Brownwood ISD has also passed the resolution, along with other local school districts.

To view the entire resolution, as well as for a complete list of districts that have adopted the resolution, visit the TASA website at http://www.tasanet.org/capitol-watch/2012/10/03/testing-resolution-update.