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Articles on Standardized testing

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High school students in Colorado have protested the use of standardized tests. Caiaimage/Chris Ryan via Getty Images

1 in 4 Colorado 11th-graders skipped their state’s standardized test − geography and income help explain why

The opt-out movement caught on heavily in Colorado in the late 2010s. A group of education scholars is exploring the reasons why.
Math scores plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. What will it take to raise them back up? Ridofranz / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Declines in math readiness underscore the urgency of math awareness

Nearly four decades after President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Math Awareness Week, math readiness and enrollment in college math programs continue to decline.
A team of caring adults, including certified teachers and coaches, support The Youth Association for Academics, Athletics and Character Education (YAAACE) community initiatives in Toronto’s Jane-Finch neighbourhood. (Ardavan Eizadirad)

Ontario can close students’ access and opportunity gaps with community-led projects

Revamping standardized testing needs to be accompanied with tangible actions to mitigate students’ opportunity gaps at the community level, particularly for racialized students.
Susan Hoenhous and other teachers of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario participate in a full withdrawal of services strike in Toronto on Jan. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Mike Harris’s ‘common sense’ attack on Ontario schools is back — and so are teachers’ strikes

For some teachers, this week’s rotating strikes in Ontario are a chilling reminder of the school fallout of 1995-2002, when Mike Harris was premier.
Focusing on narrow PISA measures may increase skill levels but cause students to miss out on the kinds of learning that generates higher-order thinking. (Shutterstock)

Problems with PISA: Why Canadians should be skeptical of the global test

There are many reasons to be skeptical about PISA rankings, and their use to compare student achievement or to identify best practices or solutions for educational problems.
Policy-makers must remember that the social consequences of a test are just as important as the test’s content. (Shutterstock)

New global testing standards will force countries to revisit academic rankings

The stakes could be highest for students around the world as education systems decide how to respond to the changing shape of global standardized testing.
Large-scale literacy testing has not kept pace with how literacy is practiced in classooms, assessed by teachers and mandated by curriculum. tim gouw/unsplash

Testing literacy today requires more than a pencil and paper

Are current forms of standardized literacy tests really measuring children’s capacity to read and interact with our rapidly-changing world?
How can we change math instruction to meet the needs of today’s kids? World Bank Photo Collection / flickr

Challenging the status quo in mathematics: Teaching for understanding

Math instruction is stuck in the last century. How can we change teaching methods to move past rote memorization and help students develop a more meaningful understanding – and be better at math?
A student takes a nap on a desk during his lunch break studying for the National College Entrance Exam in Anhui Province, China. June 2, 2012. Reuters/Jianan Yu

Matchmaker, matchmaker, find me a school: College admissions in China

Every year, 9 million students in China compete for just 6 million college admission spots. The systems that match students with schools are being overhauled. But will that improve outcomes?
Students for Fair Admissions filed suit against Harvard College on behalf of a Chinese-American applicant. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

After Fisher: affirmative action and Asian-American students

Here’s why disagreement about affirmative action will not end any time soon. Coming up next is a lawsuit brought by Asian-Americans challenging Harvard’s race-conscious policy.
What’s the fuss about? Steve Rhodes

The Common Core explained

Polls indicate that a large percentage of Americans know very little about Common Core, the standards for teaching math and English language arts. Here are some Common Core facts.

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