CARE'S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
STOP HIGH-STAKES TESTING
START AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTABILITY
The Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education (CARE) is a statewide organization of parents, educators and concerned citizens. We call on the legislature to:
ABOLISH THE HIGH-STAKES USE OF THE MCAS
--Repeal the state MCAS graduation requirement.
--Prohibit the use of test scores to make decisions about student graduation, promotion or any other major decision affecting students.
--Mandate the local use of multiple measures of student achievement to make graduation and promotion decisions.
--Prohibit the use of scores on state-sponsored tests as barriers to admission at state higher education institutions.
--Prohibit the use of scores on state-sponsored tests to create financial incentives for school personnel.
--Ensure that students are not punished for the failure of their schools and systems to provide an adequate education.
PROVIDE AUTHENTIC SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY: REACH HIGH STANDARDS WITHOUT STANDARDIZATION
CAREšs alternative accountability system would replace the state's "MCAS"--a high-stakes testing system--with a comprehensive assessment system to measure school performance, utilizing multiple, relevant indicators. The CARE system would:
--Require districts to develop comprehensive assessment systems to determine which students have met local and state standards and which are eligible for a high school diploma.
--Review and evaluate locally developed student and school assessment plans and data. Assessment instruments could include portfolios, exams, and performance evaluations, as indicated in the Education Reform Act.
--Use limited standardized testing in English and math. Test scores would not be used in isolation to evaluate school performance, but as one source of information for diagnostic purposes.
--Require annual reporting from schools on assessment results and other indicators.
--Establish a process of periodic, intensive on-site school reviews by teams of external evaluators.
--Provide state intervention to schools that fail to adequately educate their students and progress toward expectations.
PROVIDE ADEQUATE AND EQUITABLE FUNDING FOR ALL SCHOOLS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS
--Schools cannot adequately serve all students without adequately addressing the needs of low-income, special education, bilingual and students of color.
DESIGN CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS WITH PUBLIC REVIEW AND APPROVAL
--Design frameworks that are simple, clear, and periodically reviewed by appropriate professional organizations.
--Enable local school districts to supplement frameworks to reflect local conditions and community needs.
--Make public the contents and scoring justification for any state-sponsored tests by all available means, including electronic.
