North Carolina Republicans will meet this Thursday, January 8, in a closed-door meeting to discuss education policy (click here for a description of the meeting). One of the “experts” who will be addressing them is the head of Jeb Bush’s “Foundation for Excellence in Education,” a major national promoter of high-stakes, one-size-fits-all standardized testing. This […]
North Carolina legislators from both parties have denounced the negative effects of high-stakes standardized tests on North Carolina schools and students. But the General Assembly’s own actions continue to make the situation worse. Exhibits 1 and 2: Read to Achieve and A-F school grading. These pieces of legislation do not increase the number of tests […]
Families from several North Carolina counties successfully refused End of Grade tests for the 2013-14 school year. Most of the refusing families persuaded school officials to allow students to read during the testing time, although some had to be more persistent than others. Goals for next year include spreading the word about test refusal, working […]
The grim saga of Read to Achieve continues. On Thursday, June 5, the North Carolina House voted 73-40 to concur with H230, the Senate’s proposed changes to Read to Achieve (see here for bill text and vote tallies). Particular thanks go to the bipartisan group of House members who voted not to concur, in an […]
Students, parents and teachers across North Carolina call on the General Assembly to take bolder steps to rectify the widespread problems with the Read to Achieve legislation. This morning, the Senate Committee on Education/Higher Education proposed some changes to Read to Achieve. But while these changes will provide some welcome relief for children with disabilities, […]
MecklenburgACTS.org, Fix Read to Achieve Now and a coalition of concerned North Carolina parents call on our fellow parents across the state to urge their state representatives to end the disastrous Read to Achieve program, and to invest instead in more efficient and effective strategies for improving reading skills, such as prekindergarten and additional assistance […]
The Read to Achieve program has been a disaster for many North Carolina third graders. The requirement that third graders pass the state reading test or an approved equivalent in order to be promoted to fourth grade has turned many third-grade classes into stress-filled exercises in test prep. A more comprehensive description of problems with […]
This spring, North Carolinians will join tens of thousands of American families who have chosen to exercise their rights as parents and refuse the high-stakes state tests that have done so much damage to American public education. Families have begun to notify schools that their children will refuse to take this spring’s End of Grade […]
As the state legislature gets ready to go back into session, and as testing season gears up, education-related events are multiplying. If North Carolina education is to improve, we the public have to let our voices be heard. Please attend if you can – especially the May 10 rally. Monday, April 21 “How Did Testing […]
There will be a major education rally here in Charlotte on Saturday, May 10, from noon-2 p.m. in Marshall Park downtown. Having a large turnout will be important – please plan to come. More details soon . . . Also check out the petition started by “Fix Read to Achieve Now,” a group of parents […]